do871 - word of the lord

Department of Evangelisation and Catechesis Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

Discovering verbum Domini

The Word of the Lord

The Word of the Lord.indb 1 15/03/2013 14:29

ForeworD by bishop Kieran conry

First published in 2013 by The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society, 40-46 Harleyford Road, London, SE11 5AY. Copyright © 2013 Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

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ISBN 978 1 86082 851 5


ForeworD by bishop Kieran conry

It gives me great pleasure to introduce this Study Guide on the Synod

Document Verbum Domini, prepared by the Scripture Working Group of the

Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis of the Bishops’ Conference

of England and Wales. The recent world-wide Synod on ‘the Word of God

in the Life and Mission of the Church’ considered how knowledge and

love of the Bible have grown since the Second Vatican Council. This Study

Guide will help promote a deeper appreciation of the place of the Bible

in our faith, and assist us in the new evangelisation which is being taken

up with such enthusiasm. As we celebrate the Year of Faith marking fifty

years since the Second Vatican Council, the teaching of Pope Benedict in

Verbum Domini will increase our confidence in proclaiming the Good News

of Jesus Christ, God’s word to the world of today. I am very grateful to Bible

Society for supporting this initiative, and to the Catholic Truth Society for

their collaboration in producing it. I recommend this Guide to all those who

yearn for a deeper understanding and love of Christ as they read the pages

of Sacred Scripture.

Bishop Kieran Conry, Bishop of Arundel and Brighton and Chairman of the

Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis of the Bishops’ Conference

of England and Wales


The synod on the word of god

(paragraphs 1-5)

InTroducTIonconTenTs

INTRoDUCTIoN

The Synod on the word of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

PART oNE:

Verbum Dei The word of God

Section 1: God’s word and our response. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Section 2: Understanding God’s word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

PART TWo:

Verbum in Ecclesia The word in the Church

Section 1: The word in the Liturgy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Section 2: The word in the life of the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

PART THREE:

Verbum Mundo The word for the world

Section 1: The mission to proclaim the word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Section 2: outreach to cultures and religions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

CoNCLUSIoN

The word and joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83


5

The synod on the word of god

(paragraphs 1-5)

InTroducTIon


6

inTroDucTion: The synod on the word of god

(paragraphs 1-5)

Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the

Catholic Church has held no fewer than twelve ‘ordinary

Synods’ and several ‘Extraordinary Synods’. These are

gatherings of Bishops and other Catholic delegates, as

well as ecumenical representatives, who come together

from all parts of the world to discuss specific issues in the

life of the Church. In october 2008, two-hundred and fifty

bishops and many others gathered in Rome to consider

the topic ‘The Word of God in the Life and Mission of

the Church’.

The Synod document, Verbum Domini (‘The Word of the

Lord’), is officially described as a ‘post-synodal apostolic

exhortation’. In it Pope Benedict gathers together the work

of the Synod, and examines it more fully.

The Word of the Lord provides a summary of the document

of the Synod. It was prepared by a working group established

by the Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis of the

Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. It was written

by Fr Adrian Graffy, with the assistance of Dannie Firth,

Geoffrey Poulter, Molly Styant, Matthew van Duyvenbode

and Clare Ward. We gratefully acknowledge the support

of Bible Society in taking this work forward, and of the

Catholic Truth Society, who agreed to publish and promote

The Word of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord presents the Synod document in six

sections, two sections for each of the three major parts of

Verbum Domini. Each of these three parts has a Latin title:

Verbum Dei (‘the Word of God’), Verbum in Ecclesia (‘the


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Word in the Church’), and Verbum Mundo (‘the Word for

the World’).

As well as summarising the Synod document, each section

of The Word of the Lord offers material for group reflection.

Biblical readings are taken from the New Revised Standard

Version, and numbers in brackets refer to specific sections

of Verbum Domini. For further assistance in getting to

know the Synod document please go to our website

www.thewordofthelord.co.uk

In reflecting on the word of God, the participants of the

Synod were ‘conscious of dealing in a certain sense with the

very heart of the Christian life’ (3). In particular, they were

building on the document of the Second Vatican Council on

Divine Revelation, commonly known by its Latin title Dei

Verbum (‘the Word of God’), which is acknowledged as ‘a

milestone’ in the Church’s history (3).

The Synod took place during the ‘Year of St Paul’, which

commemorated two thousand years since the birth of the

Apostle of the Nations.

