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
9999
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
1
INTRODUCTION
2
That our joy may be complete
3
From “Dei Verbum” to the Synod on the Word of God
4
The Synod of Bishops on the Word of God
5
The Prologue of John’s Gospel as a guide
PART ONE
VERBUM DEI
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh”
The God Who Speaks
6
God in dialogue
7
The analogy of the word of God
8
The cosmic dimension of the word
9
The creation of man
10
The realism of the word
11
Christology of the word
14
The eschatological dimension of the word of God
15
The word of God and the Holy Spirit
17
Tradition and Scripture
19
Sacred Scripture, inspiration and truth
20
God the Father, source and origin of the word
21
Our Response To The God Who Speaks
22
Called to the covenant with God
23
God hears us and responds to our questions
24
In dialogue with God through his words
25
The word of God and faith
26
Sin as a refusal to hear the word of God
27
Mary, “Mother of God’s Word” and “Mother of Faith”
28
The Interpretation of Sacred Scripture in the Church
29
The Church as the primary setting for biblical hermeneutics
31
“The soul of sacred theology”
32
The development of biblical studies and the Church’s magisterium
34
The Council’s biblical hermeneutic: a directive to be appropriated
35
The danger of dualism and a secularized hermeneutic
36
Faith and reason in the approach to Scripture
37
Literal sense and spiritual sense
38
The need to transcend the “letter”
39
The Bible’s intrinsic unity
40
The relationship between the Old and the New Testaments
42
The “dark” passages of the Bible
43
Christians, Jews and the sacred Scriptures
44
The fundamentalist interpretation of sacred Scripture
45
Dialogue between pastors, theologians and exegetes
46
The Bible and ecumenism
47
Consequences for the study of theology
48
The saints and the interpretation of Scripture
49
PART TWO
VERBUM IN ECCLESIA
“But to all who received him he gave power to become children of God”
The Word Of God And The Church
50
The Church receives the word
51
Christ’s constant presence in the life of the Church
The Liturgy, privileged Setting for the Word of God
52
The word of God in the sacred liturgy
53
Sacred Scripture and the sacraments
54
The word of God and the Eucharist
56
The sacramentality of the word
57
Sacred Scripture and the Lectionary
58
Proclamation of the word and the ministry of Reader
59
The importance of the homily
60
The fittingness of a Directory on Homiletics
61
The word of God, Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick
62
The word of God and the Liturgy of the Hours
63
The word of God and the Book of Blessings
64
Suggestions and practical proposals for promoting fuller participation in the liturgy
65
a) Celebrations of the word of God
66
b) The word and silence
67
c) The solemn proclamation of the word of God
68
d) The word of God in Christian churches
69
e) The exclusive use of biblical texts in the liturgy
70
f) Biblically-inspired liturgical song
71
g) Particular concern for the visually and hearing impaired
The Word Of God In The Life Of The Church
72
Encountering the word of God in sacred Scripture
73
Letting the Bible inspire pastoral activity
74
The biblical dimension of catechesis
75
The biblical formation of Christians
76
Sacred Scripture in large ecclesial gatherings
77
The word of God and vocations
78
a) Ordained ministers and the word of God
82
b) The word of God and candidates for Holy Orders
83
c) The word of God and the consecrated life
84
d) The word of God and the lay faithful
85
e) The word of God, marriage and the family
86
The prayerful reading of sacred Scripture and “lectio divina”
88
The word of God and Marian prayer
89
The word of God and the Holy Land
PART THREE
VERBUM MUNDO
“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”
The Church’s Mission: To Proclaim The Word Of God To The World
90
The Word from the Father and to the Father
91
Proclaiming to the world the “Logos” of hope
92
The word of God is the source of the Church’s mission
93
The word and the Kingdom of God
94
All the baptized are responsible for this proclamation
95
The necessity of the “missio ad gentes”
96
Proclamation and the new evangelization
97
The word of God and Christian witness
98
The Word Of God and Commitment in the World
99
Serving Jesus in “the least of his brethren”
100
The word of God and commitment to justice in society
102
The proclamation of God’s word, reconciliation and peace between peoples
103
The word of God and practical charity
104
The proclamation of the word of God and young people
105
The proclamation of the word of God and migrants
106
The proclamation of the word of God and the suffering
107
The proclamation of the word of God and the poor
108
The proclamation of the word of God and the protection of creation
The Word Of God And Culture
109
The value of culture for the life of humanity
110
The Bible, a great code for cultures
111
Knowledge of the Bible in schools and universities
112
Sacred Scripture in the variety of artistic expressions
113
The word of God and the means of social communication
114
The Bible and inculturation
115
Translating the Bible and making it more widely available
116
God’s word transcends cultural limits
The Word of God and interreligious Dialogue
117
The value of interreligious dialogue
118
Dialogue between Christians and Muslims
119
Dialogue with other religions
120
Dialogue and religious freedom
CONCLUSION
121
God’s definitive word
122
New evangelization and a new hearing
123
The word and joy
124
“Mater Verbi et Mater laetitiae”