(A summary of this month's Youth Update)
If you would like to preview a future edition in Youth Update's private online chat room, contact CarolAnn@franciscanmedia.org.

I have been blessed to share my love of the Bible with many young people, who often approach the Bible with some hesitation. This Youth Update addresses your doubts and hesitations so that you, too, can make the Bible part of your life.

Over 250 teens met with 28 bishops at a late 1999 National Catholic Youth Congress in St. Louis. They discussed the topic "Catholic Youth and the Bible." Let me share three of their reasons for reading the Bible—and add one of my own.

These three guidelines will help you get started in your Bible reading.

1. Consider the translation or version of your Bible. Catholic versions of the Bible include more books in the Old Testament. Choose a Catholic version so you have access to those books. How will you know a Bible is Catholic? The word imprimatur (im-prim-AH-tur) on the page after the title page is your guarantee that your Bible is an approved Catholic version.

2. Consider whether you want a Bible with only the Bible text or one that also includes additional notes, articles and book introductions. I call the ones with additional material "bridge" Bibles because their articles and notes help the reader bridge the differences between the ancient cultures for whom the books of the Bible were originally written and our world today.

3. Take that new, beautiful, clean Bible and write in it. Get yourself some highlighters and Post-it notes and mark your Bible up as you read. Make the book your own—a useful reference and inspiration.

These three questions will help you figure out your best style for reading the Bible.

2. What place works best for you? Some people like to read their Bible outdoors in a favorite spot in nature. Others like the quiet and privacy of their bedroom or study area.

Most methods of Bible study involve three things: studying a Bible passage, praying for personal understanding of God's message, and applying it to one's life. A method I like is the PRIMA process, which is explained in the Catholic Youth Bible. Each letter of PRIMA stands for a step in the process. Since PRIMA is the Latin word for "first," it is also a reminder to put God first in your life.

Pray. Begin with a prayer, asking that your time with Scripture will draw you closer to God.

Read the chosen passage carefully, trusting that God will give you what you need to learn and grow.

Imagine what was going on when the passage was first written. If you can, investigate the historical or cultural situation behind the passage. What message was the author trying to get across? Also, imagine yourself as one of the characters in the story. How would you have felt in that person's place?

Meditate quietly on what you have read, trying to be open to God's message for you.

Apply what you have read to your life. Through the passage God might call you to address a particular issue or relationship. Or you might find needed words of encouragement or comfort. Whatever surfaces for you, make a commitment to carry God's word into the rest of your day, indeed the rest of your life.

Sarah Morin (17), Marie Steiner (17), Leah Theobald (14) and Paul Theobald (16), all from Visitation Parish in Eaton, Ohio, looked over this issue of Youth Update and asked the questions which you will find answered within its pages. Susan Gilmore, parish youth minister, welcomed the group to her home.