– Marco Carvalho
The newly established “Sunday of the Word of God” – which will be celebrated for the first time ever this year on the 26th January – is an invitation, made by Pope Francis, to Catholics across the world to deepen their appreciation, love and faithfulness to God and his word, professor Andrew Leong says. A teacher of Biblical Studies at the University of Saint Joseph, Mr Leong evokes Saint Jerome to claim that “the ignorance of the Scripture is the ignorance of Christ itself.” By papal decree, the third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be observed as a special day devoted to “the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God,” a mission better achieved, in Andrew Leong’s opinion, with recourse to the ancient practice of the lectio divina. A traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer, “the divine reading” intends to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God’s word. Dioceses and parishes have been invited to celebrate the new solemnity with creative initiatives, helpful resources and renewed efforts for helping Catholics engage more deeply with the Holy Scriptures and Macau was no exception. In a thoughtful interview, Andrew Leong explains why there’s no People of God without a deep knowledge of the Scriptures and an active engagement with the Eucharistic dimension of the Word of God.
The Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis, issued in the form of “Motu Proprio” by Pope Francis establishes the Sunday of the Word of God. Beginning from this year, this new solemnity will be celebrated on the third Sunday in ordinary time, as decided by the Church of Rome. How important is this new celebration?
Since the beginning of the biblical renewal movement, which has been one of the driving forces leading to the Second Vatican Council, the role of sacred Scriptures in the daily lives of the faithful has been recognized more fully by the Church. As Saint Jerome, the great Saint of Scripture once wrote, “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (Commentary on the Book of Isaiah, Prlogue: PL 24, 17B). This quoted also in Aperuit Illis (no. 1), without knowledge of the Scripture, one cannot claim to have an intimate relationship with Jesus.
“The Word was with God, and the Word was God,” writes John the Evangelist…
Pope Francis’ use of the quote by Saint Jerome is particularly apt. In the Bible, the notion of “knowledge” is not limited to objective knowledge, but includes subjective knowledge as well. By this I mean the ability to establish a relationship, especially a (inter)personal relationship. At the key positions of the document, at the beginning (no. 1, 2), middle (no. 8, 11), and the end (no. 12, 14), Pope Francis explicitly emphasizes on building and strengthening the relationship between the faithful and sacred Scripture. Apparently, for him, the study of Scripture as an intellectual exercise is not the prime focus here, albeit foundational to what he intends. This relationship, according to Francis, is built upon dialogue (no. 2, quoting from Misericordia et Misera, no. 7), witness as the teachings of Scripture are being lived out daily by the community of believers (no. 2). Of course, for this to be even possible, one has “to read, appreciate, and pray daily with sacred Scripture.” The preferred way to do so, mentioned several times in Aperuit Illis, is lectio divina (no. 3), the divine reading.
Read, meditate, pray and contemplate. Is Sunday still the best day to indulge in the company of the Savior?
Sunday is the most appropriate time for the celebration of the relationship between Jesus – the Logos (Word) of God – and the community of believers. This is evident in the episode of the Risen Lord meeting the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), mentioned several times in Aperuit Illis (no. 1, 6, 7, 8). On the Day of the Lord par excellence, the Risen Jesus appeared to the two disciples on their way, engaging them with the Scriptures, explaining to them the messianic or Christological significance therein, preparing them to recognize him as the fulfillment of the divine promise of salvation. In the process of this informed engagement with the Scriptures, their hearts were burning from within, as they recalled not so soon afterwards (v. 31). Later, after the disciples request to stay, Jesus sat with them at the same table and broke bread with them. At the very moment of the breaking of the bread, their eyes were opened and recognized who this person – walking with them and engaging them with the scripture – really was. Nevertheless, one should not see the two scenes – the reading of the Scriptures and the recognition of Jesus – as two separate acts. Rather, as the Second Vatican Council conveys, “the liturgy of the word and the Eucharistic liturgy are so closely connected with each other, that they form but one single act of worship” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 56). In Dei Verbum, the Council also teaches that it is from the same table – both of the word of God and the body of Christ – that the bread of life is offered and given to the community of believers (see: DV 21).
The Lukan episode not only illustrates the Eucharistic dimension of the Word of God, but also its ethical dimension. Aperuit Illis exhorts the community of the faithful, by celebrating the Sunday of the Word of God, “to strive daily to embody and bear witness to [the] teachings of [sacred Scripture]” (n. 2). With the guidance received from the homilies preached in Sunday masses, the faithful are able “to grasp the beauty of God’s word and to see it applied to their daily lives” (n. 5). This is a difficult challenge that all Christians must face, but the depth of love that this requires is in no way comparable to the merciful love of Christ shown on the cross. To imitate Christ, particularly in this dimension, it is often said to be the greatest bitterness of them all, but through it one tastes the sweetness of sharing the same kind of bitterness that Jesus tasted.
