Verbum Domini: The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI

(Rome: Vatican, 2005), 199

Read the divine Scriptures frequently; indeed, the sacred book should never be out of your hands. (72, cf Jerome)

Reading this is timely in three ways: given the recent death of Pope Benedict and a desire to more deeply read his works, having read the The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz last year and continuing this year, and currently reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There is in fact a great overlap between Dei Verbum, the first part of the CCC, and the first part of Verbum Domini. Hearing the same passages quoted and the same ideas said slightly differently helps to cement these important ideas about God's word in my mind.

Verbum Domini is beautiful and rich and wide-ranging. A few key reminders are that Scripture is intimately bound up with the Church and the Liturgy, we need the Holy Spirit to properly interpret Scripture, and that Scripture needs to be lived (not just read).

"To receive the Word means to let oneself be shaped by him, and thus to be conformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to Christ" (50)


Contents


Outline

Introduction

That our joy may be complete [2]
From “Dei Verbum” to the Synod on the Word of God [3]
The Synod of Bishops on the Word of God [4]
The Prologue of John’s Gospel as a guide [5]

PART ONE: VERBUM DEI

The God Who Speaks

God in dialogue [6]
The analogy of the word of God [7]
The cosmic dimension of the word [8]
The creation of man [9]
The realism of the word [10]
Christology of the word [11-13]
The eschatological dimension of the word of God [14]
The word of God and the Holy Spirit [15-16]
Tradition and Scripture [17-18]
Sacred Scripture, inspiration and truth [19]
God the Father, source and origin of the word [20-21]

Our Response To The God Who Speaks

Called to the covenant with God [22]
God hears us and responds to our questions [23]
In dialogue with God through his words [24]
The word of God and faith [25]
Sin as a refusal to hear the word of God [26]
Mary, “Mother of God’s Word” and “Mother of Faith” [27-28]

The Interpretation Of Sacred Scripture In The Church

The Church as the primary setting for biblical hermeneutics [29-30]
“The soul of sacred theology” [31]
The development of biblical studies and the Church’s magisterium [32-33]
The Council’s biblical hermeneutic: a directive to be appropriated [34]
The danger of dualism and a secularized hermeneutic [35]
Faith and reason in the approach to Scripture [36]
Literal sense and spiritual sense [37]
The need to transcend the “letter” [38]
The Bible’s intrinsic unity [39]
The relationship between the Old and the New Testaments [40-41]
The “dark” passages of the Bible [42]
Christians, Jews and the sacred Scriptures [43]
The fundamentalist interpretation of sacred Scripture [44]
Dialogue between pastors, theologians and exegetes [45]
The Bible and ecumenism [46]
Consequences for the study of theology [47]
The saints and the interpretation of Scripture [48-49]

PART TWO: VERBUM IN ECCLESIA

The Word Of God And The Church

The Church receives the word [50]
Christ’s constant presence in the life of the Church [51]

The Liturgy, Privileged Setting For The Word Of God

The word of God in the sacred liturgy [52]
Sacred Scripture and the sacraments [53]
The word of God and the Eucharist [54-55]
The sacramentality of the word [56]
Sacred Scripture and the Lectionary [57]
Proclamation of the word and the ministry of Reader [58]
The importance of the homily [59]
The fittingness of a Directory on Homiletics [60]
The word of God, Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick [61]
The word of God and the Liturgy of the Hours [62]
The word of God and the Book of Blessings [63]
Suggestions and practical proposals for promoting fuller participation in the liturgy [64]

a) Celebrations of the word of God [65]
b) The word and silence [66]
c) The solemn proclamation of the word of God [67]
d) The word of God in Christian Churches [68]
e) The exclusive use of biblical texts in the liturgy [69]
f) Biblically-inspired liturgical song [70]
g) Particular concern for the visually and hearing impaired [71]

The Word Of God In The Life Of The Church

Encountering the word of God in sacred Scripture [72]
Letting the Bible inspire pastoral activity [73]
The biblical dimension of catechesis [74]
The biblical formation of Christians [75]
Sacred Scripture in large ecclesial gatherings [76]
The word of God and vocations [77]

a) Ordained ministers and the word of God [78-81]
b) The word of God and candidates for Holy Orders [82]
c) The word of God and the consecrated life [83]
d) The word of God and the lay faithful [84]
e) The word of God, marriage and the family [85]

The prayerful reading of sacred Scripture and “lectio divina” [86-87]
The word of God and Marian prayer [88]
The word of God and the Holy Land [89]

PART THREE: VERBUM MUNDO

The Church’s Mission: To Proclaim The Word Of God To The World

The Word from the Father and to the Father [90]
Proclaiming to the world the “Logos” of hope [91]
The word of God is the source of the Church’s mission [92]
The word and the Kingdom of God [93]
All the baptized are responsible for this proclamation [94]
The necessity of the “missio ad gentes” [95]
Proclamation and the new evangelization [96]
The word of God and Christian witness [97-98]

