The Bible is ...

Bible is The Word of God written in a language I understand. Like most Catholics, Bible reading was not part of my catechism and practice until Vatican ll and Pope John Paul. I bought New American Bible (NAB) at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the ‘70’s. Never read, meditate or memorize the words until my then 7 yr old apo asked ‘How many Psalms are there in the Bible, Lola?’. She memorized Psalm 23 already. I did not know. I opened my still shiny, white leather bound Bible to find out and it is not shiny and white anymore today. That's the start of my bible study, the beginning of my critical thinking process, the beginning of my creative thinking process. NAB has copious footnotes in every page, as well as relevent history of Bible time frame.
I read the bible to start my day, then I read my favorite blogs and news source – Powerlineblog.com, Michellemalkin.com, Hughhewitt.com , Realclearpolitics.com, foxnews.com, bloomberg.com, bworld.com.ph, gov.ph.
Matthew Chapter 13, Verse 12 in NAB is titled ‘The Purpose of Parables’. "To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
NAB, footnote - ‘God gives further understanding to one who accepts the revealed mystery; from the one who does not, he will take it away.’ Additional footnote explains that ‘a parable is a figurative speech that demands reflection for understanding, only those who are prepared to explore its meaning can come to know it. To understand is a gift of God, granted to the disciples but not to the crowds.’
This ongoing experiment called the United States of America Trust God. ‘In God We Trust’ are posted in court rooms, engrave in US currencies (coins & paper), on the last verse of the chorus in the national anthem: Star-spangled Banner and in the first two paragraph of the Declaration of Independence – ‘When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’
(For history of American motto ‘In God We Trust’ link to: http://www.treas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.shtml
and how religious principles heavily influenced the founding fathers of America article by Michael Novak that at this site: http://www.hooverdigest.org/002/novak.html )