Last but not least, one should not lose sight of the missionary dimension of our relationship with the Word of God. In the episode told by Saint Luke, the two disciples, after recognizing the Risen Lord, immediately returned to the Eleven and to their companions to report the Good News that they had just experienced (v. 33). Likewise, after listening diligently to the Word of God, we are enabled and sent “to proclaim its unfathomable richness before the world” (n. 2). This is the reason why it is thought appropriate to “celebrate the Rite of Installation of Lectors (or readers),” the ones who proclaim the Word of God in the liturgy.
Thus, in Aperuit Illis, by establishing the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God, Pope Francis highlights the relational – and hence communal – Eucharistic, ethical, and missionary significance of the Word of God.
In the apostolic letter, Pope Francis seeks to promote the idea that the understanding of the Holy Scriptures should be available to all and that this understanding is an instrument for the unity of the People of God. Who do you think this message is intended for? Is this a way to recall the universal character of the Church?
The theme of unity is addressed and elaborated in numbers 3-4 in Aperuit Illis. This seems to be a topic dear to Pope Francis. In no. 3, after he declares the establishment of the Sunday of the Word of God, he immediately touches upon the effort towards Christian unity. As Pope Francis points out, the third Sunday in Ordinary Time – the Sunday designated to be the Sunday of the Word of God – coincides with the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year, 2020, for example, the third Sunday in Ordinary Time is the 26th of January, and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will happen between the 18th and the 25th of January. Pope Francis rightly states that the connective power of listening to the Word of God is well attested in the Bible. One of the most memorable scenes is recorded in Nehemiah, 8. Due to the Babylonian exile, the people of God had been scattered into different locations of the Babylonian empire. After the exile, the people of God struggled to reestablish themselves, because different groups among them were striving for their own interests. Nevertheless, when the scribe Ezra volunteered himself to lead the rebuilding of both Jerusalem and the people of God, he started with a public reading of the Torah. On the occasion, the people – despite their very own agenda – “gathered as one man” (Neh 8:1; NJB), moved by the Word of God. As a result of the proclamation of the Word of God, the people were able to work as one to rebuild their city, and more importantly, to rebuild themselves as the united people of God. Based on this biblical episode, Aperuit Illis teaches “the Bible is the book of the Lord’s people, who, in listening to it, move from dispersion and division toward unity” (n. 4). Indeed, the Church was called forth by, in, and with the Word of God. All Christians, who claim themselves to be the followers of the Word of God, must be able to recognize the truth in the statement quoted above. Understood in this light, the unitive character of the Sunday of Word of God contributes, rather than hinders, the universal character of the Church.
Worldwide, at a parish-level Bible studies are gaining strength, often promoted by lay groups. Will the Sunday of the Word of God strengthen this movement?
It is beneficial to both individual Christians and the Church as a whole that the role of the Bible continues to weigh in the daily life of the faithful. The more familiar one is with the word of God, the more intimate one is with the Word of God. Moreover, by encouraging certain rituals in this new solemnity, like the enthronement of the Bible, the installation of the Lectors (no. 3), the faithful may be able to recognized in a more visible way the role of the Bible in the life of the Church. This would certainly stimulate more believers to read and study the Bible in different contexts and levels. On the other hand, one should not lose sight of the fact that incorporating the Bible in one’s own life does not only imply reading and studying it. One does not only admire the aesthetics of the Scripture passages, but one must strive to apply it to his or her daily life (no. 5). In other words, one should not lose sight of the prophetic dimension of the Word of God (no. 12). To incarnate the Word of God in the here and now of our daily existence and make the merciful love of Jesus Christ flesh and blood to others, remains the mission of each and every Christian. Pope Francis’ way of closing the document deserves to be mentioned. First, he refers to how St Augustine thinks of the blessedness of Mary. Mary is called blessed “[n]ot because in her the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, but because she keeps that same word of God by which she was made and which, in her womb, became flesh” (Tractates on the Gospel of John, 10, 3; my emphasis). Then, Pope Francis closes Aperuit Illis by quoting the famous statement in Deuteronomy: “This word is very near to you: it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observation” (30:14). With this new celebration of the Sunday of Word of God, let us follow Pope Francis’ call, to come near to the Word of God and to bring it near to others.
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