AN historic, ecumenical and public reading of the bible will highlight this year’s celebration of National Bible Week from January 25 to 31.
Dubbed i-proclaim, the continuous oral reading of the Scriptures will bring together churches from different confessions and denominations in a campaign to bring God’s word closer to the heart and lives of Filipinos.
Similar to Holy Week’s “pabasa”, the marathon bible reading, which seeks to draw Filipinos together in these crucial times, will be launched on January 25 at the Bonifacio Shrine in Manila.
Among its first readers will include national and local officials, board members and staff of Philippine Bible Society (PBS), partner churches, representatives from government offices, schools, business organizations and other sectors of society.
Mrs. Nora Lucero, PBS General Secretary and Chairperson of the Global Board of the United Bible Societies, expressed hope that with the launching of the bible reading activity, more people will be drawn to reading the Scriptures and make the word of God part of their lives.
“…we are hoping and praying that people, groups, churches and organizations will follow suit and do their own public readings throughout the year, not just during National Bible Week,” she said.
“God’s word must be part of our daily life, especially at such a time as these when we are faced with so many challenges. We have to seek God in everything we do, personal or national,” she added.
Simultaneous Bible reading
The Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate (ECBA) will hold a simultaneous bible reading in all its 87 dioceses nationwide on the evening of January 30.
ECBA executive secretary Fr. Oscar Alunday said they are aiming to read the entire bible with the participation of the members of Basic Ecclesial communities (BEC).
“Each diocese/parish will be assigned a portion to read orally. These will be done simultaneously and in about 15-30 minutes, the bible will be read completely from Genesis to Revelation all over the Philippines,” he said.
“We will have a wonderful covering of God’s word all throughout the land,” he added.
Plain reading of the entire Bible can reach up to 72 hours while the New Testament can be finished in 20-23 hours.
The Bible oral reading is modeled after the Canadian Bible Society’s proclamation that started in Quebec, Canada in 1995. During that time, more than 200 readers read the Bible in 12 different languages. The activity has since spread throughout Canada and in a 2001 Bible proclamation, more than 60 communities nationwide participated.
A similar Bible reading marathon was also held in Rome in 2008. Pope Benedict XVI led the one-week nonstop reading of the bible interspersed with music at the Vatican.
Lucero said PBS wanted to duplicate the same feat in the country for Filipinos to personally experience the riches and relevance of Scriptures in their lives.
“We want to encourage our “kababayans” to set aside differences, come together and be one in reading God’s word. This is a public confession — I, and we hope you and all other Filipinos too—will proclaim that we as a people, are putting God’s word in the center of our national life and that we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ,” she said.
The bible proclamation is open to all who want to participate. The Scriptures will be read as is, without any commentary or sermon. Readers, whose age may range from 7 to 97, may read for 5, 10 or 15 minutes or even more than once, with a break between readings.
The annual observance of National Bible Week is empowered by Proclamation No. 44 issued by late President Corazon Aquino and Proclamation No. 1067 by former President Fidel Ramos. Both decrees uphold the importance of reading and praying of the Scriptures in strengthening the moral fiber of the citizenry.
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