 The first
(I) Invocation is prayer to remind us of God's Omnipresence before we
open the Bible, while we are reading the Bible, and most certainly when we
close the Bible. We always want to feel God's presence. We pray like St.
Paul taught the Philippians to offer, "prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving," to God. Through prayer, St. Paul reiterated to the
Philippians that God's peace, "will guard your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things"
(Philippians 4:6, 8). If we avoid this stage we will find ourselves
manipulating the Scriptures for our own personal agenda and
self-gratification. Our lesson plan will be empty of God's blessing. As they
say, "God don't bless any mess." God's Word must first be read by us and
change us, as opposed to us reading God's Word to change someone else. Let's
honor St. Paul's wish in our first step when studying, "It is my wish, then,
that in every place the [men and women] should pray, lifting up holy hands,
without anger or argument" (1 Tim. 2:8).
Stage two propels us to do some Investigation
of the selected text one may be studying. Throughout the selected text it is
necessary to do our research. Read the "Introduction," look up unfamiliar
words, or phrases by using commentaries or a dictionary on the Bible.
Scholars recommend the late John L. McKenzie's Dictionary of the Bible
as a good resource tool for personal study. One can use the Catechism of
the Catholic Church to understand the Church's teaching on selected
Scripture. St. Peter spoke about this Investigation stage when
mentioning how the prophets sought to understand God's grace concerning
salvation. The prophets "searched and investigated [grace/salvation],
investigating the time and circumstances" (1 Pt. 1:10-11). The Catholic
Catechism teaches that you should strive to:
…discover
the sacred authors' intention … take into account the conditions of
their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the
modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current. 'For the fact is
that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types
of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other
forms of literary expression. (CCC 110).
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