BSEK

 

Jesus, the Living Word of God and Prayer of the Religious Community

Preliminaries

            The topic assigned to me by the organizers of this annual Religious Life Week led me to spend several hours before the Blessed Sacrament to ask the Lord what is the message He wants to relay to us this day and throughout our life as religious.

The topic raised several questions in my mind: Does the theme “Jesus, the Living Word of God and Prayer of the Religious Community” mean Jesus is the living Word of God and the prayer of the Religious Community, or is there a certain parallelism between Jesus as the living Word of God and the prayer of the Religious Community?  How is Jesus, the living Word of God, related to the prayer of the Religious Community?  What is the connection of this topic with the over-all theme of this Religious Life week, “The Word of God: Power for Life and Mission?”   At the outset, let me say that I do not claim to answer all these questions.

As I was preparing for this conference, I asked myself whether there is anything new I can say on prayer of the religious community.  Hundreds of books on prayer have been published almost everyday, and by renowned spiritual writers.[1]  All aspects of prayer seem to have been covered fairly well.  However, Fullenbach explains that, “As with all topics in theology and spirituality, once they become popular, it is all the more necessary to go back to their roots…this means going back to Jesus himself.”[2] 

What I share to you this morning is the fruit, first of all, of my prayers, and secondly, of some research.  If it were allowed in Methodology, the first in my bibliography would be the Holy Spirit, the second is the New Revised Standard Version Bible, only then the commentaries of scholars.

For our purpose here, I have divided my presentation into the following:

I. Jesus, the Living Word of God

* The Incarnate Word: John 1:1-18

* Jesus, the source of and reason for prayer: Luke 2:1-20; Matthew 2:1-12

* Jesus the Pray-er: Mark, Matthew, Luke, John

II. Prayer of the Religious Community

* A working definition of a Religious Community

* Prayer as Life and Mission

* Contemporary challenges for the Religious Community

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

The first part of our reflection focuses on Jesus as the Living Word of God.  Several biblical texts would hopefully help us have a glimpse of Jesus as the Incarnate Word of God who is the source of and reason for prayer, and who himself is the pray-er.

The second part is an examination of how the prayer of the religious community can make the Word of God truly alive.  To accomplish this, we start with a working definition of a religious community, then examine the role of prayer in the life and mission of the religious community, and conclude with some reflections on the challenges facing the religious community today.

I. Jesus, the Living Word of God

* The Incarnate Word: John 1:1-18

The classical verse on the incarnation from the gospel of John (who has the prologue in place of the infancy narratives) is lógos sarx eghéneto, which literally means, “The Word was made flesh” (1:14a).  Its meaning is better understood if the text is examined in its literary context, that is, the prologue in John 1:1-18.  The structure of the prologue is a dynamic movement from the divine to the humans on earth then back to the divine realm.

That the prologue is chiastic in format has been recognized by many.[3]

 

Chiastic parallels in the prologue.

(a) verses 1-8	(a’) verses 15-18
v. 1: In the beginning	v. 15: He was before me
v. 1: was the Word	v. 18: He has made Him known
v. 1: The Word was with God	v. 18: in the bosom of the Father
v. 1: the Word was God	v. 18: the only son
v. 3: All things were made through Him	v.17: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ
v. 4: life and light	v. 17: grace and truth
vv. 6-8: John…came…to bear witness	v. 15: John bore witness
(b) verses 9-11	(b’) verse 14
v. 10: He was in the world	v. 14bc: He dwelt among us…we   have seen His glory
v. 11: His own people received Him     not.	v. 14a: the Word became flesh
© verses12-13
v. 12c:..to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God…

            The chiastic parallel above enables the reader to grasp the full meaning and thrust of John’s theological message.

The Word, who is the only Son of God and who has made God known, existed in the beginning with the Father and in the bosom of the Father.  He existed before creation just as He existed before the Baptist who bore witness to Him.  All things were made through Him and came to be through Him – light and life, grace and truth.  He was indeed full of grace and truth.

The Word became flesh and came into the world as the light of the world.  The darkness of the world neither understood nor overcame Him.    He came to His own home and His people received Him not.  But He dwelt among us; “to all who received Him, He gave power to become children of God.”

The prologue presents the journey of the Word from the divine realm.  Jesus the Incarnate Word comes down to bring us God’s unconditional love, so that we may become children of God.  He is God’s living Word for us.  He speaks to us the saving love of God.  Then he returns into the bosom of the Father.

Ellis[4] summarizes the structure of the prologue as follows:

a)    Through the pre-existing Word, all things came to be (vv. 1-8).

b)    The true light is rejected by His own (vv. 9-11).

c)    To all who believe, power is given to become children of God

(vv. 12-13).

b’) The Word became flesh is accepted by those who beheld His glory

(v. 14).

a’) Through Jesus Christ, grace and truth came to be (vv. 15-18).

            The pre-existing Word, a, is Jesus Christ, a’; a’ explains the “all things” in a, that is, they are grace and truth.  B and b’ present contrasting ideas: whereas the true light is rejected by His own in b (vv. 9-11), the true light, who has become the Word made flesh in b’ (v. 14), is accepted by those who beheld His glory.  The center of the structure, c, tells us the effect of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world on those who believe – they receive the power to become children of God (vv. 12-13).

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

Raymond Brown explains

“In the mind of the theologian of the Prologue, the creative word of God, the word of the Lord that came to the prophets, has become personal in Jesus who is the embodiment of divine revelation.  Jesus is divine Wisdom, pre-existent, but now come among men to teach them and give them life.  Not the Torah but Jesus Christ is the creator and source of light and life.  He is the Memra, God’s presence among men.”[5]

            From all eternity, Jesus was sent into the world by God to make us God’s children and to bring us back to eternity.  He is the Living Word of God, addressed by Peter, “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). 

The second section of the final message of the recently concluded Word of God Synod is entitled: “The Face of the Word: Jesus Christ.”[6]  The Synod Fathers explain,

“The eternal and divine Word enters into space and time and takes on a human face and identity so much so that it is possible to approach him directly…He is also Jesus of Nazareth who walks the roads of a marginal province of the Roman Empire, who speaks the local language, who reveals the traits of a people, the Jews, and its culture.”[7]  

Since Jesus Christ is the “Face of the Word,” he has a voice: he is the Living Word of God, who makes the voice of God resound through all the earth, through the written Word of God, the Bible, and the living tradition of the Church. 

In the following biblical texts, let us see other concrete consequences of Jesus Christ’s coming among us from the perspectives of Luke and Matthew.

* Jesus, the Source of and Reason for Prayer:

In this section, we take biblical texts on the infancy narratives, with special focus on the effect of the birth of Jesus on the people.

a) Luke 2:1-20

            The Lucan account of Jesus’ birth with the heavenly host praising God makes it different from the Matthean version.[8]  Matthew has only two verses to describe the birth of Jesus.  Several scholars[9] have noted the theme of prayer in the Lucan infancy narratives.

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

Based on Luke’s use of “praise, glorify, bless, praise, joy,” and such themes as “worship, the temple, fasting, prayer and peace,” Minear[10] underlines the liturgical nature of chapters 1-2.  Winter,[11] noting the poetic form of the hymns in Luke 1-2, suggests that the proper setting of the hymns was in public worship.   For Dawsey[12] the form of chapters 1-2 of Luke indicates that it functioned liturgically to establish the atmosphere of joyous praise to God for His saving activity told in the gospel story. 

The birth of Jesus, as presented by Luke, occasioned the prayer of the “heavenly” community, led by the angel with a multitude of the heavenly host (2:13).  The prayer of the “heavenly” community is one of praise to God and a prayer for peace on earth (2:14).

The story continues that when the angels had left and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us” (2:15).  Although Luke does not say that the shepherds prayed, he writes that “When they saw this [that is, Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger], they made known what had been told them about the child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them (2:17-18).  The shepherds were the first messengers of the good news of the birth of the Messiah and Lord.  Luke, then, continues that “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (2:19). 