Pope Benedict writes:

How can I fail to mention that throughout the Synod we

were accompanied by the testimony of the Apostle Paul!

It was providential that the Twelfth Ordinary General

Assembly took place during the year dedicated to the great

Apostle of the Nations on the two thousandth anniversary of

his birth. Whenever we reflect on the word of God in the life

and mission of the Church, we cannot but think of Saint Paul

and his life spent in spreading the message of salvation in

Christ to all peoples. (4)


god’s word and our response (paragraphs 6 to 28)

ParT oneVerbum Dei

The worD oF goD

secTion 1


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god’s word and our response (paragraphs 6 to 28)

This section explores:

• what‘thewordofGod’means

• thewordofGodasthefoundationforlifetoday

• JesusthewordofGod

• theHolySpiritandthetraditionoftheChurch

• theinspirationandthetruthofScripture

ParT oneVerbum Dei

The worD oF goD

secTion 1


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How widespread is the idea that God reaches out only in dogmas and rules? Why do you think people perceive God in this way?

God seeks a dialogue, a relationship with us. This is clear

throughout the Bible. The Prologue of the Gospel according

to John teaches us that it is through the word of God that all

things were made and that, in the fulness of time, this word

was made flesh in Jesus. In sending Jesus to us, God reaches

out in an act of love. only by realising this can we recognise

the truth of our human situation. Every act of God is an act

of love: we are created by God out of love and called by

God to respond in love (6).

Pope Benedict explores the different ways in which the

phrase ‘Word of God’ is used. The Bishops at the Synod

referred to ‘a symphony of the word’. This means that the

word of God is expressed in many different ways. It is

spoken by God at creation and throughout biblical history,

what is known as the history of salvation. The word reaches

its fullest expression in Jesus, the Word of God made flesh.

(Note the capital ‘W’ whenever Jesus is described as ‘the

Word’.) The word of God is preached by the disciples of

Jesus, and it is handed on to new generations in Scripture

and in the teaching of the Church (7).

All things were made through the word of God, which is

‘the foundation of all reality’ (8). The proclamation of the

word of God brings freedom, inviting us to acknowledge

God as our origin. Things do not exist by chance but

are willed by God. The word thus provides the ‘solid

foundation’ we need (10).

In the word of God we experience God’s reaching out to

us, what the Fathers of the Church in the early centuries of

Christian faith called God’s ‘condescension’. This term is not

used to stress God’s superiority to human beings, but God’s

willingness to stand alongside us in the joys and sorrows of

life. This is shown above all in the Incarnation of the Word,

How is the life of Jesus a word of God for you? Has the encounter with the person of Jesus changed your life?

What do you think the Synod means by describing the word of God as a word of freedom, and a solid foundation?


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in the fact that the Son of God became a human being.

The word of God finds expression therefore not in lengthy

discourses, concepts or rules, but in the very person of Jesus

Christ. Jesus is the Word God speaks to the world (11).

A reading from the Synod Document Verbum Domini

The realist is the one who recognises in the word of God the

foundation of all things. This realism is particularly needed

in our own time, when many things in which we trust for

building our lives, things in which we are tempted to put our

hopes, prove ephemeral. Possessions, pleasure and power

show themselves sooner or later to be incapable of fulfilling

the deepest yearnings of the human heart. In building our

lives we need solid foundations which will endure when

human certainties fail. (10)

What does Jesus the Word say to us? His mission is

ultimately fulfilled in ‘the word of the cross’, and in the

extraordinary mystery of the resurrection (12). The mystery

of Easter is the deepest fulfilment of the sacred Scriptures.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus is God’s

greatest word of love to the world (13).

The assistance of the Holy Spirit, who inspired the authors of

the sacred Scriptures, is essential for a proper understanding

of the Christian faith (15).

The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in Jesus’ name, leads

the Church to deeper understanding. This gives rise to

the Tradition of the Church, the continuing growth in

understanding, which is a living and dynamic reality in the

Church, and develops through study and prayer, through

experience and preaching (17).

How are the life, death and resurrection of Jesus God’s most important word to the world?

What can we do to increase our openness to the Holy Spirit? Do we recognise that the Spirit guides the Church in reaching new insights in changing circumstances?


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Does God really speak through silence? Do I cherish silence in my life?

The Scriptures are inspired by God, set down in writing

under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We acknowledge

the importance of the human authors who wrote the

inspired texts, and of God as their ultimate author (19).

