Enthrone the Bible in Your Home

Throughout our Catholic tradition, the book of sacred Scripture has been the honored symbol of God’s living word present among us. Processions, bowing, candles, and incense express our church’s reverence for the inspired word as it is enthroned, opened, and proclaimed in Catholic worship. This prayer service brings the ancient practice of Bible enthronement to Catholic homes, so that it may be a continual reminder to seek and live God’s word each day.

“I would like so much for all Christians to be able to comprehend ‘the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ, through diligent reading of the Word of God, for the sacred text is nourishment of the soul and the pure and perennial source of spiritual life for all of us.” – POPE FRANCIS

Prayer to enthrone the bible in your home - Download Leaflet here

Reverently place the open Bible on a mantle, table, shelf, or bookstand. You may adorn the space with a candle, crucifix, icon, or flowers. It will serve as a spot for regular Bible reading and prayer.  As you pray this enthronement service together, different family members may volunteer for different reader parts.

Reader:
We begin in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We gather together to enthrone the Holy Bible, the sacred book of our church. Since ancient times, the open book of Scripture has been enthroned at church councils and in cathedrals and parish churches. Since every Catholic home is a “domestic church,” we continue this tradition in the place of our ordinary lives, asking that this enthroned Bible remind us that God teaches, encourages, and challenges us through its open pages.

Reader:
Let us pray: Ever-living God, send your Holy Spirit so that this Bible may be for us a source of strength, comfort, inspiration, and guidance. Give us a deeper love for sacred Scripture, a desire to read and reflect upon it, and a longing to follow more faithfully the way of Jesus.

Reader:
Let us listen to Jesus as he offers us truth and freedom through his Word. A Reading from the Gospel according to John:

Jesus then said to those who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32)

Pause for a moment of silent reflection.

Reader: Let us all respond: “O God, teach us your word.”
R/: O God, teach us your word.

• The psalmist prays to God: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). Show us how to travel through the dark places of life with the light of your word. R./ 
• The prophet Isaiah proclaims, “The grass withers, the flower wilts, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Show us how to trust your word as our eternal source of life. R./ 
• In his parable of the sower, Jesus explains, “The sower sows the word” and “the ones that hear the word and accept it” are like rich soil that bears fruit (Mark 4:14, 20). Show us how to let the seed of your word take root within us and bear a rich harvest. R./ 
• The Letter of James urges us: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22). Show us how to listen to your word and then put it into action. R./ 
• Let us each approach the Bible, one by one, place our hands on its open pages, and pray a silent prayer of personal commitment. Pray in your heart for each person as they approach the Bible.

Reader:
Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, open our eyes, our ears, our minds, and our hearts to the living word of Scripture. May it always be the center of our home and our lives. As you have inspired that word with power and truth, now give us confidence to read the Bible in ways that form us into disciples. Fill our hearts and kindle in them the fire of your love, so that you may renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray together as Jesus taught us.
R./  Our Father, who art in heaven …

Reader: Let us offer one another a sign of Christ’s peace.

(This enthronement service may be easily adapted to a classroom, community room, or whatever space you wish to dedicate to the sacred Scriptures.)

​A place for listening and prayer

Now that the Bible is enthroned in your home, this spot is a place to come regularly to read the Bible, individually and as a family. Choose a book of the Bible to read over a period of time, the Sunday Mass readings, or a Bible study book. Then follow the five stages of the ancient practice of Lectio Divina to guide you.

1. READING
Read the verses aloud, slowly and carefully, realizing that God is speaking through the sacred text. Imagine the scene, notice the feelings evoked by the text, and consider the type of writing used by the author. If done in a group, members share with the others what they have discovered in the text.

2. MEDITATION
Considering what particular phrases or images have caught your attention, ask yourself what the text is saying personally to you. What insight, comfort, or challenge is God offering you? If in a group, feel free to share your thoughts with the others.

3. PRAYER
Respond to God who has spoken to you in the text. In words of thanks, praise, repentance, or petition, speak to God from the heart. In a group, this could be prayed aloud or in silence.

4. CONTEMPLATION
Simply rest in God’s presence. Trust God to work within you and form you in the divine image. Stay in silence and savor the Holy Spirit.

5. ACTION
Determine how you can turn your prayerful reflection into practical experience. Let the power of God’s word have an effect in your life, making you a more committed disciple of Jesus.

Text & Prayer from Catholic Initiatives
Written by Steven J. Binz