Monday, October 12, 2009

Gideon's bible


I am staying at the Radisson SAS Brussels.
As always there is a Gideon's bible in one of the drawers beside the bed.
There is a small folded paper glued inside which goes like this :
"The following choice of passages may bring you help at particular moments and in particular circumstances of your life :

Discouragement : Psalms 42, 43 ; Hebrews 12: 1-3, Hebrews 13 :5
Solitude : deuteronomy 31 : 6-8 ; Psalms 73; 23-28; John 14 :15 - 27
Anxiety, Care : Psalms 23,25, 27, 62, 119 : 89 - 107, Matthew 6 : 24 - 34
Sin and Forgiveness : Matthew 23 ; Luke 15 : 11-32 and 18 : 9-14 ; John 3² : 18-21 Romans 3 / 9-26 and 5:12-21; Corinthians 5 / 17-21; Ephesians 2:1-12
Conflict : Matthew 5 : 21-26 and 18 : 21-35, Lue 6 / 26_37 and 12: 13-21 ; Philippians 2 : 1-11
Temptation : Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 21 : 34-36 : Corinthians 10:13; Ephesians 6 : 10 - 18
Illness : Psalms 18 : 2-7 and 17-20; Psalms 30,116,121; Hebrews 2 : 14-18
Mourning and sorrow : John 11 : 25 - 27 and 14-16 ; Corinthians 1 : 3-7 and 4:16 to 5 : 8
Prayer : matthew 6 : 5 -15 and 7 : 7 - 11 ; Romans 8 : 26 - 27 ; Ephesians 3 : 14 - 21
Joy and Gratefulness : Psalms 40, 03, 148 : Luke 1 : 46 - 55 and 17 : 11-19.

I like this idea of certain texts proposed as a therapeutic solution for different mental conditions or existential questions. I am sure we can find appropriate texts not only in the bible but also in the pages of many books in the canon of Western Literature.