We find in the Lucan version of Jesus’ birth several indications of a “prayerful attitude:” first, the desire of the shepherds to go to Bethlehem, to see the “Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”  The shepherds’ desire itself to see the Messiah and Lord is a prayer. No specific word of prayer by the shepherds is recorded by Luke but he simply describes them as “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (2:20).  Their response to God’s revelation to them through Jesus’ birth was one of praise.

Second, a prayerful attitude is exemplified by Mary, who treasured all the words and pondered them in her heart.  We can call this lectio di vita,[13] that is, reading the will of God in the daily events of our life.  This must be the passage which inspired artists to portray Mary with a very pious posture of bent head and hands folded in prayer.  I do not think so that Mary, who had newly given birth and had to attend to the daily chores as a mother, would be always in that position.  I would rather see her as a busy mother attending to the needs of her family, yet at the same time pondering the meaning of the events in her heart. 

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

As presented by Luke, Jesus’ birth occasioned communal as well as individual prayers and reflection.  After their encounter with the new-born Jesus, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (2:20).  Mary, on her part, treasured all the words and pondered them in her heart” (2:19).

The quality of the prayer of the Religious community and its individual members, I believe, depends, to a large extent, on the individual’s deep encounter with Jesus, the Living Word of God.  Dangers or temptations are always present in communal as well as personal prayers.  Some dangers or temptations in community prayer are: it becomes routinary and burdensome, or for individuals, the lack of quality time and focus, due to concerns in administration, apostolate, studies, etc.  But a constant return to the Word of God can help us focus our prayer once more on Jesus, the Living Word of God.  It is at these moments that the lectio divina, the prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture can help us.

b) Matthew 2:1-12;

Some scholars call the pericope on Jesus’ birth in Matthew 1:18-25 as  the “annunciation to Joseph,” because it has a lengthy account on the appearance of the angel to Joseph, but with only a scanty information on the birth of Jesus itself. But Matthew has a rather detailed report[14] on the visit of the magi as recounted in 2:1-12.

Magi were a caste of wise men, variously associated with interpretation of dreams, Zoroastrianism, astrology and magic.[15]  They became kings in later Christian tradition under the influence of Psalm 72:10; Isaiah 49:7; 60:10.  Deduced from the three gifts (v. 11), they were believed to be three.

For his Jewish audience, Matthew, through the story of the magi, shows that the pagan world have recognized the Messiah, Jesus the Living Word of God, who was born among them.  Matthew writes that the magi came from the East.  Viviano[16] identifies the “East” to refer to Persia, East Syria and Arabia. The Jews, represented by King Herod and all Jerusalem, however, were greatly troubled when the magi asked for the “newborn king of the Jews.”

What is more important is the significance of this story in the gospel of Matthew.  The magi were understood as representatives of the pagan world with all its racial diversity, cultural differences and religious beliefs.  The birth of Jesus drew even distant people of different races and cultures.  The birth of Jesus occasioned the journey of the magi to pay homage to Jesus.  Jesus is the object of the wise men’s adoration.  Without Jesus there would be no offering of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  The magi’s common desire to pay homage to Jesus,

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

the Living Word of God, was the unifying factor in their journey and prayer.  The Magi came to worship Jesus Christ, with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.[17]  The new born Word of God, Jesus Christ, who could not utter a single word yet, has spoken to us through his birth.  His birth was the reason for the angels’ song of praise; it led the  shepherds to praise and glorify God; it occasioned the coming together of the magi from the East to pay homage to him; and it made Mary ponder on these events.

Jesus, the Incarnate and Living Word of God, is the source of our prayer.  From eternity he came down and “pitched his tent among us,” he took on our human nature to make us children of God, so that we could also address God as “Abba.”

*Jesus the Pray-er

Jesus, as a devout Jew, certainly followed the Jewish custom of praying three times a day with his parents: in the morning, at noon, and in the evening.  He also participated in the liturgical services of his people.  Let us cite here some significant texts which show Jesus as the Pray-er.

a) Mark

Mark reports that “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he [Jesus] got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed” (1:35).  After feeding the five thousand, Jesus went up on the mountain to pray (6:46//Mt 14:23).  He must have spent the whole night in prayer for the text continues in the succeeding verse (6:48) “he [Jesus] came towards them [the disciples] early in the morning, walking on the sea” (6:48).

b) Matthew

Jesus’ prayer at Gethsemane (26:36-46//Mk 14:32-42; Lk 22:39-46) shows us that Jesus found in prayer the strength to say “yes” to the cross as the Father’s will for him.

c) Luke

Of the four evangelists, Luke has the most number of texts which portray Jesus praying, whether in solitude, or in the synagogue.  Luke reports that Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath “as was his custom” (4:16). 

Although the story of the baptism of Jesus is recorded in Mark, Matthew and Luke, for our purpose here, let us just focus on the Lucan version, because it helps us understand our present theme.  The baptism of Jesus, as narrated by Luke (3:21-22), presents to us in a nutshell Jesus’ nature and mission. 

            The Lucan version of Jesus’ baptism is unique for it relates that Jesus was baptized with the people.  In fact, Jesus was baptized after “all the people were

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

baptized” (3:21).  Luke depicts Jesus at the beginning of His ministry as being in solidarity with the people.

While Mark and Matthew narrate that the heavens were opened when Jesus came out of the water after His baptism, Luke writes that  when Jesus “had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened  and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove” (3:21-22).  For Luke, it was while Jesus was praying that the heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus.  The opening of the heaven while Jesus was praying underlines Jesus’ solidarity with God.[18]  Fitzmyer[19] rightly observes that the heavenly manifestation is linked not to Jesus’ baptism but to his prayer.  Hendrickx explains that “The heavenly manifestation should be interpreted as the answer to Jesus’ prayer…Jesus’ prayer should be understood here as a fundamental orientation to and a radical readiness for God, a readiness to hear his word and a readiness for his mission.”[20] 

Feldkämper[21]notes that Jesus’ prayer during His baptism, in Luke’s theology, is not an isolated act, but an attitude that is related to His person and mission as a whole.  Jesus’ whole activity is sustained by prayer.  His prayer mediates salvation.

Luke reports that “Now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.  But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray” (5:15f.).”  The more successful Jesus became, the more he felt the need to pray:

Jesus prays before a very serious decision.  Before he selected the twelve apostles, Jesus “went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God” (6:12).  Jesus prays that Peter’s faith may not fail (22:32).

Jesus also prays with his disciples.  He invites Peter, James and John to go up the mountain to pray.  While Jesus was praying, “the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white” (9:29).  Important things happen to Jesus when he is at prayer.  At his baptism and the transfiguration, the true nature and mission of Jesus are revealed; Jesus himself is the pray-er.

d) John

John’s prologue has shown us that Jesus came to make us God’s children and to bring all people into one to the Father.  Jesus’ prayers (11:41f.; 12:27f.) reveal his close intimacy  with the Father.  Before his passion and death, Jesus prays for his disciples (17:9) and for all those who will believe in him (17:20).

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

 

Joachim Jeremias, who made a study on the prayer life of Jesus, concludes that “We can sense from this something of the hidden inner life of Jesus, something of the source from which he daily drew his strength.”[22]

Although Jesus observed the Jewish pious practice of liturgical prayer three times a day, he also found time for solitude, for personal communion with the Father.  According to Jeremias, “Jesus’ prayer breaks the confines of religious custom, not only in the times and in the language of prayer, but above all in its content.  He has taught us to call God ‘Abba.’”[23]

Having examined some biblical texts which hopefully have helped us understand Jesus as the Pray-er, the living Word of God, let us now have a review of our life and mission as religious.

I consider this as a review because we certainly have had learned these materials during our years of formation, and even during the on-going formation of temporary as well as perpetually professed Religious.