We are reminded of the teaching of the Second Vatican

Council that the books of Scripture ‘firmly, faithfully and

without error teach the truth which God, for the sake of our

salvation, wished to see confided to the sacred Scriptures’

(Dei Verbum 11).

God, who speaks by the word, also speaks by silence.

Jesus himself experiences the distance of the Father on

the cross. This silence has also been the experience of

saints throughout the centuries. In God’s mysterious ways,

silence appears as ‘an important expression of the word

of God’ (21).

God hears us and responds to our questions. The word of

God points the way for us, and God waits for our response

to the word. The proper response to God who speaks to

us is faith, which arises from an encounter with Christ,

and is experienced both personally and in the Christian

community (25).

Sin is ‘a refusal to hear the word of God’ (26). our God-given

freedom brings with it this tragic possibility. The Scriptures

constantly stress that sin is disobedience and a refusal to

listen, but Jesus offers us the possibility of forgiveness and

new life. It is important to understand that the root of all sin

lies in refusal to hear the word of the Lord. The Synod puts

before us the example of Mary, who was completely open to

the word and responded to it in generosity (27).

What does Mary the mother of Jesus teach us about openness to the word of God? In what ways is she truly ‘Mother of the Word’?


13


The word of God does not stifle our authentic desires, but

rather illuminates them, purifies them and brings them to

fulfilment. Sad to say, in our days, and in the West, there is a

widespread notion that God is extraneous to people’s lives

and problems, and that his very presence can be a threat to

human autonomy. We need to make every effort to share the

word of God as an openness to our problems, a response to

our questions, a broadening of our values and the fulfilment

of our aspirations. (23)

What struck you most about this section?

What action might you now take?

In addition to reading paragraphs 6-28 of Verbum Domini,

you are invited to read from The Gift of Scripture, the

document of the Bishops of England and Wales, and of

Scotland, paragraphs 8-16.


god’s word and our response

Group SeSSion one


15

This session explores the word of God as the foundation

for life today.

Opening Prayer

Father, send your Holy Spirit to turn our words into prayers

and our seeking into finding.

(Liturgy of the Hours)

Period of silence

god’s word and our response

Group SeSSion one


16

A reading from the Gospel of John

In the beginning was the Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through him, and without him not

one thing came into being. What has come into being in him

was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light

shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome

it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming

into the world. He was in the world, and the world came

into being through him; yet the world did not know him.

He came to what was his own, and his own people did not

accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his

name, he gave power to become children of God, who were

born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will

of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived

among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a

father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (1:1-5, 9-14)

Pause to reflect

The word of God is expressed in many different ways. It is

spoken by God at creation and throughout biblical history,

what is known as the history of salvation. The word reaches its

fullest expression in Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. (Note

the capital ‘W’ whenever Jesus is described as ‘the Word’.)

In what ways can we encounter Jesus in our daily lives?

How might an encounter with Jesus, the Word of God,

enrich your life?


17


The realist is the one who recognises in the word of God the

foundation of all things. This realism is particularly needed

in our own time, when many things in which we trust for

building our lives, things in which we are tempted to put our

hopes, prove ephemeral. Possessions, pleasure and power

show themselves sooner or later to be incapable of fulfilling

the deepest yearnings of the human heart. In building our

lives we need solid foundations which will endure when

human certainties fail. (10)

All things were made through the word of God, which is

‘the foundation of all reality’. The proclamation of the word

of God brings freedom, inviting us to acknowledge God as

our origin. Things do not exist by chance but are willed by

God. The word thus provides the ‘solid foundation’ we need.

In the word of God we experience God’s reaching out to us

and God’s willingness to stand alongside us in the joys and

sorrows of life. This is shown above all in the Incarnation of

the Word, in the fact that the Son of God became a human

being. The word of God finds expression therefore not in

lengthy discourses, concepts or rules, but in the very person

of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Word God speaks to the world.

What do you think the Synod Bishops mean when they

speak of the word of God as a solid foundation for

everyday life?

Does the word of God form an important part of

your life?


