CHURCH IN FOCUS:
Verbum Domini - 3
18 December 2011

In this programme we present the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, meaning, the Word of the Lord, of Pope Benedict XVI, which is a reflection on the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops held in 2008, devoted to “The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church.” This document which is being considered as the most important Church document on Holy Scripture since the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, published in 1965. Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, said that the purpose of the document is to communicate the results of the Synod; rediscover the Word of God – a source of constant ecclesial renewal; to promote the Bible among pastors; to help the faithful become witnesses of the Word of God; to support the new evangelization and ecumenical dialogue; and to foster ever greater love for the Word of God.
Central to the Christian mystery is the Incarnation of the Word, which is the ultimate expression of God’s condescension. When we speak of “the word,” this is always the primary referent. In Christ, the Incarnate Word, God has revealed himself completely. But the Incarnation also means that God’s revelation occurs in space and time. Thus, we have the concept of “inspiration,” which implies that revelation contains both a human and divine element. When interpreting the Scriptures, we cannot lose sight of the concepts of “inspiration” and “truth”. The fact that God speaks his word to people means that he calls them into a dialogue with himself. Mary provides the supreme example of the faith-filled hearing of God’s word. She is also an example to us of familiarity with that word. “Since Mary is completely imbued with the word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.”
“Our Response to the God Who Speaks”, is the title of chapter two of part one. This chapter tells us that man is called to enter into the Alliance with his God, Who listens to him and responds to his questions. To God Who speaks, man responds with the faith. The most suitable prayer is that made using the words which were revealed by God and are conserved and written in the Bible”. In this section, Pope Benedict XVI stresses that Scripture cannot be properly understood apart from a living faith, or outside of the family of faith, the Church. Interpretation is not a personal matter apart from the community, for “the Bible was written by the People of God for the People of God, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit”. Because the Bible is the Church’s book, it cannot be properly understood apart from that Church.
Chapter three has as its title “The Interpretation of Sacred Scripture in the Church”. The secretary general of the Synod of Bishops explained how “Sacred Scripture should be, as the Dogmatic Constitution ‘Dei Verbum’ says, ‘the soul of sacred theology’. The biblical hermeneutics of Vatican Council II must be rediscovered, also in order to avoid a certain dualism evident in secularised interpretations which could give rise to a fundamentalist and spiritualist interpretation of Holy Scripture. Correct interpretation requires complementarity in a literal and spiritual sense, a harmony between faith and reason”. This chapter also examines relations between Christians and Jews, noting that they enjoy “a very special relationship ... because they share a large part of the Scriptures”.
Regarding methods of exegesis, Pope Benedict draws on Dei Verbum, in order to provide guidelines to be followed in the interpretation of Scripture. The historical-critical method is beneficial, since Christian faith deals with history and “should thus be studied with the methods of serious historical research”. But it is inadequate on its own, since the true goal of exegetes is reached “only when they have explained the meaning of the biblical text as God’s word for today”. In order to appreciate the divine element in the Bible, three criteria are necessary: the text must be interpreted with attention to the unity of the whole of Scripture; the Tradition of the Church must be taken into account; and the analogy of faith must be respected. Although many Catholic exegetes are competent in the historical-critical method, more attention needs to be paid to the theological dimension of biblical texts, in accordance with these three elements.
The danger today is “a dualistic approach to Sacred Scripture” that separates the human from the divine element. Unfortunately, this “occurs even at the highest academic levels”. This dualistic approach results in the meaning of the text being relegated to the past and having no meaning for us in today’s context. This absence of faith often gives way to a “secularized hermeneutic” which tends to reject any miraculous or divine elements in Scripture and even to de-historicize events such as the Lord’s Resurrection. Such a flawed methodology can cause great harm to the clarity of homilies and to the formation of seminarians. The Bible’s unity is grounded in the fact that all the Scriptures ultimately point to Christ, the Word. This means that the Old Testament remains valid for Christians, even if it has been fulfilled. The close relationship between the Old and New Testaments must be brought out in both pastoral and academic settings.
A “hermeneutic of faith” must resist both faithless reductionism and fundamentalism. In order to foster such a hermeneutic, Episcopal Conferences are encouraged to help pastors, exegetes, and theologians to work more closely together. With respect to ecumenism, Pope Benedict calls for “an increase in ecumenical study, discussion and celebrations of the word of God,” provided these celebrations of the word do not appear as alternatives to the Mass. The creation of common ecumenical translations also remains important. The lives of the Saints, who allowed their lives to be shaped by the word of God, provide the most profound interpretation of Scripture. “Every saint is like a ray of light streaming forth from the word of God”. Their holiness is an interpretation “which cannot be overlooked”.
Part Two of the Document considers the place of the word of God in the Church, particularly in the liturgy and in the sacraments. The liturgy is not only the privileged setting in which we hear the word of God, but it is also the goal to which a faith-filled understanding of Scripture must always refer. Unfortunately, the close relationship between word and sacrament is not always understood by the faithful, and so it is the task of priests and deacons to explain this unity when they administer the sacraments. Given the importance of the Mass readings, which are proclaimed by a reader, more training should be provided for those who carry out this task in the liturgy. This training should be in the areas of biblical formation, liturgical formation, and technical preparation. The faithful should be able to perceive clearly that the preacher has a compelling desire to present Christ, who must stand at the centre of every homily.
The Second Part of the document is entitled “Verbum in Ecclesia”, meaning the Word in the Church. Chapter one entitled, “The Word of God and the Church” - underlines how it is thanks to the Word of God and the effect of the Sacraments that Jesus remains contemporary to mankind in the life of the Church. “The Liturgy, Privileged Setting for the Word of God” is the title of chapter two, in which the focus turns to “the vital link between Sacred Scripture and the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist”. The importance of the Lectionary is mentioned, as is that of the proclamation of the Word and the ministry of reader, with particular emphasis being laid on the preparation of the homily, a theme of great importance in this Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation.

Fr Eugene Lobo S.J.