II. Prayer of the Religious Community

* A working definition of Religious Community

Let us look back briefly on the emergence of “religious community.” Historians trace the origin of religious life to hermits or desert mothers and fathers, who went apart to practice those things which they had learned to have been ordered by the apostles throughout the body of the Church in general.  John Cassian claims that monks formed communities to see that these ideals were not just preached but lived.[24]   

As it developed, religious life appeared as a protest movement against a Church that had conformed itself too much to society at large.  According to Moloney,[25] religious life was following the model of the prophets in the Old Testament.  Prophets in the Old Testament were the living conscience of society; they interpreted the Mosaic tradition for new circumstances.[26]

“The motive for entering religious life is to follow Christ more freely and to imitate him more nearly by the practice of the evangelical counsels” (Perfectae Caritatis, 1).  The supreme law and fundamental norm for all religious life is the following of Christ as proposed by the Gospel (Perfectae Caritatis, 2).    

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

Fullenbach, explains religious life as a radical way of following Jesus Christ:

“Radicalism seems to be the key-word…The very fact that Jesus chose some among his followers to live with him on a more intimate basis set up a pattern of closer discipleship. This vocation to special discipleship is portrayed as a call to a life of sacrifice too severe to be generally acceptable (Mt 19:27; 8:19-20; Mk 10:21; Lk 9:23-24).  Religious life is a response to this call.  It distinguishes itself, therefore, from ordinary Christian life in that it involves a call to commit oneself to the concrete life style adapted by Jesus when he walked this earth.  Jesus did not make vows but he lived the content of the vows: he was poor, celibate and obedient.”[27]

I believe we have to make a distinction between a “Religious,” who vows to live the evangelical counsels, and a “Religious Community,” comprising those people who search for the Transcendent One, whom we call God, and make Him the center of that community.

The Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, Lumen Gentium, deals with the Religious only in chapter VI.  After discussing the mystery of the Church in chapter I, the Documents deals first of all on the Church as the People of God in chapter 2.  Lumen Gentium explains, “The Church shines forth as a people made one with the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”[28]  What distinguishes the Religious from the rest of the people of God is the profession of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience, commonly known as the “vows” (LG 43-44).

Here I take a broader definition of a “Religious Community,” it is a community in which Jesus Christ is the center of their life and mission.  We have to do away with exclusivism.  We have to remember that religious, who profess the three evangelical counsels and consequently said to form a religious community, are first and foremost members of a bigger Religious Community, the Church.  The religious vows are simply an intensification of our baptismal vows.  This makes it all the more imperative for the religious community to put Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, at the center of their life and mission.

            In the Acts of the Apostles (2:42), Luke tells us the four ideal pillars on which different forms of ecclesial communities are based, namely: teaching of the apostles, the communal life, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers.  Although the early Christian community described in the Acts of the Apostles did not profess the vows of obedience, poverty and chastity, their life was centered

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

 

on the teaching of the apostles, the communal life, the breaking of the bread [that is, the Holy Eucharist], and prayer.

            Jeremias explains that

“Like Jesus, the early Church breaks through the bonds of ancient Jewish custom not only in the case of the fixed times of prayer, but also in the prayers which were said at them…Both the prayers of Jesus and those of the early Church stand in the liturgical tradition…but the new life bestowed through the gospel shatters the fixed liturgical forms, especially with regard to the content of prayers…what is new is in the one word “Abba.”[29]

The third part of the final message of the Synod on the Word of God describes the Church as the “House of the Word”.  The fourth pillar of the spiritual building of the Church, the house of the Word, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, “is made up of prayers, woven from – as recalled by Saint Paul – psalms and hymns and inspired songs.”[30]

The Church…continues to keep, announce and interpret the Word of God (cf. LG 13).  Williamson explains that, “Interpretation occurs in all the ways in which the Church uses the Bible – in the liturgy, lectio divina, pastoral ministry and ecumenism.”[31]

The announcement of the Word of God should not be understood only in terms of preaching in the pulpits or during seminars.  Announcement of the Word of God is done above all in community prayer.  This is especially visible in monastic communities and cathedrals wherein the choir stalls face one another.  The community members face one another in the choir singing of the divine office.  Our Novice Mistress explained that this is so because we proclaim the Word of God to one another as we also lift up our hearts to God in prayer. 

* Prayer as Life and Mission

The gospels have shown us Jesus, the Living Word of God, as the Pray-er, one whose life and mission is one of prayer.  The Religious Community, in imitation of its Source and Inspiration, has also to be a Pray-er.  If the Religious Community has to be true to its life and mission, it has to follow the example of the Living Word of God, whose prayer has both downward and upward movements.

An Old Testament image to portray well the life and mission of the Religious Community is Moses, who lifted up his hands in prayer while the

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

 

Israelites, led by Joshua, were engaged in a battle against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-13).  In our present chaotic battle against social and moral evils in the world and even within us, we need to lift up our hands in prayer.  This is the Church’s primary duty; this is our primary duty as a religious community.  In imitation of Jesus the Pray-er, our life and mission is to be a pray-er.

As persons called by God to live the consecrated life, we, religious, have to be echoes and images (Gen 1:27) of this Living Word of God.  In his intervention during the recently concluded Word of God Synod, Fr. Antonio Pernia, Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word, said that “Religious Orders must be the hearing aid of the Church.”  He explained that religious men and women have to listen to the people, especially the poor. 

Let me add, we need also to be the voice of the people, not only in social and political issues, but also in supplications, praises and thanksgiving prayers to God.  As we bring the needs of the people to God in our prayers, we must also make the saving power of the Living Word of God incarnate through our missionary activities.

The prayer of the religious community should be a vibrant voice of the Living Word of God.   Let me explain this in three levels.  The first is on the personal level.  A religious community is composed of individual members.  The intensity of the prayer of the religious community depends on each member’s personal initiative for a personal encounter with the Living Word of God.  This flows then to the second level, the religious community.  Each individual member needs a “faith-community” to support, nourish, and promote ones’ life and mission as a pray-er.  The religious community has to be a source of strength and growth for the members’ life and mission. This then flows into the third level, the social level, that is, to the common tao in the “market places,” to the learned and influential people in the “public squares,” and to the natural world.

Saint Augustine writes that we have to exercise our desire in prayer.  Our desire must be oriented toward God.  Saint Benedict writes in his Holy Rule that a monastic is one who truly seeks God and shows eagerness for the Work of God (RB 58:7), that is, the Divine Office or the Liturgy of the Hours.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta describes it well when she said that we have to be “contemplative in the midst of the noisy world.”  Blessed Mother Teresa was actively ministering to the poorest of the poor, because she saw the face of Jesus Christ in them, without in any way neglecting her personal as well as community prayer.  On the contrary, her exposure to the realities of the life of the poorest of the poor deepened all the more her prayerful attitude.

Liberation theologians advance the thesis that religious life is a manner of living out “prophetic solidarity” with the people of God, especially the poor.  Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB writes:

 

Jesus, the Living Word of God…

“Religious life is only another way to live the gospel – not the higher way or the better way – but it is a  way that is tried and true, steeped in the scriptures and flung against the callous or uncaring agendas of the world like a comet in the sky.  Religious life is a chorus of seekers standing in the middle of an affluence that breeds poverty and a power that breeds helplessness, shouting together in unison, ‘Not enough.’”[32]

According to Martinez, “The relationship of religious life to radical discipleship is not one of appropriation, but one of charismatic service…The relationship between religious life and the radical demands of the Gospel consists in religious life being called to reveal these demands to the rest of the Church, in as much as religious life is a typical way of living Christian life.[33]

Rahner[34] is of the opinion that religious life is a way of living the eschatological and transcendental dimension of Christian life. Gutierrez[35] regard religious life as a particular “anthropological” form of Christian existence.  Religious women and men are a solemn reminder of the Beyond in the midst of the Now.[36] 

This leads us to the last section of this paper.

* Contemporary Challenges for the Religious Community

Let me illustrate the challenges facing the Religious Community today with the analogy used by Fullenbach.[37]  He compares a religious with a cat, whose basic function is to be out catching mice.  But a cat can also be a pet, especially one which looks attractive with its glossy fur.  It will purr nicely in the lap of its owner with the effect that it grows fat and lazy.  Since its needs are taken care of, why should it catch mice?  This analogy can be extended to dogs or other pet animals. 

