Jan 21, 2024 Word of God Sunday
Oh My God!! In spite of having been an anointed (read, professional in secular terms) minister of the Church for 29 years, I find myself very uninitiated, often illiterate or ignorant of the latest church matters, practices or teaching. It appears that over the years, I have become a minister sans people, a non-church-going pastor, with my sacramental celebrations often assuming the nature of a private devotion (though theologically we argue that we celebrate in communion with the whole of the faithful and even in communion with the heavens and the earth). I got to learn about the rescheduling of the days for the popular devotion of the rosary, the additions in litany etc. only recently, as these had long ceased to be part of my community prayers. I did pray these almost regularly in my own private times.
I was kind of surprised to learn that there is a Word of God Sunday - and it had been in practice for the past 3 years. Felt a little ashamed and embarrassed. But on further enquiry, I realised it was a Latin rite tradition, and the Syro Malabar (presently, zero-Jesus) Church has never promoted the idea.
The Catholic church in my experience and understanding has laid greater emphasis on the ritualistic (sacramental) aspect of Christian living, rather than a word-centred living. It is to be acknowledged that learning the word of God, and a constant return to that for inspiration was not a very strong tradition in the Catholic church, and perhaps, the focus on the word of God in Christian life emerged beginning with the apparently conscientious questioning by Martin Luther, who was labelled a rebel and a renegade, and led to the split in the Church giving birth to Protestantism and the whole bunch of protestant churches. While this did immense harm to the power of the Church as a monolithic entity, I feel, it has done the Church the good of forcing it to initiate scriptural scholarship, while still managing its flock to maintain the addiction and adherence to the watered-down sacramental life - more so based on popular devotions, with Eucharistic devotion as its summit.
It took almost 4 centuries thence for the Catholic church to really assert the significance of the Word of God in Christian life. It was Vatican Council II through the council decree Dei Verbum that the primariness of the Word of God was asserted by the Church. Even then, till today, it does have only a secondary status in the church life - individual's life, events etc., we are still very much 'devotion' based. No doubt, the charismatic movement has given a fillip to a more-word-centred life among the Catholics.
I recall that even before the Charismatic movement gained a foothold, in my family daily reading of the Bible was introduced. But it turned out to be just a reading, without great attention or reflection, as part of the daily routine devotional prayers, with the rosary as the centre. But from a pastoral point of view, there was hardly any inspiration, guidance or support in this regard.
Now with this observance of the day today, I feel more inspired to lead a life based on the word - word-centric.
The celebration involved a detailed introduction to the rationale and content of the celebration, well prepared and read out in Hindi by one of the younger nuns. I felt that amply covered the necessary aspects - what I should try to provide should be inspiration.
I read that when the Pope made the declaration on September 30th (feast), it was coincidentally the 1600th year of the death of the great Bible authority of the ancient Church, St. Jerome, who had translated the Bible into Latin, known by the name 'Vulgata' (from Versio vulgata - meaning common version/translation). He had declared: 'The ignorance of the Scriptures is the ignorance of Christ'.
The Psalmist's experience of the word of God, I feel, should be our inspiration: 'Your word (law) is lamp to my feet, and light to my path' (Ps 119:105), it is more or less repeated in the Proverbs: For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching [of the law] is light, And reproofs (rebukes) for discipline are the way of life... (Proverbs 6:23).
The motu proprio (of his own initiative - a Papal teaching of his own initiative) is named "Apperuit illis' (He opened their...) the beginning words of Luke 24:32, how Jesus opened the minds of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and how their hearts were set aflame by his words and interpretation of the scriptures. This should happen through the reading and reflection on the Word of God. How I desire if I could be a minister of the word able to do this with the listeners - to set their hearts aflame!
Now, in reading the Christian Scriptures, it is likely that the reader comes across passages that are scandalous, not matching the ethics and norms of the Christian religion or modern day, and can get confused. Herein comes the importance of guidance and interpretation. However, to start with, the thumb rule for any understanding of the scriptures should be, their matching with the person, life and teaching of Jesus Christ as he is presented in the gospel. I feel that should put things right and at rest. Anything that contradicts this foundational norm should be seen as part of the evolution of the word of God, and the stages of evolution in its understanding by the people of God and their response to it.
The second would be to bear in mind, that the general Christian understanding of the scriptural revelation is that of God-inspired message, rather than literal dictation by God. So the Christian approach would be as to what message for the 'good life' is intended out of the scripture, rather than look for the exact logic of the words, or historical or scientific content.
The third step is to match it with the growing teaching of the Church - which gains a deeper understanding of the scriptures, age after age.
Fourthly, to make it a habit to have recourse to the word of God on a daily basis - devoting some time for it; trying to learn, if possible by heart, some inspirational segment of the word. I would say, a Christian should devote at least 5 minutes minimum daily to even an hour or more for this 'svadhyaya' of source of one's inspiration.
Fifthly, the Christians have to find the resonance and inspiration of the word in their popular devotion, and sacramental celebrations. The elements of the Word of God, and what they say to us through these practices is also to be understood, and used for our inspiration. The liturgy of the hours can be a very enriching prayer from this point of view, going beyond the ritualistic adherence to the hours of prayers. If the Catholic faith is to be authentic, the typical catholic religiosity (fulfilling of Sunday obligations, feel-good factor from recourse to devotions - rosary, devotions to saints, eucharistic devotion etc.) should lead us closer to the word of God, and deeper in the word of God.
The challenge is to be the word made flesh - a Jesus was indeed God's word in the flesh - as he lived with his parents, as he went about the villages of Palestine, as he ate and drank with people, as he taught and corrected them, as he prayed alone in the open, as he suffered and died - so too the followers of Christ ought to be 'word made flesh'.
The positioning of this day, on the third week in ordinary times, is usually during or just about the unity octave observed between 18th and 25th of January. This adds to the significance of the celebration. Ecumenically, all the Christians can be united on the fact of following Christ based on the inspiration from the scripture. So scripture can be the rallying point for all the Christians to be united.
Let the Lord's words that 'if you remain in my word, you will be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free' (Jn 8:31) guide the Christian disciples in following Christ of the Gospels, to be united for God (read, good) and to experience the freedom of the children of God, which Christ did.
As this celebration implies also ecumenism, in its wider sense, it should also embrace, the 'elements of truth' the other scriptures of the world provide. Though 'Dei Verbum' (lit. Word of God; the council document on the revelation) is categorical on the unique and full revelation in Jesus, it has kept the road for dialogue open. It calls for the Christians to also learn about the scriptures of other religions as well - not for argumentation, but for understanding and furtherance of fellowship and unity.
In this modern world, I feel grateful that the word of God is available on my mobile phone as an app. So easy to carry and read, make notes, and listen to if required. It is available in the language of your choice. It is also being passed on by WhatsApp messages for making it easy for you. Online proclamation of the word and interpretations by scholars are all available. What a blessed world in that way! I feel there is greater enthusiasm for the word, and greater learning and deeper efforts to follow the word.
It is my humble view that dogmatism and claims of the final authority of truth appear to be unwarranted, and not befitting the human nature and human cum divine nature of the Church as well. Church also has to acknowledge in all humility that at any point of time, if God is God, the full understanding of that infinite is not within the humans, and our claims regarding the final matters should be less of pronouncement through dogmas, and more of proclamation by praxis of the model the Word made Flesh has set before us.
May the hammering power of the Word (Jer 23:29) shatter my petty ego and crush it within the heart of the Word made flesh; may the double-edged sword (Heb 4:12) that the Word is, may penetrate my heart and prepare me for a greater good.
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