To rediscover the centrality of the Word of God so as to be, like Paul, convinced and credible witnesses of the risen Christ: in synthesis, this is Pope Benedict XVI’s message in his post-synodal exhortation, Verbum Domini, which gathers together the reflections and proposals that emerged in the Synod of Bishops on the theme, The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church, held in Vatican City in October 2010.
The almost 200-page document, which returns to the theme of Vatican Council II’s Constitution Dei Verbum, promulgated 40 years ago, is the Pope’s impassioned plea to shepherds, members of the consecrated life and the laity to “become always more familiar with Sacred Scripture” and to “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.”
“In a world which often feels that God is superfluous or extraneous,” the Pope declares, “there is no greater priority than this: to enable the people of our time once more to encounter God, the God who speaks to us and shares his love so that we might have life in abundance.” He then proceeds to develop his reflection on the basis of the Prologue of the Gospel of John, the golden thread running through the entire document, which centers on “the mystery of God, who communicates himself to us through the gift of his Word.”
The three parts of the Apostolic Exhortation are like three beams of intense light:
- – The first light: Verbum Dei
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh” (Jn. 1:1, 14).
The first part of the document highlights the fundamental role of God, who initiates a dialogue of love with human beings. This dialogue takes on face and voice in Jesus.
- – The second light: Verbum Ecclesia
“To all who received him…he gave power to become children of God” (Jn. 1:12).
The second part of the exhortation underscores that divine Providence has made the Church the “home” of the Word of God, who has pitched his tent among human beings. In the Spirit, Jesus is our contemporary in the life of the Church.
- – The third light: Verbum Mundi
“No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known” (Jn. 1:18).
The last part of the document recalls all Christians to their duty to proclaim the Word of God in the world in which they live and work. This is the “street” the Word must travel to reveal the love of God.
The exhortation emphasizes that “we will understand Scripture only if we live it.” In fact, “The most profound interpretation of Scripture comes from those who let themselves be shaped by the Word of God,” namely, the saints. “Entering their school is a sure way to undertake a vibrant and effective hermeneutical reading of the Word of God.” Referring to Mary, the Pope calls her “the figure of the Church, listening attentively to the Word of God who became flesh in her.” He concludes by uniting himself to the synod Fathers in the fervent hope that a new season of greater love for Sacred Scripture on the part of all the People of God will flourish so that fidelity to reading the Word prayerfully will lead everyone to a deeper relationship with the person of Jesus himself.