Religious are meant to be vigilant front liners of the Church through their life and mission as pray-er.  Yet they can become like fat and lazy cats or dogs purring nicely and being a shadow of what they were meant to be.  In terms of their original vocation and mission, they have become useless.  They have become either complacent or mediocre in their prayer life that they cease to be a living voice and joyful image of the Living Word of God.

            Jesus, the Living Word of God…

 

We have a classical example in the New Testament in the person of Saint Paul on how an encounter with the Living Word of God can bring about a great transformation to one’s life.  The heavenly voice made Paul ask, “Who are you, Lord?”  From that moment on, life for Saint Paul was Jesus Christ. 

A personal encounter with the Living Word of God can make the prayer of the religious community transformative, in the personal, communal and social levels.  This personal encounter with the Living Word of God happens in many ways, but in a special way through lectio divina. 

The Final Message of the Synod Bishops section 9 paragraph 2 explains lectio divina in the form of asking questions:

lectio, what does the biblical text say in itself?

meditation, what does the biblical text say to us?

oratio, whar do we say to the Lord in answer to his word?

Contemplation, what conversion of the mind, the heart and life does the Lord ask of us? 

This contemplatio should lead to actio; our prayer should flow into an active response to the Word of God.  Fr. Phil Estrella had given us some examples of founders who actively responded to the Word of God.  May I just add Saint Anthony of Egypt who sold his properties after hearing the gospel reading in the church, “Go, sell everything you have and come follow me.”

            Does lectio divina find a place in the religious community’s daily hectic schedule?

            Does our community prayer make us a vibrant voice and joyful image of the Living Word of God?

            Does our prayer as a community help us encounter the Living Word of God? 

Is our community prayer reminding the people of God “of the Beyond in the midst of the Now?”

Years of praying as a religious community should make us appreciate how immensely great our life is and mission as pray-ers. 

How can we make the Living Word of God truly alive in our life and mission?

            Let us learn from the Virgin Mary, whose prayerful attitude made her the mother of the Living Word of God.  Let our prayer as a religious community resound the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ himself, so that the faithful who pray with us or hear our prayers can say, “Truly Jesus is alive in our midst.”  Amen.

Sr. Miriam R Alejandrino, OSB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Jesus, the Living Word of God…

Bibliography

 

Abbott, Walter M., SJ. General editor. The Documents of Vatican II. Caloocan City, Philippines: Philippine Graphic Arts, Inc., 1966.

Atherton, Mark, trans. Hildegard of Bingen: Selected Writings. London: Penguin, 2001.

Baird, Joseph L. and Radd K. Ehrman, trans. The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Barrett, C.K. The Prologue of St. John’s Gospel. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971.

Billy, Dennis, ed. The Interior Castle. The Classic Text with a Spiritual Commentary. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2007.

Brown, Raymond. The Gospel According to John (I-XII). Introduction, Translation and Notes. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1966.

Chittister, Joan. “Religious Life is still alive, but far from Promised Land,” National Catholic Reporter, February 18, 1994, 20-24.

Christian Prayer.  New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1976.

Culpepper  R.A. “The Pivot of John’s Prologue,” NTS 27 (1980) 1-31.

Dawsey, James M. “The Form and Function of the Nativity Stories in Luke,” Melita Theologica 36 (1985) 41-48.

De Mello, Anthony. Wellsprings: A Book of Spiritual Exercises. Anand, India: Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, 1984.

De Vogüé, Adalbert. “Monachisme et Eglise dans la pensée de Cassien,” in RevBen 4((1961) 219-240.

Doheny, William, ed. The Way of Prayer. Learning to Pray with Our Father. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2008.

Ellis, Peter. The Genius of John: A Composition-Critical Commentary on the Fourth Gospel. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical  Press, 1984.

Feldkämper, Ludger.  Der betende Jesus als Heilsmittler nach Lukas. St. Augustine: Steyler Verlag, 1978.

Fitzmyer, Joseph A.  The Gospel According to Luke I-IX. The Anchor Bible 28. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1981.

Fullenbach, John. Proclaiming His Kingdom. Meditations for Personal Reflection. Manila: Logos Publications, Inc., 1992.

Green, Thomas. Opening to God. A Guide to Prayer. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2006.

______. When the Well Runs Dry. Prayer Beyond the Beginnings. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2007.

            Jesus, the Living Word of God…

 

Gutierrez, Gustavo. The Truth Shall Make You Free. Confrontations. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1990.

Hamman, A. Prayer. The New Testament. Paul J. Oliny, trans. Chicago, Illinois: Franciscan Herald Press, 1971.

Hendrickx, Herman. The Third Gospel for the Third World, Volume one: Preface and Infancy Narrative (Luke 1:1-2:52). Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1996.

________. The Third Gospel for the Third World. Volume Two – A Ministry in Galilee (Luke 3:1-6:49. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1997.

Joachim Jeremias.  The Prayers of Jesus. London: SCM Press, 1967.

Kirvan, John, ed., Let Nothing Disturb You. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2007.

Leclerc, Thomas L.. Introduction to the Prophets. Their Stories, Sayings and Scrolls. New York/Mahwah, N.J.:Paulist Press, 2007.

Martinez, Felicisimo Diez. Refounding Religious Life. Charismatic Life and Prophetic Mission. Quezon City, Philippines: ICLA 2000.

Minear, Paul S. “Luke’s Use of the Birth Stories.” In Leander E. Keck and J. Louis Martyn, eds. Studies in Luke-Acts. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1966. 111-130.

Moloney, Francis J.. Disciples and Prophet., A Biblical Model for the Religious Life. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1980.

Mullan, Elder, SJ. Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius (1491-1554). Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Grand Rapids, Michigan: W.B. Erdmans Publishing Company, 1989.

Nouwen, Henry. With Open Hands. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 1972.

_______. Out of Solitude. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 1974.

_______. In the Name of Jesus. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1989.

Peers, Allison E., trans./ed. John of the Cross. Dark Night of the Soul: A Masterpiece in the Literature of Mysticism. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1959.

Permalink:http://www.zenit.org/article-24043?l=english, p. 2.

Rahner, Karl, SJ. Trans., Cecily Hasting. The Christian Commitment. Essays in Pastoral Theology. New York: Sheed and Ward Ltd., 1964.

Ramsey, Boniface, OP, trans. John Cassian: The Conferences. New York, NY/Mahwah, N.J.: Newman Press, 1997.

Schillebeecks, Edward. On Christian Faith. The Spiritual, Ethical, and Political Dimensions. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1987.

Schulz, S. Komposition und Herkunft der Johanneischen Reden. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1960.

            Jesus, the Living Word of God…

 

Starr, Mirabai, trans. Dark Night of the Soul: Saint John of the Cross. New York: Riverhead Books, 2002.

Talbert, Charles.  Reading John. A Literary and Theological Commentary of the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992.

Viviano, Benedict T., O.P. “The Gospel According to Matthew.”  in Raymond E. Brown, et al., eds. NJBC. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990. pp. 630-674.

Watson, Nicholas and Jacqueline Jenkins, eds. The Writings of Julian of Norwich. Brepols, 1996.

Williamson, Peter S. Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scriptures. A Study of the Pontifical Biblical Commission’s “The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church.” Roma: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 2001.

Winter, Paul. “The Cultural Background of the Narrative in Luke I and II,” Jewish Quarterly Review 45 (1954) 160-167; 230-242.

 

 

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] E.g., Henri Nouwen, Thomas Green, Anthony de Mello, for contemporary authors, and the great medieval mystics, like Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, Saint Gertrude, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, to mention but a few.

[2] John Fullenbach, SVD, Proclaiming His Kingdom. Meditations for Personal Reflection (Manila: Logos Publications, Inc., 1992) 103.

