Vatican City, 19 June 2015 (VIS) –
This morning in the Consistory Hall Pope Francis received the members
of the Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF), which has recently elected
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, metropolitan archbishop of Manila,
Philippines, as its new president. The Federation is currently
holding its tenth plenary assembly dedicated to the theme “That
which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you”, drawn from
the First Epistle of St. John; reflecting on the Sacred Scripture as
the source of evangelisation, it commemorates the fiftieth
anniversary of the promulgation of the dogmatic Constitution on the
Divine Revelation Dei Verbum.
“To be able to proclaim the word of
truth, we ourselves must have had the experience of the Word: we must
have listened, contemplated, almost touched it with our own hands”,
writes the Holy Father in the discourse he handed to those present.
“Christians, who are the People of God, 'that you may proclaim the
excellencies of him', must, as the dogmatic Constitution on Divine
Revelation Dei Verbum suggests, first of all venerate, read, listen,
proclaim, preach, study and spread the Word of God. The Church, who
proclaims the Word every day, receiving nourishment and inspiration
from it, makes herself the beneficiary and excellent witness of the
efficiency and strength inherent in that same Word of God. Neither
we, nor our efforts, but rather the Holy Spirit works through those
who dedicate themselves to pastoral ministry, and He does the same
for the listeners, preparing them to listen to the Word and to
receive its message of life”.
Referring to the anniversary of Dei
Verbum and the timeliness of dedicating the plenary assembly to the
relationship between the Scriptures and evangelisation, Francis
mentions that in 1986 St. John Paul II had invited the CBF to
undertake a careful rereading of the dogmatic Constitution, applying
its principles and implementing its recommendations. The Synod of
Bishops on the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church in
2008 offered another important opportunity for reflecting on its
application. He adds, “Likewise today I would like to invite you to
go ahead with this work, always taking into consideration the value
of the treasure of the Conciliar Constitution, as well as the
subsequent Magisterium, while you communicate the joy of the Gospel
to the furthest confines of the world, obeying the missionary
mandate”.
“However, there are places where the
Word of God has not yet been proclaimed or, although proclaimed, has
not been received as the Word of salvation”, the Pope remarks.
“There are places where the Word of God is emptied of its
authority. The lack of the support or vigour of the Word leads to a
weakening of the Christian communities of ancient tradition and curbs
the spiritual growth and missionary fervour of the young Churches. We
are all responsible if 'the message will run the risk of losing its
freshness and will cease to have the freshness of the Gospel'.
However, it remains valid to encourage a special pastoral effort to
emphasise the central position of the Word of God in ecclesial life,
promoting the Biblical inspiration of all pastoral ministry. We must
ensure that the habitual activities of all Christian communities, in
the parishes, associations and movements, truly have at heart the
personal encounter with Christ communicated to us in His Word since,
as St. Jerome teaches, 'ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of
Christ'”.
“The mission of the servants of the
Word – bishops, priests, men and women religious and laypeople –
is that of promoting and favouring this encounter, which inspires
faith and transforms life; therefore I pray, in the name of all the
Church, that you may fulfil your mandate: ensuring 'that the message
of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honoured', until the day of
Jesus Christ”.
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