Reading the Bible in a Month

Because reading the Bible in a year doesn’t work.

From an off-roading excursion last week

A few weeks ago, a gathering here in the North resolved to read the Bible cover to cover, unceasing until every verse had been read aloud. The effort would take an estimated 84 hours. Even with a son who had been hospitalized days before, there was one chapter I had to read.

Apart from the speech of my name sake I spent hours sitting in that hall listening to the laity resound the stone floors with seemingly unending sacred script.

There was something hypnotic and soothing about it.

Last year, I had read through the books of Luke & Acts while I was in the hospital. I was surprised how fast those few hours flew by. An ease among a difficult day.

Inspired by those readings, I’m setting aside another attempt to read the Bible in a year. A wilder idea struck me. What if I read the Bible in a month? Every month. What would that look like?

My disclaimer before we move forward: I fully expect to fail at this challenge every month with the hope that I fail in different places transforming twelve failures into one spectacular success. Now where have we seen this theme before?

First, it was important to me to have a commitment I could easily fulfill daily regardless of what came at me. I know I’m going to fail cruising through the Pentateuch in a week but if I can get through bits of the psalms, proverbs and gospels every morning, I will consider it a win. So to begin, here’s my fifteen minute daily devotion:

Begin with the Mysteries

I am using a hybrid approach with the Luminous Mysteries paired with the traditional Sunday practice. Meaning Monday through Sunday twenty of the gospel mysteries are being contemplated. With a minute on each of the five mysteries per day, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite tours through the gospels

If you have never prayed a rosary or are unfamiliar with the gospel, the Rosary wikipedia page has links to each mystery and a weekly schedule.

A Proverb a Day

This has been a discipline I have kept since my son was born. I read a chapter from Proverbs each day based on the date. For months with 30 or 29 days, read the final chapters on the final day. This does not take more than five minutes. It’s the easiest part of the whole thing for me and yet it always has wisdom I needed to see.

End with an Extended Play

Dividing the Psalms into 30 days leaves five psalms per day. Again, this should be something that takes around five minutes. On months with a 31st day I often return to the Psalm that crowns the Psalms. And with February, enjoy a day with ten Psalms.

Now for my Bible in a month schedule:

The Monthly Schedule

Week 1: Pentateuch & Matthew + Epistles of Paul pt 1

Week 2: Former Prophets & Mark + Epistles of Paul pt 2

Week 3: Latter Prophets & Luke + Acts (deliberately a slower week. Alternatively, break up the Pauline Epistles into thirds instead of half adding Philemon at the end here.)

Week 4: Writings (Apocrypha depending on your choice of Canon) & John + Epistles of the Disciples (Use the remaining days of the month to tackle Revelation)

This amounts to roughly three hours of reading a day.

Alternatively one could break this out into months instead of weeks and have roughly 45 minutes of reading daily and still read through the Bible three times in a year. A near 70% failure rate every four months could still read through the Bible in a year.

If you end up adopting any of these schedules or have one of your own, let us know in the comments below.

Until next week,

-Steven

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