[3] Cf. S. Schulz, Komposition und Herkunft der Johanneischen Reden (Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1960) 7ff..; C.K. Barrett, The Prologue of St. John’s Gospel (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971) 27; R.A. Culpepper, “The Pivot of John’s Prologue,” NTS 27 (1980) 1-31.  Among those who defend the unity of the prologue are: Peter Ellis, The Genius of John: A Composition-Critical Commentary on the Fourth Gospel (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical  Press, 1984) 27; Charles Talbert,  Reading John. A Literary and Theological Commentary of the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992) 66.

 

[4] Ellis, The Genius of John, 20.

[5] Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John (I-XII). Introduction, Translation and Notes (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1966) 524.

[6] Downloaded from Permalink:http://www.zenit.org/article-24043?l=english, p. 2.

[7] Final Message of the Word of God Synod, II, 4.

[8] Matthew in 1:24-25 is very cryptic in his description of Jesus’ birth.

[9] See Herman Hendrickx, The Third Gospel for the Third World, Volume one: Preface and Infancy Narrative (Luke 1:1-2:52) (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1996) 28ff., for an evaluation of the different opinions of several scholars on this.

[10] Paul S. Minear, “Luke’s Use of the Birth Stories,” in Leander E. Keck and J. Louis Martyn, eds., Studies in Luke-Acts (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1966) 111-130.

[11] Paul Winter, “The Cultural Background of the Narrative in Luke I and II,” in Jewish Quarterly Review 45 (1954) 160-167; 230-242.

[12] James M. Dawsey, “The Form and Function of the Nativity Stories in Luke,” Melita Theologica 36 (1985) 47.

[13] This word was coined by my spiritual director during my student years in Rome, Fr. Rudi Pöhl, SVD.  He told me that hand in hand with lectio divina should be lectio di vita.

[14] The story of Jesus’ birth has only 8 verses compared to the story of the magi’s visit, which has 12 verses.

[15] Benedict T. Viviano, O.P., “The Gospel According to Matthew,” in Raymond E. Brown, et al., eds., NJBC (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990) 635.

[16] “The Gospel,” 635.

[17] See, Isaiah 60:6.11.13; Psalm 72:10-11.  Christian liturgy has given meaning to these gifts: gold for the king, frankincense for the priest, and myrrh for burial; see,  Christian Prayer (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co, 1976) 219.  

[18] Herman Hendrickx, The Third Gospel for the Third World. Volume Two – A Ministry in Galilee (Luke 3:1-6:49) (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press 1997) 66.

[19] Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke I-IX. The Anchor Bible 28 (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1981) 481.

[20] Hendrickx, The Third Gospel, 67.

[21] Ludger Feldkämper, SVD, Der betende Jesus als Heilsmittler nach Lukas (St. Augustine: Steyler Verlag, 1978) 39.

[22] Joachim Jeremias, The Prayers of Jesus (London: SCM Press, 1967) 75.

[23] The Prayers of Jesus, 76.

[24] Collationes XVIII.  See, John Cassian: The Conferences, translated by Boniface Ramsey, OP, New York, NY/Mahwah, N.J.: Newman Press, 1997) 460.  On the motivations for and the consequences of the “myth” concerning the origins of monasticism, see Adalbert de Vogüé, “Monachisme et Eglise dans la pensée de Cassien,” in Aubier (1961) 219-240.

[25] Francis J. Moloney, Disciples and Prophets, A Biblical Model for the Religious Life (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1980)  40.

[26] Thomas L. Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets. Their Stories, Sayings and Scrolls (New York/Mahwah, N.J.:Paulist Press) 65-69.

[27] Proclaiming His Kingdom,  130.

[28] Lumen Gentium no. 4, quoted from Walter M. Abbott, SJ, general editor, The Documents of Vatican II (Caloocan City, Philippines: Philippine Graphic Arts, Inc., 1966) 17.  The arrangement of the chapters of this Document shows a shift in paradigm of the theology of the Church; the first chapter on “The Mystery of the Church” is followed by the chapter on “The People of God.”  Only in chapter 6 does the Document deal on the “The Religious.”

[29] Prayers of Jesus, 79ff.

[30] Final Message of the Synod on the Word of God, III.9.

[31] Peter S. Williamson, Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scriptures. A Study of the Pontifical Biblical Commission’s “The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church” (Roma: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 2001) 346.

[32] Joan Chittister, “Religious Life is still alive, but far from Promised Land,” National Catholic Reporter, February 18, 1994, 20.

[33] Felicisimo Diez Martinez, OP, Refounding Religious Life. Charismatic Life and Prophetic Mission (Quezon City, Philippines: ICLA 2000) 56-57.

[34] Karl Rahner, SJ, The Christian Commitment. Essays in Pastoral Theology, trans., Cecily Hastings (New York: Sheed and Ward Ltd., 1964) 150f.

[35] Gustavo Gutierrez, The Truth Shall Make You Free. Confrontations (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1990) 57.

[36] Edward Schillebeeckx, On Christian Faith. The Spiritual, Ethical, and Political Dimensions (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1987) 11.

[37] Proclaiming his Kingdom, 138.

 

=========================

 

 

Breaking the Word in the Church of the Poor

Sr. Miriam Alejandrino, OSB

Sr. Miriam Alejandrino, OSB

(The full text of the talk of Sr. Miriam during the Symposium in Makati last July 21, 2008 with the theme Word and Life, sponsored by the Don Bosco Center for Studies on the occasion of their silver jubilee. There were four speakers: Bishop Pabillo on the coming Synod of Bishops on the Word of God; Fr. Ska, SJ, her professor at the Biblicum, on the Torah in the Covenanted Israel; Fr. Gil Alinsangan, SSP, on Paul’s preaching in the Early Church, Sr. Miriam on Breaking the Word in the Church of the Poor.

The one-day symposium (8:45a.m. to 4:30p.m.) was held at the Don Bosco Church in Makati, which has a capacity of 1,000 people. The Church was full to its capacity with so many lay men and women, Nuns and Sisters, priests and seminarians, 2 bishops and Archbishop Arguelles).

 

 

 

 

 

Preliminaries

While at Dau, Pampanga last May 21, 2008 waiting for a bus for Vigan, I received a phone call from Fr. Francis Gustilo. With all the noise around, I heard Fr. Francis asking me to give a talk on Breaking the Word for the Poor on July 31, 2008. The topic was for me not only interesting but also challenging. I told myself that this is a very relevant topic for our time, so I accepted. Later when I met Fr. Gil Alinsangan in Vigan, he told me that the date is July 21^st. I saw the significance of this date during the homily of Fr. Manny Domingo at Holy Mass this morning; he said that today July 21^st, we commemorate the feast of Saint Laurence of Brindisi, a saint noted for his “devotion to Sacred Scriptures and great sensitivity to the needs of the people.” This is what we are trying to do in this symposium. We are here today for this Theological Symposium on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee Year of Don Bosco Center of Studies. But this symposium is an expression of our devotion to the Word of God and our sensitivity to the needs of the people.

The topics in this symposium are indeed well-selected and arranged. The talk of Bishop Roderick Pabillo on the Instrumentis Laboris of the coming Synod served as the “moving spirit” of this symposium. The topics then moved from a general background from the Old Testament with Fr. Jean Louis Ska’s presentation on the role of the Torah in the covenanted community of Israel, to Paul’s preaching in the early Church, which was expounded well by Fr. Gil Alinsangan. My task now is to share to you the significance so far of the Word of God in the Philippine Church, especially among the poor.

As I prepared this conference, the lines from Isaiah keep on ringing in my heart, “Oh, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money come” (Isaiah 55:1).[1] God is inviting us to echo His words to the Church of the poor. Bishop Pabillo has given us the different nuances of “Word of God.” In this paper, “Word of God” has a specific reference to the written Word of God, the Bible.

