“Rediscovering the centrality of God’s Word” in personal life and in the life of the Church as well as “the urgency and beauty” of announcing it. This is in brief Benedict XVI’s message in the post-synod apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini” presented in the Vatican Newsroom today. The document contains the reflections and proposals submitted at the Episcopal Synod on “God’s Word in the life and mission of the Church”, that took place in the Vatican from 5 to 26 October 2008 and is composed of nearly 200 pages, divided into three parts, according to the structure of the topic of the synodal meeting. “In a world that often feels God as superfluous or alien”, Benedict XVI states, “there is no greater priority than this: reopening to today’s man access to God” that “speaks and acts in history in man’s interest”. “Unfortunately, in this day and age – the Pontiff comments –, the idea that God is alien to man’s life and problems has spread, especially in the West”, while “God’s Word is not against man, it does not frustrate his true wishes, actually He enlightens them, purifying and accomplishing them”.
In looking at the current state of Biblical studies, the Pope points at the risk of “a dualism” between exegesis and theology and wishes for “the unity of the two levels” of interpretation, which implies “a harmony between faith and reason”, so that faith “will never degenerate into fideism” and reason “is open and does not reject a priori all that exceeds its measure”. Reiterating that “the root of Christianity is in the Old Testament and Christianity always feeds on this root”, Benedict XVI recalls the “special bond” between Christians and Jews, “a bond that should never be forgotten”. “I wish to repeat once again – the Pope said – how precious dialogue with Jews is for the Church”. The document also highlights the “centrality of Biblical studies in ecumenical dialogue”. “More care in the proclamation of God’s Word” by readers “who are suitable and well prepared” and a better “quality” of homilies is the liturgical requirement expressed by Benedict XVI, who insists on the need for a Homiletic Directory, the value of silence in celebrations, the need to take special care of “the blind and deaf”, and the “importance of Gregorian chant”. It is essential, according to the Pontiff, to increase the “Biblical pastoral”.
The Pope also made an exhortation to “reinvigorate the missionary awareness of the Church”. “By no means can the Church be limited to a ‘maintenance’ pastoral”; it “must go towards anybody” and “keep defending people’s freedom and right to listen to God’s Word, looking for the most effective ways to proclaim it, even at the risk of persecution”. Hence his mention of the people who are persecuted because of Christ: “We rally, with deep and supporting affection, around the devotees of all those Christian communities, in Asia and in Africa… who right now risk their life or social exclusion because of their faith”, the Pope writes. “At the same time, we do not stop raising our voice so that the governments of the Nations will ensure to everybody freedom of conscience and religion, even to be the public witnesses of their faith”. According to Benedict XVI, listening to the Word boosts commitment to “make the world fairer”. “Of course – the Pontiff specifies – it is not directly up to the Church to create a fairer society, even if it has the right and the duty to take position on the ethical and moral issues that concern the good of the people and the populations. It is mainly up to the lay devotees” to take “direct action in the social and political sphere”.
In addition, the document states that for young people there must be “the courage of a clear announcement” and highlights the importance of spreading God’s Word even among migrants, the suffering and the poor. The Pope then made an appeal to a “renewed encounter between the Bible and the cultures”. “I would like to repeat to all cultural professionals – Benedict XVI ensures – that they have nothing to be afraid of if they open up to God’s Word; it never destroys true culture but is an important stimulus for the pursuit of increasingly appropriate and meaningful human expressions”. According to the Pontiff, then, “the meaning of the Bible as a great code for the cultures” should be regained. As to enculturation, the document warns that “it should not be confused with a superficial adaptation process nor with the syncretistic confusion that dilutes the uniqueness of the Gospel”. In addition, “encounter, dialogue and cooperation with all men of good will” is essential. Reiterating that the Church regards Muslims “with esteem”, the Synod hopes in the development of a dialogue based on a deeper understanding of such values as “the respect of life”, the inalienable values and the equal dignity of men and women, and the contribution of religions to the common good, although “distinguishing between social order and religious order”.