Verbum Domini EN

POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION VERBUM DOMINI ON THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH on 30 September, the Memorial of Saint Jerome, in the year 2010, the sixth of my Pontificate

Headings

POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION VERBUM DOMINI OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY, CONSECRATED PERSONS AND THE LAY FAITHFUL ON THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH 9999 INTRODUCTION That our joy may be complete From “Dei Verbum” to the Synod on the Word of God The Synod of Bishops on the Word of God The Prologue of John’s Gospel as a guide PART ONE VERBUM DEI (@JN 1,1,14@) God in dialogue The analogy of the word of God The cosmic dimension of the word The creation of man The realism of the word Christology of the word The eschatological dimension of the word of God The word of God and the Holy Spirit Tradition and Scripture Sacred Scripture, inspiration and truth God the Father, source and origin of the word Called to the covenant with God God hears us and responds to our questions In dialogue with God through his words The word of God and faith Sin as a refusal to hear the word of God Mary, “Mother of God’s Word” and “Mother of Faith” The Church as the primary setting for biblical hermeneutics “The soul of sacred theology” The development of biblical studies and the Church’s magisterium The Council’s biblical hermeneutic: a directive to be appropriated The danger of dualism and a secularized hermeneutic 3 Faith and reason in the approach to Scripture Literal sense and spiritual sense The need to transcend the “letter” The Bible’s intrinsic unity The relationship between the Old and the New Testaments The “dark” passages of the Bible Christians, Jews and the sacred Scriptures The fundamentalist interpretation of sacred Scripture Dialogue between pastors, theologians and exegetes The Bible and ecumenism Consequences for the study of theology The saints and the interpretation of Scripture PART TWO VERBUM IN ECCLESIA (@JN 1,12@) The Church receives the word Christ’s constant presence in the life of the Church The word of God in the sacred liturgy Sacred Scripture and the sacraments The word of God and the Eucharist The sacramentality of the word Sacred Scripture and the Lectionary Proclamation of the word and the ministry of Reader The importance of the homily The fittingness of a Directory on Homiletics The word of God, Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick The word of God and the Liturgy of the Hours The word of God and the Book of Blessings Suggestions and practical proposals for promoting fuller participation in the liturgy Encountering the word of God in sacred Scripture Letting the Bible inspire pastoral activity The biblical dimension of catechesis The biblical formation of Christians Sacred Scripture in large ecclesial gatherings The word of God and vocations The prayerful reading of sacred Scripture and “lectio divina” The word of God and Marian prayer The word of God and the Holy Land PART THREE VERBUM MUNDO (@JN 1,18@) The Word from the Father and to the Father Proclaiming to the world the “Logos” of hope The word of God is the source of the Church’s mission The word and the Kingdom of God All the baptized are responsible for this proclamation The necessity of the “missio ad gentes” Proclamation and the new evangelization The word of God and Christian witness Serving Jesus in “the least of his brethren” (@MT 25,40@) The word of God and commitment to justice in society The proclamation of God’s word, reconciliation and peace between peoples The word of God and practical charity The proclamation of the word of God and young people The proclamation of the word of God and migrants The proclamation of the word of God and the suffering The proclamation of the word of God and the poor The proclamation of the word of God and the protection of creation The value of culture for the life of humanity The Bible, a great code for cultures Knowledge of the Bible in schools and universities Sacred Scripture in the variety of artistic expressions The word of God and the means of social communication The Bible and inculturation Translating the Bible and making it more widely available God’s word transcends cultural limits The value of interreligious dialogue Dialogue between Christians and Muslims Dialogue with other religions Dialogue and religious freedom CONCLUSION God’s definitive word New evangelization and a new hearing The word and joy “Mater Verbi et Mater laetitiae”