Ten minutes a day with God's word
Most Catholics will say they know the Bible matters. Far fewer have a daily habit of reading it. The good news: ten minutes a day, every day, will do more for your faith than any book about the Bible ever could.
Bishop Davies' own homilies are saturated in scripture. The Easter homily 2026 returned again and again to John's account of the women at the tomb. The Advent letter for our 175th anniversary year drew on the prophets and the Catechism. The Chrism Mass homilies are built on John 6, the Bread of Life discourse. There is a reason. The Word of God is the soil out of which Catholic life grows.
Why daily?
Saint Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin in the fourth century, wrote: Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ. The Catechism agrees: The Church forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures (CCC 133).
Frequent. Not occasional. The Bible is not a reference book to consult when curious. It is daily food. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy at the devil: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). If we believe him, our calendars should look like it.
Three ways to begin
Pick one. Stick with it for thirty days.
- The Mass readings of the day. The Church gives you a passage from the Old Testament, a psalm, often a New Testament letter, and a Gospel, every single day. Together they form a programme covering most of the Bible across a three-year cycle. Use the Universalis app or website. It is free, well laid out, and used by clergy and laity across the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
- One Gospel, slowly. Start with Mark. It is the shortest. Read one paragraph a day. When you finish, start John. Then Matthew. Then Luke.
- Lectio Divina. A four-step monastic practice we will set out below. Slower, deeper. Best for ten or fifteen minutes when you can sit still.
Lectio Divina in four steps
- Read. Take a short passage. Read it once aloud, slowly.
- Meditate. Read it again. Notice the word or phrase that stops you. Sit with it.
- Pray. Speak to God about what you have noticed. Argue, thank, ask, repent. Be honest.
- Contemplate. Be silent. Let the word stay with you as you go into the day.
Lectio Divina is the prayer the monks of Belmont and the Benedictine sisters at Curzon Park have prayed for centuries. It belongs to you too.
Bishop Davies on John 6
If you want to know how a Catholic reads the Bible, listen to how Bishop Davies returns to John chapter 6.
At the heart of the Catholic Church, Newman found what he called 'a Treasure unutterable', the Mystery of the Eucharist containing the Church's entire spiritual wealth: Christ Himself. This led to an enduring sense of wonder that he had found in the Blessed Sacrament the Real Presence of Christ Himself.
The Catholic reading of John 6 is plain. My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink (John 6:55). The Bible and the Eucharist are the same Word, given to us in two forms. That is why daily reading and Sunday Mass belong together. Pull them apart and you starve.
What you will notice in thirty days
- The Sunday readings start to make sense. You begin to recognise them.
- The homily becomes a conversation, not a monologue. You bring your week of reading to it.
- You start to pray with the Bible's words, not just your own. The Psalms become your songs.
- Your conscience sharpens. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 to 7 begins to read you as much as you read it.
A word for the worried
You do not need to understand everything. You will not, for years. The Catechism says scripture has four senses: literal, allegorical, moral, and anagogical. Most readers spend a lifetime with the literal and the moral and never feel they have run out. Read what you can. Trust the Church to teach you the rest.
Your next step today
Open the Bible. Now, before you close this page.
- Download Universalis on your phone. Set a daily reminder for the morning.
- Or read Mark chapter 1, slowly, before bed.
- If you would like to join a parish scripture group, ask after Sunday Mass at the Cathedral, Town Walls, Shrewsbury SY1 1UE, or write to info@dioceseofshrewsbury.org to find groups in your local parish.
Ten minutes a day. Thirty days. Begin tonight.
