Asansol Diocese encourages families to read Scripture daily

Bible Commission releases reading chart from October 2025 to Easter 2026 urging families to spend at least five minutes each evening reflecting together on the Word of God.

ASANSOL, West Bengal (Indian Catholic News) — The Diocese of Asansol in eastern India is encouraging Catholic families to read and reflect on the Bible together each day, urging believers to dedicate at least five minutes daily meditating on the Word of God.

The initiative accompanies a Bible reading chart prepared by the diocesan Bible Commission to guide the faithful through structured readings from October 2025, the Church’s mission month, until the Easter season in 2026.

In a message accompanying the chart, Bible Commission secretary Father I.P. Sarto said the idea emerged from requests within the diocesan community.

“Many lay friends religious sisters brothers and priests suggested me to prepare a chart for Bible reading thus we have prepared the dose chart suggesting readings for every day starting from October 1st 2025 mission month till the Easter season 2026,” Sarto wrote in his 5 Sept. 2025 message.

According to the message, the chart proposes daily passages drawn from both the Old and New Testaments, enabling readers to move steadily through the Bible over several months.

“The readings are suggested for every day both from the Old Testament and the New Testament we have given a day gap in between to help those who do not have much time to read all chapters within a day,” the message says.

The plan also intentionally avoids assigning readings on major liturgical feasts such as All Saints, All Souls and Christmas.

The programme allows readers to choose whether to begin with the Old Testament or the New Testament. “You could choose first day the OT readings and the second day the NT readings or vice versa,” he said.

Sarto stressed that the goal is not the number of chapters read but the quality of time spent reflecting on Scripture.

“It is not how many chapters you read but to give quality time for the word of God,” Sarto wrote.

Encouraging families to reflect on Scripture

The diocesan message particularly encourages families to gather after evening prayer and read the Bible together.

“It is earnestly suggested to read the word of God every day after evening prayer in the families by all the members together at least for 5 minutes and to reflect to meditate on the passage,” Sarto said.

Participants are also free to adapt the schedule if they are unable to complete the suggested readings in a day.

“Let us make humble and sincere effort to read the Bible if you cannot complete the allotted chapters within a day you could extend the days as per your convenience,” Sarto wrote.

He also asked parish priests to translate the message into local languages and distribute it widely with the reading chart.

“My request all the parish priests, priests in charge to translate this message in the language which people follow and sent to all the members of your parish and with the Bible reading chart,” he said.

[Editor’s note: The chart presents a structured plan for reading the entire Bible within 100 days, pairing passages from the New Testament and Old Testament each day. Its design encourages discipline and continuity, helping readers approach Scripture not randomly but as a coherent story of God’s relationship with humanity. By dividing the readings into manageable daily portions, it makes a demanding goal achievable. Such a chart can foster a habit of regular prayer and reflection while allowing readers to see connections between different biblical books. Ultimately, it invites believers to journey steadily through the whole Bible, deepening familiarity with Scripture and strengthening their spiritual life through consistent engagement with God’s Word.]