This paper is primarily a reflection on the various ways of breaking the Word of God in the Church of the poor, who thirst for the Bible, the wellspring of God’s Word. For this purpose, our presentation is divided into:

 

I. Hermeneutical presuppositions

II. Hermeneutical spaces

III. Reading the Bible with the Church of the Poor: Some Approaches

IV. Hermeneutical Reflection

The presentation proceeds from general observations to a survey of some ways of breaking the Word of God in the Church of the poor and concludes with a reflection on our role as persons commissioned to break the Word of God to the people of God.

Hermeneutical Presuppositions:

First, the Church of the poor referred to here is not only those who are economically poor but also those who have little or no basic knowledge at all about the Bible. I consider them the present-day anawim, those who hunger and thirst for the Word of God.

Breaking the Word of God in the Church of the Poor suggests that there should be an interpreter of the Word for the poor. Normally, we say that the interpreter has to be an expert of the Bible. They are usually called the exegetes. However, from my pastoral ministry and teaching experience, I saw that this should not be the case. This will become clearer as we go on.

This brings me to my second hermeneutical presupposition: breaking the Word of God in the Church of the poor has to be dialogical;[2] it needs a listening attitude, listening to the Word of God and listening to one another. In helping the poor read and interpret the Word of God, the exegete runs the risk of dominating the poor with his/her knowledge and so leading them to read the Bible through the eyes of the “expert.” Carlos Mesters claims that, “If this happens, the interpreter is preventing the people from possessing the Word of God as their own…The interpreter must be convinced that, in the interpretation of the Bible, the action of the ‘Spirit’ is as important as the study of the ‘letter.’”[3] For this reason, it is imperative that one prays to the Holy Spirit before reading or studying the Bible. The Bible is not an ordinary book, we have here divine as well as human authors. Thus, the guidance of the Holy Spirit is very important in this task of interpreting the Word of God.

When I asked Fr. Ska during our convention at Tagaytay the past days on how to interpret the Word of God for the poor, he quoted Rumberto Eco, (1) Respect the intention of the text, (2) Dialogue with other interpretations of experts, discuss with others, because there should be no monopoly of interpretation. Fr. Ska added with a third criterion: (3) Read the text with other people in the community. Interpretation should not threaten the community, rather it should help the community grow.

Saint Paul provides me the third hermeneutical principle, I quote, “To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.” (1Cor 9:22-23). Saint Paul sets an example on how to bring the Word of God to the poor. I call this “immersion with the people.” The last phrase, “so that I may share in its blessings,” is beautifully expressed in the Greek, hina sugkoinwnos autou genwmai, literally, “in order that I may become a joint partaker of it [the gospel]. Saint Paul does not consider himself above the gospel, but he sees himself as one who shares the gospel with the weak so that he may become a joint partaker in its blessings.

In breaking the Word of God for the poor, we have to exhaust every possible ways and means by which the Word of God becomes available to them. “Access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful.”[4]

II. Hermeneutical Spaces[5]

Pablo Richard defines the hermeneutical space as the “institutional place, where a specific interpretive subject gets its identity, proper to that place and different from any other subject. This space makes a certain interpretation of the Bible proper to that place and different from those other interpretations made in other hermeneutical places.”[6]

. In his major paper presented during the Seventh Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation, held at Dar es Salaam last June 24 to July 3, 2008, Ralf Huning, SVD,[7] claims that “In the Catholic Church there is the liturgical-institutional space, in which the Faith of the tradition is the key to the interpretation of the Bible; the academic space, in which interpretation is particularly focused on the text itself, its origin and its structures; and the community space, in which access to the text is found through the life and faith experiences of interpreters. He visualizes the relationship of these spaces through the following diagram:

The diagram above shows that the interpretation of the Bible in the Church should not take place in a single hermeneutical realm; text, life situation and faith have to come into a dialogue. According to Carlos Mesters, these are “three forces which come into operation when we try to explain the Bible to the people: the force of the particular problem burdening the people’s lives, the force of the scientific investigation carried out by exegesis, which questions established certainties, and the force of the Church’s faith awakening in the ‘memory’ of Christians.”[8]

In the liturgy, where “Christ is present in His word since it is Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church,”[9] Christ enters into a dialogue with women and men to lead them to salvation. The liturgy is like a spring of water gushing up to eternal life (John 4:14). The faith of the Church expressed in the liturgy (lex orandi lex credendi) is the particular vision with which Christians approach the Bible, seeking in it a dialogue with God.

In the liturgical-institutional space, the “pure and lasting fount of spiritual life,” the Word of God (Dei Verbum, 21) is guarded and transmitted. As a solicitous Mother, the Church through its Magisterium “discharges this function within the koinonia of the Body, expressing officially the faith of the Church, as a service to the Church; to this end it consults theologians, exegetes and other experts, whose legitimate liberty it recognizes and with whom it remains united by reciprocal relationship in the common goal of ‘preserving the people of God in the truth which sets them free.’”[10]

This leads us to the academic realm. The Vatican II document Dei Verbum, 22, acknowledges the important task of translation of the biblical text into modern languages. This requires doing justice both to the original text and also to the readers of this text in the various translations. Here the close connection between the academic realm and the community realm comes to light. As a translator, the biblical scholar must at the same time be an advocate of the text and of the reader of today. Through this translation work, the biblical scholar must on the one hand contribute to making the text received and respected in itself but on the other hand, through this same translation work, the biblical scholar must bridge the distance between the time of the biblical text and the time of the present readers. This double duty can only be fulfilled if the exegete/translator is familiar not only with the biblical text but also with the life-realities of its recipients. For this reason, participation in the life of the interpretation community is an indispensable presupposition for the work of biblical scholarship.[11] For a correct understanding of the biblical text, the Pontifical Biblical Commission underlines the fact that “The interpretation of Sacred Scripture requires full participation on the part of the exegetes in the life and faith of the believing community of their own time…dialogue with the understanding of the faith prevailing in earlier times must be matched by a dialogue with the generation of today.”[12]

The third hermeneutical space, community realm, is acknowledged by the Pontifical Biblical Commission when it describes the roles of various members of the Church in biblical interpretation because “The Scriptures, as given to the Church, are the communal treasure of the entire body of believers.”[14]

According to the Pontifical Biblical Commission, “There is reason to rejoice in seeing the Bible in the hands of people of lowly condition and of the poor; they can bring to its interpretation and to it actualization a light more penetrating, from the spiritual and existential point of view, than that which comes from a learning that relies upon its own resources alone (cf. Matt 11:25).”[15] This Document is an important milestone with respect to the appreciation of the interpretive competence of the poor. This indeed poses a challenge to a long time presupposition that the subjects in the academic and liturgical- institutional realms are the “educated class” who are the only capable people to break the Word of God to the poor. The Document insures that the community realm, the life situation of the poor, is listened to in the interpretation of the Bible in the Church.

The re-discovery of the community space took place not in countries where scientific scholarship has become a way of life, but rather among the poor, who, because of a basic lack of specialized training have at their disposal only a kind of “wisdom knowledge” as a medium of access to the Bible.[16]

Carlos Mesters has pointed out the danger of doing violence to reality when in the past “exegesis got the upper hand, took over interpretation, and the other functions were left behind. Faith and life were left without any particular function, more or less subordinate to scientific exegesis…If we separate them [text, life-situation and faith], we destroy the correct use of the Bible and prevent the manifestation of the liberating power of the Word of God.”[17]

According to the Pontifical Biblical Commission, it is the task of those engaged in the biblical apostolate “to make known the Bible as the Word of God and source of life.”[18] The first step to carry on this task is to “promote the translation of the Bible into every kind of language and seeks to spread these translations as widely as possible.”[19]

After the Second Vatican Council, the Bible has become the most translated book in the world.[20] Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Philippine Catholic Church with the Philippine Bible Society and the Summer Institute for Linguistics, the Bible has been translated into major languages and in 48 minor languages.[21]

To a certain degree, the Word of God has been made available to the Christian faithful through translations in the modern languages and sold at an affordable price.

Bishop Pabillo had mentioned earlier the joint project of Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate (ECBA) and the Philippine BIBLE Society to distribute 5 million copies of the Bible within five years at a subsidized price. Hopefully within five years, the Bible becomes accessible to our people.

