Where Do I Start with the Bible?

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Where Do I Start with the Bible?"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
• Host: Ascension
• Description: Faith, pop culture, and headline reflections from Fr. Mike Schmitz.
• Episode: Where Do I Start with the Bible?
• Release Date: June 19, 2025

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Introduction: Overcoming Intimidation in Biblical Study

In the episode titled "Where Do I Start with the Bible?", Father Mike Schmitz addresses a common concern among believers: the intimidation factor associated with reading the Bible. Right from the start (00:00), Fr. Mike acknowledges the overwhelming nature of the scriptures, stating, “I know I need to know God's Word. But again, we look at this big chunk of change. I don't know if I'm going to understand it, if I'm going to get it, if I'm going to like it. And I maybe am a little bit intimidated by it.”

Embracing Reverence: The Right Posture Towards God's Word

Fr. Mike delves into the appropriate emotional response when approaching the Bible. He emphasizes that feeling intimidated is not inherently negative, as it reflects the recognition of the Bible's divine origin. “[...] the Bible's bigger than me, right? God's Word and how he has revealed himself to humanity is bigger than me.” He draws parallels with Old Testament accounts where God's presence was so overwhelming that people couldn’t bear it: “...when God came down on the mountain, like no one could touch the mountain...people cried out and said, Moses, no. How would you speak to us, Moses?”

However, he cautions against allowing reverence to become a barrier. “[...] if having a fear and awe, or awe and trembling, if having that reverence for God's Word keeps me from reading God's Word, that's gone too far because that's a distortion.”

The Young Woman’s Journey: From Disillusionment to Devotion

Fr. Mike shares a poignant story to illustrate his point. A young woman, after being encouraged by her pastor to read the entire Bible, concluded that she "didn't like God." Her pastor's wise advice was pivotal: “[...] when you read the Bible again, stop looking for yourself and start looking for God.” This shift from a self-centered approach to one focused on divine revelation transformed her relationship with the scriptures. As Fr. Mike recounts (10:30), “by the time even she got to...she said, I fell in love with God because I was no longer looking for myself. I was looking for him, saying, God, you show me who you are.”

Approaching the Bible as a Learner

Building on the story, Fr. Mike emphasizes the importance of adopting a learner's mindset when engaging with the Bible. “[...] I'm a learner because I'm saying, okay, God, teach me that....” He contrasts this with a confrontational approach: “Sometimes we make a mistake of approaching the Bible and say like, okay, prove to me, Lord, or answer me, God, as opposed to speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

He reinforces that Scripture is primarily about God’s self-disclosure: “Revelation is the self-disclosure of God to us as a conscious subject.”

Tools for Engaging with the Bible: Making It Accessible and Understandable

Fr. Mike outlines three key elements that contribute to the podcast's popularity and effectiveness in guiding listeners through the Bible:

1. Ease of Access: “[...] sometimes we're intimidated to read God's word. So, you know, it's really easy to do, press play. It's really easy to press play and follow along as well.” The podcast format lowers the barrier to entry, inviting listeners to engage without the initial overwhelm.

2. Structured Mapping: Highlighting Jeff Cavins' Bible Timeline, Fr. Mike explains, “Bible Timeline is a way that you read through the Bible in a very intentional way where you never lose track of the story. There is going to be...here's the beginning, here's the journey, here's the end.” This structured approach helps listeners maintain a coherent understanding of the biblical narrative.

3. Guidance: Serving as a guide himself, Fr. Mike states, “The guide in this case is me. But sometimes it's really helpful to have a guide.” He underscores the value of having someone to help interpret and navigate through complex passages, ensuring listeners grasp the intended lessons and themes.

Conclusion: Encouragement to Engage with Divine Revelation

Fr. Mike wraps up the episode by reiterating that while it’s natural to feel intimidated by the Bible, this feeling should not deter one from engaging with Scripture. “[...] to not be so intimidated that you don't approach the Bible, God wants to reveal himself to you, so be a learner. Listen to him reveal himself to you through the Bible on the air.”

He encourages listeners to take advantage of the podcast’s accessible format, structured guidance, and his own mentorship to draw closer to God through His Word. “You do not need to be intimidated, but you do need to draw close. That's what God wants you to do, and that's what he wants for you anyways.”

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Key Takeaways:

• Acknowledge the Bible’s Grandeur: It’s natural to feel awe and reverence towards God’s Word.
• Avoid Barriers: While respect is important, it shouldn’t prevent you from reading and understanding the Bible.
• Adopt a Learner’s Mindset: Seek to understand God’s revelation rather than searching for personal validation.
• Utilize Resources: Make use of structured guides and accessible formats to enhance your Bible study experience.
• Seek Guidance: Having a mentor or guide can greatly aid in comprehending and applying biblical teachings.

Notable Quotes:

• “[...] the Bible's bigger than me, right? God's Word and how he has revealed himself to humanity is bigger than me.” – Fr. Mike Schmitz (00:45)
• “Revelation is the self-disclosure of God to us as a conscious subject.” – Fr. Mike Schmitz (06:15)
• “God wants to reveal himself to you, so be a learner.” – Fr. Mike Schmitz (18:05)

This episode serves as an encouraging guide for anyone feeling daunted by the Bible, offering practical advice and heartfelt insights to foster a deeper and more meaningful engagement with the Scriptures.