The Word Of God And Commitment In The World

Serving Jesus in “the least of his brethren” (Mt 25:40) [99]
The word of God and commitment to justice in society [100-101]
The proclamation of God’s word, reconciliation and peace between peoples [102]
The word of God and practical charity [103]
The proclamation of the word of God and young people [104]
The proclamation of the word of God and migrants [105]
The proclamation of the word of God and the suffering [106]
The proclamation of the word of God and the poor [107]
The proclamation of the word of God and the protection of creation [108]

The Word Of God And Culture

The value of culture for the life of humanity [109]
The Bible, a great code for cultures [110]
Knowledge of the Bible in schools and universities [111]
Sacred Scripture in the variety of artistic expressions [112]
The word of God and the means of social communication [113]
The Bible and inculturation [114]
Translating the Bible and making it more widely available [115]
God’s word transcends cultural limits [116]

The Word Of God And Interreligious Dialogue

The value of interreligious dialogue [117]
Dialogue between Christians and Muslims [118]
Dialogue with other religions [119]
Dialogue and religious freedom [120]

Conclusion

God’s definitive word [121]
New evangelization and a new hearing [122]
The word and joy [123]
“Mater Verbi et Mater laetitiae” [124]

Notes

All God’s promises find their “yes” in Jesus Christ. (20)

Introduction

PART ONE: VERBUM DEI

The God Who Speaks

  • "The novelty of biblical revelation consists in the fact that God becomes known through the dialogue which he desires to have with us." (6)
  • "Scripture is to be proclaimed, heard, read, received and experienced as the word of God, in the stream of the apostolic Tradition from which it is inseparable" (7)
  • The right response to hearing God's Word is turning away from sin: "Listening to the word of God leads us first and foremost to value the need to live in accordance with this law 'written on human hearts'" (9, cf. Summa Theologiae, Ia-IIae, q. 94, a.2)
  • "being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a definitive direction" (11, cf. Deus Caritas Est)
  • Galileo's image: the cosmos is the "symphony of creation", and Jesus is the solo (13)
  • John of the Cross: "Since he has given us his Son, his only word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything at once in this sole word – and he has no more to say" (14, cf. ~The Collected Works of Saint John of the Cross)
  • "There can be no authentic understanding of Christian revelation apart from the activity of the Paraclete" (15)
    • St. Jerome: "we cannot come to an understanding of Scripture without the assistance of the Holy Spirit who inspired it" (16)

All God’s promises find their “yes” in Jesus Christ. (20)

Our Response To The God Who Speaks

  • "Each of us is thus enabled by God to hear and respond to his word. We were created in the word and we live in the word; we cannot understand ourselves unless we are open to this dialogue." (22)
  • Psalms: "God gives us words to speak to him" (24)
  • "The obedience of faith must be our response to God who reveals." (25)
  • Read the Bible to avoid sin: "sin is a refusal to hear the word" (26)
  • "Mary is the image of the Church in attentive hearing of the word of God, which took flesh in her." (27)
    • The Magnificat is a "portrait of her soul woven from threads of Holy Scripture...She speaks and thinks with the word of God; the word of God becomes her word, and her word issues from the word of God." (28)

The Interpretation Of Sacred Scripture In The Church

  • "The primary setting for scriptural interpretation is the life of the Church" (29)
    • "The Bible is the Church’s book, and its essential place in the Church’s life gives rise to its genuine interpretation." (29)
  • Gregory the Great: "The divine words grow together with the one who reads them." (30)
  • "The study of the sacred page should be the very soul of theology" (31, cf. Dei Verbum)
  • Recognize the gifts of the historical-critical method: the salvation history is rooted in facts of history (32)
  • But also recognize the unity of the whole of Scripture, and read Scripture in the living Tradition of the whole Church (34)
  • Sacred Scripture "presupposes the harmony of faith and reason" (36)
  • Scripture needs to transcend the "letter of the text" and move to a lived experience (38)
  • Hugh of Saint Victor: "All divine Scripture is one book, and this one book is Christ, speaks of Christ and finds its fulfillment in Christ." (39)
  • Typology discerns God's works of the Old Covenant prefigurations of what he accomplished in the fullness of time in the person of his incarnate Son (41, cf. CCC)
  • Read the dark passages of the Bible with the knowledge that it is deeply rooted in history and that God reveals himself progressively in successive stages (42)
  • ☐ #read Interpretation of the Bible in the Church bib
  • Listen to the Saints!
    • St. Benedict: "Scripture is a most perfect norm for human life."
    • Teresa of Ávila: "all the evil in the world is derived from not knowing clearly the truths of sacred Scripture"

PART TWO: VERBUM IN ECCLESIA

The Word Of God And The Church

  • "To receive the Word means to let oneself be shaped by him, and thus to be conformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to Christ" (50)

