Tuning into Christ’s message doesn’t require reaching for the TV remote. Instead, Pope Francis said faithful can hear Christ speak to them through the Gospel.
“On what TV channel does Jesus speak? He speaks to you in the Gospel,” he told a crowd Feb. 8 at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Rome. “And this is a habit that we still do not have: to go to seek the Word of Jesus in the Gospel.”
Carry a pocket Bible, the pontiff said, and the voice of Christ will become clearer.
“Five minutes, 10 minutes, when I am travelling, or when I must wait … I take the Gospel from my pocket or my bag and read something, or I do so at home,” the pope said. “And Jesus speaks to me.”
A reflection may follow the reading of a passage and listening to see if it speaks to the reader.
“I know people who always carry it and, when they have a little time, they open it, and thus always find the right word for the moment they are living,” Pope Francis said.
The pocket Bibles the pope referred to are widely available. Refer to the list below for more details.
Pocket Gospels and Acts of the Apostles (NAB) by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Online: USCCB.org
New Testament and Psalms (Revised Standard Version, 2nd edition) by Ignatius Press
Online: Ignatius.com
New Testament (Confraternity Pocket Edition, 1941) by Saint Benedict Press Online: Benedictpress.com
St. Joseph New Testament Vest Pocket Edition (NAB)
Online: CatholicBookPublishing.com
The New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) Compact Edition by Oxford University Press
Online: CatholicBibleStore.com
