Before opening the Bible, pray this short prayer based on the road to Emmaus.
When the Risen Jesus walked with a few of his disciples, "he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures" (cf. Luke 24:13-35).
They later spoke amongst themselves, saying, "Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
With these two passages in mind, the Church created a verse before the Gospel on the Third Sunday of Easter that can become our own personal prayer before reading the Bible.
Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us;
make our hearts burn while you speak to us.
It's a simple prayer, but a powerful one that best captures our hopes for reading scripture.
