By Papal decree, this third Sunday in Ordinary Time,
January 26, is to be observed as a special day devoted to “the celebration,
study and dissemination of the word of God.” Its formal title is “Sunday of the
Word of God” and is an invitation to Catholics across the world to deepen their
appreciation, love and faithful witness to God and his word.
Pope Francis
describes it as a day dedicated to the Bible to help the Church (quoting) “to
experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and
enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world,”
 Many Catholic homes have bibles, often rather large
books, beautifully produced. They may have a special place in the home like on
the self under the coffee table in the living room. However, it's purpose there
is not for prayer, reading and study, rather a place where the family records
are kept. Thankfully in recent years the place and importance of the bible in
Catholic homes is changing.
On Nov. 18th 1965, Pope Paul VI promulgated the Dogmatic
Constitution on Divine Revelation entitled Dei verbum. Its purpose is to spell
out the Church’s understanding of the nature of Divine Revelation, that is, the
process whereby God communicates with human beings.
Let me highlight a couple of its key teachings. The document
touches on key questions, especially about Scripture and tradition, and how the
scriptures come under the teaching authority of the Church. We learn that the
bible is not a book that stands alone, complete unto itself – rather it is a
collection of writings brought together by a living body of believers, the
Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The document states: “Sacred tradition and Sacred
Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church.
#10”
The document also teaches that to have a correct
understanding of the sacred text it is important to take into account the
various forms the writers of the scriptures have chosen to communicate God’s
Word – such as historical, or poetic, or prophetic, etc.
And of course the role of scripture in the Mass is
highlighted by the document: “The Church has always venerated the divine
Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the
sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread
of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body. #21” Pope John
Paul II used the expression of the Table of the Word and the Table of the
Eucharist.
The
document concludes with this exhortation: “The sacred synod also earnestly and
especially urges all the Christian faithful, to learn by frequent reading of
the divine Scriptures the "excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ"
(Phil. 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of
Christ." Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the
sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word,
or through devotional reading.
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