NEWS: Synod of Bishops on the Bible

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VATICAN CITY, 3 OCT 2008 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, gave…

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Vatican City, Oct 5, 2008 / 09:50 am (CNA).- After celebrating the opening Mass for the 12th general assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, Pope Benedict XVI made the synod the focus of his words before the recitation of the Angelus. The Holy Father invited his audience to support the work of the synod on the Bible with their prayers…http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/catholicnewsagency/dailynews/~4/411953773

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By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
Opening the Synod of Bishops on the Bible this morning, Pope Benedict XVI urged the bishops gathered in Rome for the next three weeks to think big – asking them to ponder how the Bible can fuel renewal "from the family to schools, culture, work, free time and other sectors of society and our lives.”
The clear hint was that the pope does not want this synod to be primarily an inward-directed affair, concerned with the role of the Bible in internal church affairs, but rather one with a much broader horizon.
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By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
It sounds suspiciously like a joke in search of a punch-line: “The pope, a rabbi and a Jesuit walk into a bar.” Change the word “bar” to “synod hall,” however, and it’s no joke, but rather the agenda for Monday afternoon’s session of the Synod of Bishops on the Bible, in what promises to be among the early highlights of the three-week event.
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By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
By the standards of a church with over 2,000 years of history, the Synod of Bishops was essentially born yesterday. It was founded in 1965 by Pope Paul VI at the close of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), as a means of giving bishops around the world a voice in the governance of the universal church.
Since the synod is a relatively recent arrival, it’s probably not surprising that it continues to break new ground. Even so, the edition which meets Oct. 5-26 in Rome, with the theme of “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church,” is distinctive for at least ten “firsts” it will occasion:
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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On Sunday, October 5, in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, the Holy Father Benedict XVI presided a Mass concelebrated with the Synodal Fathers, for the opening of the XII General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will be taking place at the Vatican until October 26, on the theme: “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.” In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on the readings from the Mass for the day, the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, which included the image of a vineyard, used to “describe the divine plan of salvation, and which establishes itself as a moving allegory of God’s Alliance with His People.” In the Gospel, the emphasis is on the workers of the vineyard: the servants sent by the owner to collect the rent and are abused and killed. The same happens to the owner’s son. The Pope said that, “here we can clearly see how the despise for the order given by the owner becomes despise towards the owner himself: it is not merely disobedience of a divine precept, but an authentic rejection of God. Here, the mystery of the Cross appears.”“This page of the Gospel applies to our own way of thinking and acting,” the Holy Father continued. “It not only speaks of Christ’s ‘hour,’ of the mystery of the Cross in that moment, but also of the presence of the Cross in all times. The people who have heard the preaching of the Gospel have a special role. If we look at history, we are forced to recognize that it is not rare for inconsistent Christians to be cold and rebellious. As a result of this, although God never fails his promise of salvation, he has often had to resort to punishment. It is spontaneous to think, in this context, of the first proclamation of the Gospel, which gave rise to Christian communities that at first were flourishing, but later disappeared and are now remembered only in the history books. Could not the same thing happen in our time? Nations that at one time were rich in faith and vocations are now losing their identity, under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture. There are those who, having decided that ‘God is dead’, declare themselves ‘gods’, believing themselves the sole creators of their own destiny and the absolute owners of the world. In casting off God and not awaiting salvation from him, man believes that he can do whatever he likes and set himself up as the sole measure of himself and his action. But when man eliminates God from his horizon, is he truly more happy? Does he truly become more free? When men proclaim themselves the absolute owners of themselves, and the sole masters of creation, can they truly build a society in which freedom, justice, and peace reign? Does it not instead happen - as daily events abundantly demonstrate - that there is the expansion of arbitrary power, egoistic interest, injustice and exploitation, violence in all of its expressions? The result, in the end, is that man finds himself more alone, and society is more divided and confused. But Jesus’ words hold a promise: the vineyard will not be destroyed. Although he leaves the unfaithful keepers of the vineyard to their fate, the owner does not abandon his vineyard, and he entrusts it to other servants, who are faithful. This indicates that, if in some regions faith becomes weak to the point of disappearing, there will always be other peoples ready to accept it.”The Pope then pointed out that “The message of consolation that we take from these biblical texts is the certainty that evil and death do not have the last word, but it is Christ who overcomes in the end. Always! The Church does not tire of proclaiming this Good News,” and recalled how it should be especially so in this Year of Saint Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, “who was the first to spread the Gospel in the vast regions of Asia Minor and Europe.” After greeting the Synodal Fathers and all those present in the encounter with great affection, Benedict XVI mentioned that “when God speaks, He always demands a response; His work of salvation calls for human cooperation.” He continued, saying: “The Word of God alone can change man in the depths of his heart, and it is important, therefore, that with this individual believers and the community can enter into an ever greater intimacy with it. In effect, if preaching the Gospel is the reason behind her existence and mission, it is indispensable that the Church know and live that which she preaches, so that her preaching can be credible, in spite of the weaknesses and poverty of the men that she is made up of.” In concluding his homily, the Holy Father reflected on the pertinence of the exclamation of the Apostle to the Gentiles: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel,” and the invitation of Christ, “The harvest is abundant” (Mt. 9:37). “Many have not yet known Him and are still awaiting the first announcement of the Gospel; others, having received a Christian upbringing, have lost their enthusiasm and maintain a merely superficial contact with the Word of God; others have fallen away from practicing the faith and are in need of a new evangelization. Thus, there are plenty of people of an upright conscience, that ask themselves the fundamental questions about life and death, questions to which only Christ can fully respond. Thus, it becomes necessary that Christians in every continent be prepared to respond to every question with the hope that is in them, joyfully announcing the Word of God and living the Gospel without compromise…All of us experience the need to place the Word of God at the center of our lives, accepting Christ as our only Redeemer, as the Kingdom of God in person, to make his light illumine every part of humanity: the family, the school, culture, the workplace, leisure time, and all other sectors of society and our lives.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 6/10/2008)