Transcript

[Father Mike Schmitz]

You know, people had asked me, hey, Father, how do you read the Bible? Because I'm so intimidated by it. And so the question came up, like, how to read the Bible and not be intimidated by it. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is Ascension presents. I know that I need to know what's in here. I know I need to know God's Word. But again, we look at this big chunk of change. I don't know if I'm going to understand it, if I'm going to get it, if I'm going to like it. And I maybe am a little bit intimidated by it. Not only does that make sense, but I don't necessarily think it's bad to be intimidated by the Bible. The Bible's bigger than me, right? God's Word and how he has revealed himself to humanity is bigger than me. And so whenever we approach something that is bigger than us, that is holier than us, I think the proper response to that or the proper kind of posture to that is. Is one of humility, is one of reverence, is one where we approach God's Word with a certain fear and trembling, right? In the Old Testament, it talks about how when God came down on the mountain, like no one could touch the mountain. Because there's just like that sense when God would speak, the people cried out and said, moses, no. How would you speak to us, Moses? We can't hear the voice of God and still live. We can't see the face of God and still live. And there's something appropriate about being intimidated by God's Word, because I realize, and this is bigger than me. Now here's the thing. If being intimidated by, or having a fear and awe, or awe and trembling, if having that reverence for God's Word keeps me from reading God's Word, that's gone too far because that's a distortion. That's it, right? That's not the. It's not the. It's not the proper response because God's inviting us to know what he's. He's inviting us to know Him. And he reveals himself through. Through His Word and through. Like, through Scripture and through tradition, right? Through divine revelation. He wants us to know Him. So, yes, I approach the Bible, it's bigger than me, but I have to approach the Bible even though it's bigger than me, if that makes any sense. So how do I approach it? How do I approach God's Word? Well, one is with reverence. Like one is. I approach the Bible as a learner. That's that I just want to say we approach the Bible as a learner because I'm saying, okay, God, teach me that, that prayer, Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. I think sometimes we make a mistake of approaching the Bible and say like, okay, prove to me, Lord, or answer me, God, as opposed to speak, Lord, your servant is listening. I came across this story and I've repeated it many times. I think it was like last summer I might have come across this. But there was a young woman and her pastor had recommended her to read the whole Bible. So she did read the Bible from COVID to cover. And she said she got to the end of the Bible and she's like, I don't like God. I read the whole book. I don't like God. And she talked to her pastor about this and her pastor was really wise and he said, here, I think you've read it wrong. He said, what do you mean read it wrong? I read all the words, I tried to understand them. He said, I want you to go back and reread it. But this time when you read the Bible, don't try to find yourself in the Bible. Because that's what she was doing. Like, that's what a lot of us do. We read the Bible and we're like, okay, where am I? How is God speaking to me? Like, how is this a reflection of me? And sometimes God's word does that. Sometimes God's word is a reflection of us. Sometimes God's word does speak to us about us. But he said this. He said, when you read the Bible again, stop looking for yourself and start looking for God. Because what is sacred scripture? What is revelation? Revelation is the self disclosure of God to us as a conscious subject. That's that technical definition I got in seminary. Revelation is the self disclosure of God to us as a conscious subject. Which means his word is about him. He's revealing his heart. To her credit, she went back and reread and she said by the time even she got to, I think it was Leviticus, maybe numbers. She said, I fell in love with God because I was no longer looking for myself. I was looking for him, saying, God, you show me who you are, because this is divine revelation. So I approach the Bible. I might be awe, reverence, humility, but I'm a learner. And I approached that not looking for myself, although you will find yourself in the Scriptures, but approach the scriptures looking for Him. How do I do that? Ever since the Bible in the year Podokism, people said, hey, why is this podcast so popular? Or why Is this podcast so effective? And I said it, I think for three reasons. One is it's easy. I think sometimes we're intimidated to read God's word. So, you know, it's really easy to do, is press play. It's really easy to press play and follow along as well. So we made it really easy. Just press play. Number two is there's a map. Jeff Cavins with his Bible Timeline, the great adventure. Bible Timeline is a way that you read through the Bible in a very intentional way where you never lose track of the story. There is going to be. Here's the beginning, here's the journey, here's the end. And thirdly, there's a guide. The guide in this case is me. But sometimes it's really helpful to have a guide. Obviously, it's essential to have a map, but so often you guys know this. You can be reading the Bible, looking for God and saying, I don't know where I see God in this whole list of names. I don't know where to find God in this. Wow, really brutal history. I don't know what God's trying to teach me in this commandment or in that moment of history or in this poetry. To have a guide can be so incredibly helpful. So if you're intimidated by the Bible, it's not entirely a bad thing. That might be actually the good first step. But to not be so intimidated that you don't approach the Bible, God wants to reveal himself to you, so be a learner. Listen to him reveal himself to you through the Bible on the air. Press play. It's easy. Have that map. It's brilliant. And there's a guide who's adequate. You do not need to be intimidated, but you do need to draw close. That's what God wants you to do, and that's what he wants for you anyways. From all of us here at Ascension presents. My name is Father Mike. God bless.