18


The word of God does not stifle our authentic desires, but

rather illuminates them, purifies them and brings them to

fulfilment. Sad to say, in our days, and in the West, there is a

widespread notion that God is extraneous to people’s lives

and problems, and that his very presence can be a threat to

human autonomy. We need to make every effort to share the

word of God as an openness to our problems, a response to

our questions, a broadening of our values and the fulfilment

of our aspirations. (23)

God hears us and responds to our questions. The word of

God points the way for us, and God waits for our response

to the word. The proper response to God who speaks to us

is faith, which arises from an encounter with Christ, and is

experienced both personally and in the Christian community.

Has the word of God spoken to you in specific

circumstances? If so, how?

How do you respond to God’s word in your life?

What has struck you most about this session?


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A Prayer of St Bede

I pray you, good Jesus, that as you have graciously granted

me to take in with delight the words that give knowledge of

you, so you will grant me in your kindness to come at last to

you, the source of all wisdom, and to stand for ever before

your face. Amen.

This week:

• AtmealtimesconsiderhowGod’sword

nourishes you.

• ReadthetextfromJohn’sgospelinyourBible

and reflect on it.

• ReadthefulltextofPartOne,Section1.


Part OneVerbum Dei

the word of God

Section 2

Understanding God’s word (Paragraphs 29 to 49)


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This section explores:

• howtoreadthewordofGod

• difficultpassagesintheBible

• thedangeroffundamentalism

• ChristiansreadingtheBibletogether

• theexampleofthesaints

Part OneVerbum Dei

the word of God

Section 2

Understanding God’s word (Paragraphs 29 to 49)


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The Bible is best understood in the Church and by

peopleof faith, for thesimple reason that itwaswritten

bypeopleof faith.TheEthiopianeunuch in thepassage

fromtheActsoftheApostlesgivenlatersays:‘Howcan

Iunderstandunlesssomeoneguidesme?’Ifweinterpret

theBiblewithoutguidancewemayfailtounderstandits

message.‘TheBiblewaswrittenbythePeopleofGodfor

thePeopleofGod.’(30)

TheBishopsattheSynodexpresstheirgratitudetoscholars

whodedicatetheirlivestothestudyofthesacredtext.The

studyof thewordofGod is ‘the soulof theology’, for it

providesthefoundationfortheunderstandingofChristian

faith(31).OurunderstandingoftheBiblemustbeginwith

thewrittenword.Tograsp the textcorrectlyhasbeen the

constant concern of Christians, as is seen particularly in

theancientmonastictradition.Godspeakstousinhuman

language. By careful attention to the written words of

Scripture we reach ‘the meaning of the biblical text as

God’swordfortoday’(33).

PopeBenedict recalls the teachingof theSecondVatican

Council,that,havingexploredthemeaningofaparticular

passage,weshouldthenseeitwithinthewholeBibleand

withinthedevelopingTraditionoftheChurch(Dei Verbum

12).Theword is tobeunderstood in thecompletenessof

Catholicfaith,bywhatisdescribedas‘theanalogyoffaith’,

which is theway thevarious truthsof faithrelate toeach

other(34).

If thereadingof thewordsofScripture isseparatedfrom

faith, the Bible will simply be a book of the past and its

message for the present will be lost. We need both faith

andreasoninapproachingtheBible.Reasonprotectsfaith

fromwhatismistakenanduntrue,whilefaithleadsreason

Why is scholarly study of the Bible so important? Does it not distract us from the message of God’s love?

What can we do to ensure that we read the Scriptures in the context of the whole Bible and of the Tradition of the Church?


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How can you increase your familiarity with the Old Testament, so that you can appreciate its inherent value as well as seeing its fulfilment in the New Testament?

toanewopennessbeyondthelimitsofwhatisimmediately

apparent (36). To understand the Bible is to unleash

the transforming power of the word of God in our lives.

Fromengagementwiththeliteralsensewemoveontothe

discoveryofthespiritualsenseofScriptureanditsrichness

aswordofGodfortoday(38).


In the passage from letter to spirit, we also learn, within the

Church’s great tradition, to see the unity of all Scripture,

grounded in the unity of God’s word, which challenges our

life and constantly calls us to conversion. Here the words

of Hugh of Saint Victor remain a sure guide: ‘All divine

Scripture is one book, and this one book is Christ, speaks of

Christ and finds its fulfilment in Christ.’ (39)

IftheBibleisonebook,howdoestheNewTestamentrelate

totheJewishScriptureswhichwecallthe‘OldTestament’?

