“Ask a Priest: Is It Enough to Read the Bible and Pray?”

Q: All my life I’ve been Christian. However, my family and I never really went to church, nor did I delve much into the Bible. But I started trying to read the Bible and praying more regularly. When will I know that a strong bond with God will be formed or whether I have one already? And is it necessary that people go to church even if they study the Bible and pray to God? – J.L.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: Keep in mind that this will be answered from a Catholic perspective.

Jesus founded a Church, and he wants those who follow him to worship together. In fact, at the Last Supper he prayed for disciples “that they may all be one” (John 17:21).

Worship gives glory to God, but it is also meant to unify us here on earth.

A precept of the Catholic Church is that the faithful have the duty to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.

The Mass is infinitely valuable because it re-presents Jesus’ death on Calvary, the sacrifice that won our redemption from sin.

The Mass is also crucial because without that communal and external show of worship it’s easy for a spiritual life to drift into subjectivism; a person can start to make his own rules and judge things by his own standards.

What begins as a well-intentioned “It’s just me and Jesus, so who needs a church?” approach to religion can end up as a do-it-yourself belief system with no guardrails and not much content.

Now, the Catholic Church relies on both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition for its teaching. The Bible, although extremely valuable, isn’t enough.

The Bible, like any text, needs to be interpreted correctly. That is where Sacred Tradition helps. It comprises the teachings of Jesus and the apostles that were transmitted orally, for not everything we need to know was explicitly mentioned in Scripture.

The Bible itself indicates as much. “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book ” (John 20:30). And: “Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). [italics mine]

In any case, studying the Bible and praying should help us draw closer to God, ideally.

One way we can tell we are growing in our relationship with God is whether we are growing in virtue. If for the love of God we are more patient, more generous, less self-centered, etc., that is a good sign.

It might help you to get an overview of the Catholic faith. A helpful source could be the Youth Catechism.

I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers.

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