Q: Many non-Catholics can recite Bible verses by memory and what book they came from. Why did the Catholic Church not teach the Bible? I went to Catholic grade school and never was taught the Bible or encouraged to study it. — Patricia

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC:

A: If your grade school didn’t teach the Bible, that is unfortunate. Only the school knows why it didn’t do so.

That said, your experience wasn’t unusual. Many Catholics of an earlier generation weren’t encouraged to read or study Scripture at home.

This isn’t because the Church didn’t “teach the Bible.” Go online or go into a seminary library and you’ll find lots of Bible commentaries, from the Church Fathers onward.

So why wasn’t the Bible a bigger part of Catholic daily life?

The reasons are varied.

For one, after the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, some Catholics weren’t keen on promoting private reading of the Bible since so many Protestants misinterpreted or twisted so many things in Scripture.

Moreover, Catholics already heard Scripture at every Mass. Ideally, the homilies should have helped people understand Scripture better. That might or might not have been everyone’s experience.

Since the Second Vatican Council there has been more emphasis on getting laypeople to read Scripture.

Bible study groups are common in parishes, and Catholic publishing has churned out lots of biblical commentaries, etc., over the past 40 years or so. Scholars such as Scott Hahn and clergy such as Father Mike Schmitz have done a lot to revive and feed popular interest in Scripture.

The tide has turned, in other words.

Unfortunately, it didn’t come soon enough for you during your childhood.

Nevertheless, there are lots of resources if you want to pursue your study of Scripture. Two suggestions would be Jeff Cavins’ Bible Timeline series and Father Schmitz’s Bible in a Year podcast.

It’s never too late to learn about the inspired Word of God.