I know of a group in the Diocese of Iba, Zambales engaged in the biblical apostolate who distributed free Bibles to the inmates in Iba.

To distribute Bible to the people is not enough, we have to aid them how to read, study and pray the Bible. It is our task to break the Word of God in the Church of the poor. This is discussed in the next section, Reading the Bible in the Church of the poor: some approaches.

III. Reading the Bible in the Church of the Poor: Some Approaches

Where and when do we break the Word of God for the poor? I would say, whenever an opportunity presents itself, we should take that as kairos, the opportune time to break the Word of God. It can be during a casual conversation with an aggrieved person or during a family or community meeting.

How do we break the Word of God for the poor? Here let us discuss some approaches. To avoid the impression that the approaches enumerated below are arranged according to the order of importance, we present them in alphabetical order.

1. Basic Bible Seminar

The idea of a Basic Bible Seminar was the fruit of a collaborative effort of a Filipina Benedictine Sister, Sr. Henrietta Sebastian, OSB, of happy memories and Fr. Ludger Feldkämper, SVD, a German missionary then teaching at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology in Vigan. Fr. Ludger had just finished his doctoral studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. To assure continuity of the biblical apostolate, he founded, with Sr. Henrietta as collaborator and with the moral and financial support of the Society of the Divine Word, the first regional biblical center in the Philippines, the John Paul I Biblical Center. Sr. Henrietta conceived of the idea to conduct a seminar that would appeal to the grassroots and get them to love and read the Word of God. Fr. Ludger then wrote four main conferences, namely: (1) the Bible as a book; (2) Approaches to the Bible; (3) the Bible as the Word of God; (4) Response to the Word of God. After its completion on July 11, 1980, it was given to Parish Core Teams in the Dioceses of Lingayen-Dagupan, Bangued, Iba, Laoag, Manila, Calapan, Nueva Segovia, Surigao, Imus, and Davao. The Parish Core Teams in turn echoed it in their respective parishes.

BBS - TAHANANG WALANG HAGDANAN - VIGAN

For the past 27 years the Basic Bible Seminar (BBS) has been given to countless individuals and communities, especially to the grassroots all over the Philippines. The BBS as it is popularly known has reached far beyond the confines of Northern Philippines and is presently being offered in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, India, Hongkong, Mainland China, Papua New Guinea, American Samoa, Australia, Singapore, Italy, Germany, Russia and in Zaire among others. As a consequence, the Basic Bible Seminar handbook has been translated into a number of foreign languages. On the occasion of the silver jubilee of the John Paul I Biblical Center last 2006, they came out with an updated silver edition.

In some parishes, BBS is a prerequisite for one to become a member of a Basic Ecclesial Community. The BBS has served to bring the Word of God to the daily life of the people, giving it a place of honor in the hearts of men and women, especially the family.

The BBS kit includes some methods for group bible sharing. The first method they had made was the so-called 3Rs method, because there are three rounds of reading and sharing, with intervals of silence. After an opening prayer to the Holy Spirit follows the first reading, then sharing of the word or phrase that strikes a person. After the second reading, each member of the group shares why she/he chose that particular word or phrase. The third reading is followed by a prayer by each member in the group.Another method that developed in the Southern part of Mindanao is given the acronym REAP: Read, Experience sharing, Action Reflection, Prayer.

2. Bible for every family

2001 was declared by the late Pope John Paul II as the year of family. The thrust of the Philippine Church then was for every family to gather around the Word of God.

As an example let me cite the parish of Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro, where the catechists and pastoral leaders had campaigned with the slogan “Bible for every family.” One of our sisters who was the Pastoral Animator of the parish made a module for this. With modern media as our competitor, it was not an easy task to gather together the family around the Word of God. Families in the Philippines have set up their own “tabernacle,” a television. They spen most of their time watching the television rather than reading the Bible with the members of their family. To bring the Bible to every family needs much patience and perseverance. Little successes can serve as inspirations to go on. We just try our best and leave the rest to God.

 

When I entered the monastery in 1975, I came to learn about the Focolare movement because as postulants we joined the Mariapolis in Baguio. There I learned about the efforts of Chiara Lubich, who ignited hope to those who suffered from the effects of the Second World War by reading to them the Word of God. The testimonies of parents, adults and children during the Mariapolis on how they were touched by the Word of God were like trumpets announcing the good news of salvation.

Recently in the Philippines, we are blessed to have Miss Elvira Go who initiated the National Catholic Family Bible Quiz in 2004, with the aim of strengthening families around the Word of God. The sharing of the families who joined the Family Bible Quiz are again testimonies of the power of God to touch lives and transform them. With a team, Miss Elvira Go has brought this Catholic Family Bible Quiz to Rome, Trent and Florence, among others.

3. Bibliodrama

In his foreword to the second edition of Talitha Kumi – Dance!, Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon and Chairman of ECBA, writes: “Bibliodrama proved to be a very effective tool in bringing the message of the Bible to our people…ECBA adopts and promotes Bibliodrama as one of its official methods of spreading the riches of the Word of God to all Christians – not only in our country but throughout Asia, Oceania, and the rest of the world.”[22]

In 1998, Fr. Rudi Pöhl, SVD from Italy came to the Philippines to introduce Bibliodrama in our country. Our community in Vigan, Ilocos Sur was one of the communities who had Bibliodrama with Fr. Rudi. Since then, bibliodrama continues to be conducted in different parts of the country through Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVD, Secretary of ECBA, Miss Joy Candelario from Las Piñas City and graduates of Bibliodrama Facilitators’ Seminar. Fr. Oscar had conducted Bibliodrama workshops in Indonesia and Zambia. Sr. Cecile Lanas, OSB, and yours truly had so far conducted 5 Bibliodrama workshop, the latest of which was last July 14 to 16 at the Regional Major Seminary in Mindanao for the pre-theologians.

BIBLIODRAMA SEMINAR CEAP BSEK VIGAN

Bibliodrama originated from Europe some thirty years ago and it is now widely used in the biblical apostolate in Asia and Oceania. Bishop Bastes explains that “Bibliodrama has a special attraction to us Asians because of the element of drama, a word that connotes action and playful involvement. Filipinos in particular are fond of ‘dramas’…Bibliodrama brings action and playful involvement in biblical texts through dance, music and body language in order to relate our experiences and life perspectives with the message of God’s Word. In short, Bibliodrama is a method of internalizing the Word of God in one’s active life.”[23]

Biblio is faith experience. In Bibliodrama, the Word of God confronts the person so that his/her personal history becomes for him/her salvation history. Drama denotes action. The drama happens within the person as he/she experiences the Word of God physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially. Bibliodrama is not a dramatization of a biblical text for others to see. Rather, bibliodrama is an intensive confrontation with a biblical text in which the participants come to know better themselves and their world by trying to discover themselves and the world in which they live in and through the biblical text.

With the help of a facilitator, the group tries to enter into a biblical text through conversations, interviews, gestures and acting taking into account one’s social situation and culture. Each participant eventually finds a particular place in the biblical narrative. In this way, a personal relationship with a biblical character is developed, the depths and actuality of the text are discovered and the text becomes alive. Thus, a spiritual process starts, a process in which the participants through sharing of reflection on a biblical passage and about how they see themselves in the biblical narrative, they become more conscious of their faith that they want to grow in and develop. Bibliodrama is a clarifying process in which the personal history of each participant, the common history of the group and the faith tradition are clarified through their interaction and background of the biblical text. This multidimensional activity/process helps to discover and experience the spiritual power of biblical wisdom; it also helps to dissolve blocks of a distorted faith tradition, e.g., a false image of God.

A creative process follows in which the participants are changed, allowing new life to emerge. The impact of Bibliodrama depends on a holistic approach, a process which draws its spiritual power from listening to the Word of God with ears, heart, hands and intellect. In this way, the Word of God can bring about an inner transformation and create a spiritual fertility by giving life and passing the richness of the Word of God to others.

