The Word in the Church

Encyclicals & Exhortations of Benedict XVI

by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

"With the Synod Fathers I express my heartfelt
hope for the flowering of 'a new season of greater
love for sacred Scripture on the part of every
member of the People of God, so that their
prayerful and faith-filled reading of the Bible will,
with time, deepen their personal relationship with
Jesus.'"

—Verbum Domini, 72

Pope Benedict XVI says the word of God "draws
each of us into a conversation with the Lord: the
God who speaks teaches us how to speak to
him." In this apostolic exhortation—an extended
reflection on the work of the Bishops Synod on
the Word of God in 2008—the Holy Father affirms
that the word of God is at the heart of our faith
and at the heart of every activity in the Church.
He calls for an increased emphasis on the Bible
in catechesis and pastoral work, and
recommends lectio divina, or prayerful reading of
Scripture, so that all believers can encounter
Christ in his the living word. And because the
Church by its nature is missionary, what we have
received through the word we must proclaim to
the world.

"With this Apostolic Exhortation," Pope
Benedict writes, "I would like the work of the
Synod to have a real effect on the life of the
Church: on our personal relationship with the
sacred Scriptures, on their interpretation in the
liturgy and catechesis, and in scientific research,
so that the Bible may not be simply a word from
the past, but a living and timely word" (Verbum
Domini, 5).

Genres: Catholic, Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Spirituality, Biblical Studies

122 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (USCC), it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic hierarchy (i.e., diocesan, coadjutor, and auxiliary bishops and the ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter) in the United States and the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the bishops in the six dioceses form their own episcopal conference, the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference (Spanish, Conferencia Episcopal Puertorriqueña). The bishops in U.S. insular areas in the Pacific Ocean – the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territory of American Samoa, and the Territory of Guam – are members of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (Latin, Conferentia Episcopalis Pacifici).

The USCCB adopted its current name in July 2001. The organization is a registered corporation based in Washington, D.C. As with all bishops' conferences, certain decisions and acts of the USCCB must receive the recognitio, or approval of the Roman dicasteries, which are subject to the immediate and absolute authority of the Pope.

Reviews

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catholic teaching on Holy Scripture, applied to as many subjects and topics as the bishops were able to find during the 2010 synod on the Bible. Recommended to Christians of every stripe, and the last few pages to all men and women of good-will, who wish to further human progress. This was one of the last acts of the great Pope, Benedict XVI, before his abdication earlier this year. His voice is very clear in the entire document and its message is covenant, love and peace.

[Vinícius Tomé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nessa exortação o papa Bento XVI aborda temas como a ciência da interpretação bíblia, a relação entre pesquisa histórica e uma hermenêutica da fé e diversos outros temas que foram discutidos no sínodo de 2008 sobre como as Escrituras são recebidas como a palavra divinamente inspirada por Deus no coração da vida da igreja. Bento XVI aborda os temas de forma resumida e com uma linguagem filosófica, mas de fácil compreensão. Não é atoa que ele é chamado de Mozart da teologia.

[B Bevans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got so much out of this document! I read it alongside "Discovering Verbum Domini" by CTS Publishers. There are such depths to this document and it's given me a greater appreciation of Scripture. Fantastic to have studied this during the Year of the Word.

[Kathy Nealen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The importance of sacred scripture in our lives. We should study it more often and more carefully. We should live it through our behavior with others, including those not of our faith.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3 for Papal Documents. Exhaustive but long. Fleshes out “Dei Verbum” for the present-day Church. Emphasizes centrality of Scripture for a communal relationship with Jesus through his Church.

[Lila Niko · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
mam już problem z przypomnieniem sobie, o czym właśnie czytałam, chociaż w sumie to wszystko i tak składa się na to, że warto czytać Słowo Boże

[Naomi Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most enduring modern myths about the Catholic Church is that the Church forbids its members to read the Bible. This has never been true, but even many Catholics believe it. This work is the perfect antidote. It's absolutely brimming with Scripture quotes, and citations of papal documents and Council pronouncements, encouraging Catholics to enter more deeply into the Word of God.

The first section, Verbum Dei, presents a correct understanding of the Word of God. The common tendency to equate the Bible with the Word of God is an error; the Bible itself makes it clear that the Word first IS God, God who is incarnate in the person of Jesus. The written word is an outpouring from the divine Word.

In the second section, Verbum in Ecclesia, Benedict shows how the Bible is meant to be experienced in the context of the liturgy, and, even in private study, considered in union with the teaching of the Church.

The third section, Verbum Mundo, outlines how experiencing the Scripture and truly contemplating it must inevitably lead to change in our lives and in the greater society.

This is a very skeletal review, because to do the book justice, I would have to string quote after quote from it together. It's a vital and captivating book. I thought at first that it would be a rapid read, but there were so many passages that made me pause and fall into thought it was almost like a crash course in lectio divina.

[Alex McDougall · Rating 5 out of 5]

At once both scholarly and pastoral, Pope Benedict provides some foundational teaching for the Church in the 21st century.

[John O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally read the Post-Synodal "Verbum Domini" (2010), as an overview of the theology of the Word of the Lord, the "logos" that is presented in John's Prologue, but also is the basis for the entire kerygmatic mission of the Church. What is the Word of God? This document, like all church documents of its kind, ranges widely in order to be as comprehensive as possible. It also contains basic concepts that are like lodestones for understanding, such as: 1) "the Christian message does not consist in an idea but in a fact: God has revealed himself." and 2) "the proclamation of the word has as its content the Kingdom of God, which, in the memorable phrase of Origen, is the very person of Jesus (Autobasileia)."Verbal Domini also calls for further study on the different meanings of the phrase "word of the Lord".

[Paqui Oviedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Segunda exhortación apostólica del Papa Benedicto XVI, sobre la Palabra del Señor.
Esta exhortación surge, como es habitual, después del Sínodo de los obispos que se celebró en el Vaticano del 5 al 26 de octubre de 2008.
Por tanto, esta exhortación recoge las reflexiones de este sínodo sobre la Palabra de Dios, su importancia para la vida y misión de todo cristiano y de la Iglesia, así como propuestas para llevarla al mundo.
Todo ello con un lenguaje bello y asequible.

[Ron]

Verbum Domini (Latin for "The Word of the Lord") is a post-synodal apostolic exhortation issued by Pope Benedict XVI which deals with Catholic interpretation of Sacred Scripture. Verbum Domini is dated September 30, 2010, for the Feast of St. Jerome, the patron saint of biblical studies.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benoit XVI is always clear ...

[Angeli Lei · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for us Catholics...