Be inspired by sacred Scripture

Q: Archbishop J, how important is reading the Bible?

St Jerome has said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” It is that important to the Christian life. A look at the structure of the Mass and the Prayer of the Church shows we read the whole of Scripture every three years. A Catholic who goes to Mass every Sunday will read the four gospels and several of the New Testament letters every three years.

Many people do not see the Church as Bible-based or oriented to the Bible. But look again at how much of the prayer and liturgy of the Church is based on and inspired by Scripture.

Consider the Holy, Holy, Lamb of God, the Hosanna, Our Father, the Eucharistic Prayer, etc. At every Mass and liturgy, the Scripture readings are an invitation to ponder sacred Scripture, to listen to God speaking to us now.

Monks, priests, and religious vow to pray the ‘Prayer of the Church’ several times a day, every day. Over the course of four weeks they will recite all 150 psalms and read significant parts of Scripture.

Younger Christian churches hold that Scripture made the Church; they promote only Scripture. For us, it is the Church that made the Scripture. It was the apostles and evangelists who wrote the Bible, and at a certain moment, it was the Church that determined which books became part of the Bible, which were good reading, and which were heretical. It is from the Church we have received the gift of the New Testament.

The Second Vatican Council text on Holy Scripture, Dei Verbum, says: “Therefore both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence”, 9. We drink from two fonts: Scripture and Tradition, both are vital for the health of the Church.

On Sunday, January 21, the Church will celebrate Sunday of the Word of God, with the theme, Remain in my Word (John 8:31).

The Greek verb for remain is meinēte, meaning, to stay, abide, or make one’s home in. The Lord invites us to make our home in Him as He makes His home in us (cf. Jn 6:56, 15:5). Indeed, to make His word our habitation is the goal of the disciple.

Biblical Animation of All Pastoral Life

In 2012, the bishops of the AEC region hosted a workshop on Biblical Animation of all Pastoral Life (ABP). The ABP proposed that all pastoral meetings be animated by the Bible, which led to the reintroduction of Lectio Divina in pastoral planning meetings, catechetical sessions, and regular administration meetings.

Usually, if it is a diocesan meeting, the reading for the Sunday would be chosen; if it is an administrative meeting, the Gospel of the day would be chosen. Each time it is amazing how the Bible passage that we contemplate on gives direction and focus to the matter being considered.

At some stage of the meeting, the biblical text would re-emerge, shedding light on the path to be taken. When we are faithful to biblical animation, we are faithful to discerning God’s Will and seeking this discernment through sacred Scripture.

To deepen our commitment to biblical animation, I have appointed Dr Wendy Ann Jones, principal of the Bible Institute to lead Biblical Animation in the Archdiocese.

She has a very exciting plan for biblical animation in the parish, in catechetics, evangelisation, and the life of the Church. Scripture is one of the fonts of our prayer: we go to Sacred Scripture to contemplate the sacred mysteries.

Sunday of the Word of God

In September 2019, Pope Francis in an apostolic letter, Aperuit illis, declared the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time as the Sunday of the Word of God. In our diocese we have celebrated this day many times. In his letter, Pope Francis says:

The relationship between the Risen Lord, the community of believers and sacred Scripture is essential to our identity as Christians. Without the Lord who opens our minds to them, it is impossible to understand the Scriptures in depth. Yet the contrary is equally true: without the Scriptures, the events of the mission of Jesus and of his Church in this world would remain incomprehensible, 1.

By dedicating a Sunday to the Word of God, The Holy Father asks us to focus on the sacred Scriptures for the whole year and in every dimension of Catholic life. In his letter he notes that the Book of Nehemiah gives us inspiration to rebuild Catholic culture.

In Nehemiah, the rebuilding of the temple after the exile, was accompanied by a retrieval of sacred Scripture and its reading to the assembled people (cf 4). There is no New Evangelisation without a rededication to sacred Scripture. Evangelisation, Catechetics, all Christian formation requires a retrieval of the Word of God as an essential element.

On Sunday, January 21, I am asking all parishes to observe this day by enthroning the Bible during the liturgy and highlighting the centrality of the Word of God during the homily. Families could enthrone the Bible in their homes on this Sunday and leave it enthroned till Easter.

You are invited to attend the enthronement of the Bible at the Catholic Bible Institute, on Saturday, January 20. The event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. will include delving into sacred Scripture, a feature address and practice of the ancient approach to reading and praying the Word of God (Lectio Divina).

You may attend in person or via Zoom: Meeting ID: 870 3296 7790; Passcode: 358087

We all need to make a commitment to reading and praying with Scripture in a deeper and more consistent way.

Key Message:

Sunday, January 21, is Sunday of the Word of God. It is an opportunity to begin or deepen the practice around Scripture in your prayer, family, and community.

Action Step:

Sign up for the event on January 20. Begin ‘Bible in a Year’ with Fr Mike Schmitz, or enrol in one of the Bible Institute courses, or go to formed.org and begin a course in the Book of Mark.

Scripture Reading:

Jn 8:31–32