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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “I invite all of you to support the work of the synod with your prayer,” the Holy Father Benedict XVI said in his Angelus address on Sunday, October 5. In his brief address before the recitation of the Marian prayer, the Pope reflected on the “value and function” of this assembly of Bishops, “chosen in such a way as to represent the whole episcopate and convoked to offer efficacious assistance to the Successor of Peter, manifesting and consolidating ecclesial communion at the same time.” The purpose of the Synod of Bishops, instituted in 1965 by Servant of God Paul VI, to realize a directive contained in the Council’s decree on the office of bishops, “Christus Dominus, has been once again called for by Benedict XVI in order “to foster close union and collaboration between the Pope and the bishops of the whole world, to furnish direct and exact information about the situation and problems of the Church, to foster an agreement on doctrine and pastoral action and to consider topics of great importance and contemporary relevance.”The Pontiff also noted that “Synods are constitutive of the Church: They are a coming together from every people and culture to be one in Christ; they are a walking together behind him who said: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’” Participating in the present Assembly, dedicated to the Word of God, are 253 Synodal Fathers: 51 from Africa, 62 from America, 41 from Asia, 90 from Europe, and 9 from Oceania. “Numerous experts and auditors, men and women, “brother delegates” from the other Churches and ecclesial communities, and other special invitees will join them.”After reciting the Angelus, the Pope mentioned the television program entitled “Bibbia Giorno e Notte” [Bible Day and Night] will begin on Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), featuring live coverage of the reading of the Bible for 7 days and 6 nights from the Roman Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, with 1,200 readers from 50 different countries. After affirming that “this event is a fitting accompaniment to the Synod of Bishops on the word of God…the Word of God can thus enter into homes to accompany the lives of families and single persons: a seed that, if properly welcomed, will not fail to bear abundant fruit.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 6/10/2008)

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