Whoever you are, and whatever your vocation aside from Christianity, you must read the Bible. You must know the Bible. Or else, you don't know who Jesus is, or what kind of cosmos you happen to live in for that matter.
It would be better if you knew it inside and out, but I think a few goals you should shoot for (and if already accomplished, shoot for for catechumens under your care) are these:
1) Be able to recognize when someone is almost certainly not quoting the Bible when they claim to do so. I am every so often surprised by something I hear from scripture that I forgot having read, but these events are rarer and rarer. For example, a few months ago, some politician or other was asked "What's your favorite Bible verse?" And he responded, "God helps those who help themselves," (or something similar. The details are a little vague in my memory, but you get the idea.) Immediately I knew with 99% certainty that guy didn't know what he was talking about. Because for someone who reads the Bible habitually it doesn't sound like it comes from the Bible.
2) Have at least five Bible verses that help to center you in your Christian identity perfectly memorized and be able to cite them.
3) Be able to quickly find Books in the Bible.
4) Know the basic purpose and tone of the sections of the Bible. Later, be able to identify the overall purpose of each Book.
For example, we know that the prophets are in the back of the Old Testament. They were sent to the people of Israel during the monarchical period and then through Judah's Exile in Babylon to call them to repentance, justice, and the sole worship of the true God, the Lord of Hosts. Daniel in particular was a prophet to the Jews in Exile at Babylon.
What are your five verses? (Either memorized or that you want to memorize) Let me know in the comments.
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