READING OF THE SCRIPTURES (BIBLE)

In these times there is a growing interest in reading the Bible, we can say that is fashionable, and there can be no better reding. But we must be guided by specialists who know profoundly and will guide us to be more profitable our reading. It is not  advisable to apply our personal opinion only  but follow what we are told, in order to have a clearer understanding.
"Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" St. Jerome, S. IV.
Let's see what we are told by those who know, after many years of study of the Scriptures, and have come up with a Catholic´s true view.

The first thing we recommend is that we have a method, and to do so systematically as follows. The best method is to have a set time, if possible, and reading it daily, in addition to be thoughtful, not like reading a novel, but as we read a text and not excluding the meditation that we read.
We should start on the New Testament by the Holy Gospels and not the Genesis that is  the first book of the Old Testament and the reasons we give are very important. As the Old Testament is preparing, is precisely prophesy the coming of Jesus Christ, given the fullness of time.
We are told that only after learning the New Testament it will be possible to understand the totality of the Old Testament. Although once clarified, that the Bible is a whole, considering both testaments, that are not separate things, but an absolute unity,  which is not an objection to the order of the reading-study-meditation.
And the systematization will be that start at the first evangelist, San Mateo, to continue with San Marcos, San Lucas continuing to complete the Holy Gospels with San Juan. Here we must make an important clarification, the first three are known as "The Synoptic Gospels" this is due to the similarities in them. These books were written from notes of the catechesis held by these men of Christ, intended for different places and at different times. Always carrying the message of Jesus Christ, who received it from God the Father, as He himself made clear in different occasions. The Holy Gospels are therefore Christ-centered, He is the center of them as is the messenger of God. True God and true man, the Second Person of the HolyTrinity.
We are also clarified, that the Bible contains different genres, easy to read, but difficult to understand without prior knowledge of the New Testament  in many cases, that contain symbols, unintelligible to us laypeople, realy a field for exegetes and apologists, that have centuries of continued studying and discovering new aspects. This by the advances in understanding the meaning of the ancient languages, authorial styles, and other technical aspects.
After reading methodical, systematic, ordered the first three Gospels, one must be entered in the Gospel of John. The change in style and narrative that is before us, make a different but complementary view on the Synoptics in relation to Jesus Christ.
When finished with the Gospel of John we read the book called Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Tradition attributed it to St. Luke, which tell us in an  exciting form, in continuation with the objectives of the Gospels providing  the teachings of Christ. Then come the Epistles of St. Paul. Known as the Apostle of the Gentiles, needless to say they are written from a man who received an extraordinary revelation of Jesus Christ, on his way to Damascus to attack Christians. His conversion was immediate and became very active apostle for the rest of his hazardous life.
Then introduces the reader to the Catholic Epistles, which publishes  Santiago, San Pedro, San Judas Tadeo, and San Juan, all of the purest doctrine, and as enjoyable to read .
Here worth noting that the last book of the New Testament is attributed to St. John the Evangelist, and is called (APOCALIPSIS), Revelation, this is a book full of symbolism, which should be read in a Bible that is rich in reviews, because you can not understand without the help of the explanations of the exegetes. This book ends the divine revelation.
It is not difficult to be interested  in knowing certain episodes from the Old Testament, as the natural interest in reading the narratives of Genesis, Exodus, or the historical books, which for clarity are without much problem, if we are interested in breaking our order Read temporarily, on the understanding that we will return to our recommended system.
Jorge Casas and Sanchez.