The Scriptures are one of the primary ways in which we can encounter Christ, and any fully authentic encounter with Christ leads to his body, the Church, as can be seen by these new Catholic converts in China:

Many conversions are taking place in Shanghai, China, in part thanks to the encouragement of Bible reading and youth outreach programs. One convert’s story began in a classroom encounter with Catholicism and led to the conversion of another young man he met while reading the Bible at McDonald’s.

While most Catholics in China are born to Catholic parents, many of the nearly 300,000 Catholics in Shanghai are converts, the United Bible Societies China Partnership reports.

One convert, 27-year-old Shen Cheng, had little exposure to the Catholic faith as a youth. He became interested in Catholicism when one of his professors introduced him to a book by American legal scholar Harold J. Berman. The book so interested Cheng in Catholicism that he bought a Catholic Bible.

Exploring Scripture convinced him to convert to Catholicism. He calls the Bible his “daily bread,” essential to his soul’s well-being.

Shen would often read the Bible wherever he went. At one McDonald’s restaurant he frequented he would read the Bible with a crucifix in front of him.

How cool is that?

Here in America we still often think that reading the Bible is a “Protestant” thing. I’ve even met Catholics who fear that reading the Bible too much will lead someone away from the Catholic Church. Nothing could be further from the truth. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of the Bible also animates the Church and guides it. So the words of Scripture, properly interpreted, will only lead one closer to Christ in his Church.

Read the whole article here.