The Liturgy, Privileged Setting For The Word Of God

  • "The liturgy is the privileged setting in which God speaks to us in the midst of our lives...every liturgical action is by its very nature steeped in sacred Scripture." (52)
  • "A faith-filled understanding of sacred Scripture must always refer back to the liturgy." (52)
  • "In salvation history there is no separation between what God says and what he does." (53)
  • "Word and Eucharist are so deeply bound together that we cannot understand one without the other: the word of God sacramentally takes flesh in the event of the Eucharist. The Eucharist opens us to an understanding of Scripture, just as Scripture for its part illumines and explains the mystery of the Eucharist. Unless we acknowledge the Lord’s real presence in the Eucharist, our understanding of Scripture remains imperfect." (55)
  • The reformed lectionary presents the most important texts with frequency and emphasizes the unity of the Bible as a whole (57)
  • "When expressing contrition it would be good if the penitent were to use a prayer based on the words of Scripture" (61, Act of Contrition) ^093d5a
    • →"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (cf. Lk-18, Mk-10)
    • →How about this adaptation of Mt-08?: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and your servant will be healed."

The Word Of God In The Life Of The Church

  • Jerome's Parenting advice: "His advice to the Roman matron Leta about raising her daughter was this: 'Be sure that she studies a passage of Scripture each day… Prayer should follow reading, and reading follow prayer… so that in the place of jewellery and silk, she may love the divine books'. Jerome’s counsel to the priest Nepotian can also be applied to us: 'Read the divine Scriptures frequently; indeed, the sacred book should never be out of your hands. Learn there what you must teach'." (72)
  • We need small communities of families to promote formation in Scripture! (73)
  • Catechesis "must be permeated by the mindset, the spirit and the outlook of the Bible and the Gospels through assiduous contact with the texts themselves; yet it also means remembering that catechesis will be all the richer and more effective for reading the texts with the mind and the heart of the Church" (74)
  • Memorize: "A knowledge of biblical personages, events and well-known sayings should thus be encouraged; this can also be promoted by the judicious memorization of some passages which are particularly expressive of the Christian mysteries." (74)
  • "Our call to holiness is revealed in sacred Scripture: “Be holy, for I am holy." (77, cf. Lv-11, Lv-19, Lv-27)
  • Raising priests: "the word of God is indispensable in forming the heart of a good shepherd and minister of the word" (77)
  • "The word of God is at the very origin of marriage" (85)
  • "The Synod urged that every household have its Bible, to be kept in a worthy place and used for reading and prayer." (85)
  • "Prayer should accompany the reading of sacred Scripture" (86)
    • Augustine: "Your prayer is the word you speak to God. When you read the Bible, God speaks to you; when you pray, you speak to God"
    • Origen: understanding Scripture demands, even more than study, closeness to Christ and prayer
  • Lectio Divina:
    • Read the text: what does the Biblical text say in itself?
    • Meditation: what does this Biblical text say to us?
    • Prayer: what do we say to the Lord in response to his word?
    • Contemplation: what conversion of mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking of us?
    • Action: make our life a gift for others
  • Marian prayer is an aid to meditating on the mysteries of Scripture: The Rosary and The Angelus
    • "It is fitting that the announcement of each mystery be accompanied by a brief biblical text pertinent to that mystery, so as to encourage the memorization of brief biblical passages relevant to the mysteries of Christ’s life." (88)

PART THREE: VERBUM MUNDO

The Church’s Mission: To Proclaim The Word Of God To The World

  • "It is our responsibility to pass on what, by God’s grace, we ourselves have received." (91)
  • "The novelty of the Christian message does not consist in an idea but in a fact: God has revealed himself." (92)
  • "Everyone, according to his or her proper state in life, is called to give an incisive contribution to the proclamation of Christ." (94)

The Word Of God And Commitment In The World

  • "It is in times of pain that the ultimate questions about the meaning of one’s life make themselves acutely felt." (106)
  • "The poor are the first ones entitled to hear the proclamation of the Gospel; they need not only bread, but also words of life" (107)

The Word Of God And Culture

  • "The face of Christ needs to be seen and his voice heard, for if there is no room for Christ, there is no room for man" (113)

The Word Of God And Interreligious Dialogue

Conclusion

  • "I wish once more to encourage all the People of God, pastors, consecrated persons and the laity, to become increasingly familiar with the sacred Scriptures. We must never forget that all authentic and living Christian spirituality is based on the word of God proclaimed, accepted, celebrated and meditated upon in the Church." 121

Topic: Apostolic Exhortation

Source:

Bibliography

file:(2023-01-31-Verbum Domini)

New Words

  • Exsultet: also known as the Easter Proclamation (Latin: Praeconium Paschale), is a lengthy sung proclamation delivered before the paschal candle, ideally by a deacon, during the Easter Vigil in the Roman Rite of Mass. (68)

Created: 2022-12-04-Sun
Updated: 2023-03-20-Mon