The Old Testament finds its fulfilment in the life, death

andresurrectionofChrist.Fulfilmentshowsthatwhatwas

longedforandforeseenfromadistance is realised,but it

alsoreveals thingsnewandunexpected(40).At thesame

timetheSynoddocumentremindsusthattheOldTestament

‘retainsitsowninherentvalueasrevelation’,whichmustbe

respected(41).

Reading the Bible can present serious difficulties. The

SynoddocumentacknowledgesthepresenceintheBibleof

‘darkpassages’,whichreflectearlierstagesofhistoryand

thedifferentunderstandingsofdifferenttimes.Thesetexts

mightseemtoapproveactsofviolenceandimmorality.Such

textsdonotgounchallengedbyotherbiblicalpassagesand

canneverbeamodelforhumanbehaviour.Theirpresence

Would it be better to disregard the difficult passages of the Bible, described here as ‘dark’ passages?


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intheBibleshowsthatweneedtimetodiscoverthetruth,

and thatGod ispatient inpreparingpeople to receive the

Gospel(42).Thecorrectinterpretationofdifficultpassages

requiresacertainexpertise,andtheyarefinallyunderstood

only‘inthelightofthemysteryofChrist’(42).

AspeopleoftheBible,ChristiansandJewshaveaspecial

bond. Blessed John Paul II referred to the Jewish people

as‘ourbelovedbrothersandsisters’.Theywerethefirstto

receivetheword,andsotheyhavemuchtoteachusabout

loveforGod’sword(43).

AmajordifficultyinreadingtheBibleisfundamentalism,

which may be understood as a refusal to acknowledge

thewordofGodasGod’sword inhuman language.The

fundamentalist is reluctant to enter into the depths of the

text,andresortsto‘subjectiveandarbitrary’interpretations

(44).Textscanevenbemanipulatedinsuchawaythatthey

seemtostandinoppositiontothetruthsoffaith,andeven

encouragediscriminationandviolence.Thefundamentalist

approach disregards the place of the passage within the

wholeBible,andthedevelopmentofunderstandinginthe

sacredtext.‘Thetrueresponsetoafundamentalistapproach

isthefaith-filledinterpretationofsacredScripture.’(44)

The Synod gives strong encouragement to reading the

Bible together with other Christians, which offers a real

experienceofcommunionaswelistentothewordofGod

together.Biblicalstudieshaveacrucialplaceinecumenical

dialogue, and celebrations of the word of God among

Christiansadvancethecauseofecumenismandbuildunity.

Theworkofproducingcommontranslationsisanimportant

partofecumenicalcollaboration(46).

What do you think the Jewish people can teach us about reading the Bible? How can dialogue with them be promoted?

How would you assist a person who is struggling with a fundamentalist way of reading the Bible?

How can we foster the reading of the Bible with other Christians? What should be done to encourage this experience of communion?


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AsthisfirstpartofVerbum Dominidrawstoaclose,Pope

BenedictrecallshowfaithfullisteningtothewordofGod

hasgiven rise toholiness throughoutChristianhistory.St

Anthony of Egypt, Saint Benedict, Saint Francis, Saint

TeresaofAvila,SaintThereseofLisieux,andmanyother

saints are remembered (48). Saint Therese, for example,

‘discoveredthatlovewasherpersonalvocationbyporing

over theScriptures’ (48).The saints ofmodern times too

bear witness to the transforming power of the word of

God.‘Everysaintislikearayoflightstreamingforthfrom

the word of God.’ (48) Holiness inspired by God’s word

becomes a prophetic witness. ‘Holiness in the Church

constitutes an interpretationofScripturewhichcannotbe

overlooked.’(49)


Listening together to the word of God, engaging in biblical

lectiodivina, letting ourselves be struck by the inexhaustible

freshness of God’s word which never grows old, overcoming

our deafness to those words that do not fit our own opinions

or prejudices, listening and studying within the communion

of the believers of every age: all these things represent a

way of coming to unity in faith as a response to hearing the

word of God. (46)

What struck you most about this session?

What action might you now take?

Inadditiontoreadingparagraphs29-49ofVerbum Domini,

you are invited to read from The Gift of Scripture, the

document of the Bishops of England and Wales, and of

Scotland,paragraphs17-23and41.

How can we allow the power of the word of God to be unlocked in our lives, as it was in the lives of the saints?


do871 - word of the lord

Documents

gods word

lordthe word

conclusionthe word

walesthe word

word of godsection

introductionthe word

word of god paragraphs

synod document verbum