Rediscovering the Living Word Through the Heart of the Church
When I was in seminary as an Evangelical (Campbellite) Christian, I was taught to study Scripture using a rigid exegetical method. It was a precise, point-by-point process designed to uncover meaning through pure analysis: like a detective, you would dissect the grammar, map the historical context, and extract conclusions through cold inductive reasoning. It was a method that Francis Bacon and Alexander Campbell would have applauded—a hermeneutic that operated almost like a scientific experiment.
But something always felt deeply off. I had come to Scripture hoping for an encounter with God, but this approach left me on the outside, as if I were examining the Word through fogged glass. It felt lifeless, as though the sacred text were nothing more than an ancient artifact to be studied. I didn’t realize it then, but this method was missing the heart—not only my own, but the heart of Jesus, the living Word who speaks through Scripture.
It wasn’t until later, when I began engaging with the Scriptures through the lens of the Church’s Magisterium, that I began to grasp their full beauty and depth. The Catholic Church teaches us that Scripture is not self-interpreting. It exists within the Sacred Deposit of Faith, handed down by Christ to His Apostles and safeguarded by the Church. Without this lens, Scripture can become fragmented, even distorted, reduced to whatever meaning I impose upon it.
The beauty of the sacred text is that it reveals God’s Word, but it does so within a Living Tradition. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, illuminates the text, helping us see not only its historical context but also its divine purpose. Scripture cannot be reduced to private interpretation or studied in isolation, as St. Peter reminds us: “No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
When I began practicing Lectio Divina—a prayerful reading of Scripture informed by the Church’s teaching—it felt as though the scales fell from my eyes. No longer was the text a puzzle to solve or a list of facts to memorize. It became a living conversation with Christ, guided by the wisdom of the Church and animated by the Holy Spirit.
This experience taught me that beauty cannot be captured by cold analysis. To see the beauty of Scripture, one must approach it not as a scholar dissecting a text but as a disciple encountering the Word made flesh. Beauty reveals itself not in isolation but in relationship. Just as we perceive the beauty of art, literature, or another human person only when we enter into their interior meaning, so to do we understand Scripture only when we allow ourselves to be interior to it—within the heart of the Church.
To grow in the spiritual life, we must let go of the illusion that we can master Scripture on our own. Instead, we must receive it as part of the Church’s living tradition. The Magisterium is not a constraint on the text; it is a lens that brings it into focus. Through the teachings of the Church, we see the unity of Scripture, its coherence, and its ultimate purpose: to reveal the beauty and love of Jesus Christ.
Looking back, I am grateful for the tools of exegesis I learned in seminary, but I have come to see their limits. Without the Church’s guidance, Scripture can become fragmented—a collection of isolated verses rather than the living voice of God. Only through the Church’s teaching can we truly encounter the beauty of the Word.
As we approach Scripture, let us do so not as technicians but as lovers of Christ. Let us seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of the Church to open our hearts to its interior beauty. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In the stillness of prayer, through the lens of the Magisterium, we come to see the beauty of Christ in every word of Scripture. May we never settle for less than the living encounter God desires for us.
I would encourage to explore the wonderful, rich practice of Lectio Divina. It is a daily practice that will bring you closer to the heart of Jesus. If you would like to know more about Lectio Divina, read Benedict XVI Verbum Domini here. Download a Lectio Worksheet here.
© 2025, Lawain McNeil, Mission Surrender, LLC.
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So very concise and well said! The Holy Spirit came in like a laser, straight to the heart with incredible inspiration.