One of the in-puts during the Bibliodrama is for individual lectio divina, with the following steps: lectio, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio, and actio. This is meant for a personal encounter with the Word of God.

4. Lumko Method

This method originated from South America which was brought into the Philippines in the early seventies. It makes use of the method “stop, look and listen.” The Bible group sharing opens with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, followed by the reading of the chosen biblical text. The group pauses to pray. Then the participants look at the realities around them and try to listen to what God is telling them in their particular situation. The group then makes a common plan of action how the biblical message can be applied to the realities around them.

5. Mass Media: Radio, TV, Movies, Internet, Cellphone

Mass Media to some extent has corrupted the values of the faithful, especially our young people today. Distorted mass media poses a challenge to the spread of the Word of God. Thus, we are called upon to also make use of the mass media to bring the biblical message to the faithful. The Pauline Family specialize in this field of apostolate and they have excellent projects in promoting biblical apostolate. ECBA has recently launched the Bible Anime, a commentary on the Sunday gospel available through the cellphone.

One of the requirements in my courses on the Pentateuch and Johannine literature with the Redemptorist seminarians was a creative proclamation of the Word of God. One group explained the book of Exodus through a talk show, another presented a Broadway drama of the Joseph stories, and another presented the stories in the book of Revelation through contemporary songs, which were well received. At first they presented with the formators as audience. The formators found them effective ways of evangelization so they had it presented with the parishioners as audience. The presentations were well received and appreciated by the people.

6. Music and Art

In the late 80’s at Vigan and Abra, Fr. Ludger Feldkämper, SVD and Fr. Wim Wijtten, SVD started a biblical festival for the youth entitled Hearts of Fire. It was a one day affair for students of private as well as public schools in Vigan and Abra wherein there is Bible quiz and contest on composition and singing of original Bible songs. It has become an annual event, which was duplicated by the Diocese of San Fernando, La Union. This gathering is a venue not only to discover talents of the youth, but above all to awaken in them love for the Word of God. It also creates community spirit.

For the past three years, I have been involved in the summer courses offered by the Word Alive Biblical Institute (WABI), a project of the John Paul I Biblical Center for pastoral workers. Last summer, I had a student who related how his encounter with the Word of God through a former graduate of WABI has changed his life. Now he ministers to out of school youth and the “tambays” along the streets through music. He starts by just singing with them, then slowly opening the Word of God through biblical songs. He also applied familiar melodies, like Leronleron Sinta, to biblical stories, like the creation, making it easier for children to memorize the biblical stories.

One thing I learned from a Pakistan priest working actively in the biblical apostolate in Pakistan was telling Bible stories via banner making. He found this method effective for both lettered and unlettered persons. He said banner making is an easy way of Bible catechesis, to relive Bible stories. This method is especially helpful for those who cannot read. One reads aloud the selected Bible story until the participants have become familiar with the story. Then you can give the participants banner cloth pieces and other materials for them to tell the story through banner making. This methods aims to make the Bible story become a living experience of the participants.

7. Tricycles with biblical passages

One of the things which impressed me so much when I was in Tagbilaran, Bohol was their tricycles with biblical passages on it. I learned that there was a City Ordinance that required tricycle operators to have biblical passages on their tricycles so as to do away with indecent posters. This is a good way of familiarizing the public with the Bible, a way of influencing the mindsets of our people.

The list does not presume to be exhaustive. These are some of the possible ways of breaking the Word of God in the Church of the poor. You may have other ways in mind, but let me conclude this exposition with a hermeneutical reflection.

 

Hermeneutical reflection

The era after the Second Vatican Council saw a vibrant biblical renewal in the Philippine Church, especially with the birth of regional biblical centers from the north to the south. Great efforts are being exerted to bring the Word of God to the people, yet much still needs to be done so that the transforming power of the Word of God may be felt in all sectors of the Philippine society.

Looking at the present Philippine situation, one may ask the question, “Is there hope that breaking the Word of God in the Church of the poor can transform us and our society?” Of course, there is. As Christians, we should have always hope. The Word of God gives us the hope: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out fro my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

BEC BIBLES

Our experiences in the biblical apostolate may tell us that this growth of the Word of God in the hearts and lives of the people (or it could be even in our own life?) is hardly visible. Worldly values seem to have overpowered the Word of God. What has happened? What causes this imbalance?

Based on his experiences in Latin America Carlos Mesters observes that, “What we really lack is the ability to integrate the study of the Bible into the community’s faith-life and into the life-situation of the people; we are going to have to develop this skill if we are going to enable the text to recover a life and reveal a meaning to us.”[24] That observation, I believe, applies also to the Philippine situation. But let me add, integration of the biblical message into the community’s faith-life and into the life-situation of the people also presupposes openness on the part of the recipients of the biblical message; this includes the interpreter of the biblical text. Thus, a listening attitude for all readers and interpreters of the Word of God is important as we break the Word of God together.

During our convention at Tagaytay last week, I asked Fr. Ska how we can bring the fruits of our scientific exegesis to the poor. His reply was in the form of an analogy. He explained that in exegesis, we provide a kitchen to the people and it is up to them to prepare the dish. This for me creates another problem in the Philippine situation. Let me cite an example: last summer we conducted a Basic Bible Seminar for the Aetas in our neighborhood at Tectec, San Felipe, Zambales. We gave free Bibles to some participants. Yet two or three could not read because they had no eyeglasses. In the Philippines, we provide not only a kitchen but also the food to be prepared. The Bible still needs a pair of eyeglasses for the participants to read the Word of God.

Bishop Pabillio mentioned this morning lack of zeal for preaching as one of the difficulties in the biblical apostolate. We know very well that preaching is one of the main tasks of our bishops and priests. Sad to say, I met also priests who are indifferent to the biblical apostolate. Since they are part of the problem, they have to be part of the solution. Bishop Pabillio did not mention religious nuns and sisters and the lay people as part of the problem in the biblical apostolate. We may not be a part of the problem but let us be part of the solution. Together let us break the Word of God for and with the people of God.

Obstacles and difficulties are inevitable as we break the Word of God in the Church of the poor, but let us not grow weary and give up. Like Saint Paul, let us “press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14). May the prayer of our Blessed Mother Mary, the perfect model of a listener and doer of the Word of God, help us in our task of breaking the Word of God for the poor so that the Philippines may become a truly Christian country in words and deeds. Amen.

 

Thank you.

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[1] The Scriptural quotations in this paper are from the New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition,1993.

[2] See, Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her. A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins (Crossroad: New York, 1983) 5, proposes the model of “dialogical-hermeneutical interpretation,” which takes seriously the historical methods while at the same time reflecting on the interaction between text and community, or text and interpreter.

[3] Carlos Mesters, Defenseless Flower. A New Reading of the Bible (Orbis Books: Maryknoll, New York; Catholic Institute for International Relations: London, 1989) 46; translated from the Portuguese by Francis McDonagh. Orginally published as Flor Sem Defesa: Uma Explicaçāo da Biblia a Partir do Povo (Editora Vozes Ltda.: Petrópolis, Brazil, 1983.

[4] Dei Verbum, 22, quoted from Austin Flannery, O.P. ed., Vatican Council II. The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (Costello Publishing Company: Northport, New York, 1975) 762.

[5] The term was used by P. Richard, “Word of God – Source of Life and Hope for the New Millenium,” Bulletin Dei Verbum 50 (1999) 4-10.

[6] Richard, Bulletin Dei Verbum 50 (1999) 6.

[7] Ralf Huning, SVD, “A Dialogical Reading of the Sermon on the Mount…In Search for Reconciliation, Justice and Peace,” unpublished manuscript.

[8] Mesters, Defenseless Flower, 106-107.

[9] Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7.

[10] Pontifical Biblical Commission, Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico: Roma, 1995) 155. Citation in the text is from the CDF, Instruction Concerning the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian, 21.

[11] Ralf Huning, Bibelwissenschaft im Dienste popularer Bibellektüre. Bausteine einer Theorie der Bibellektüre aus dem Werk von Carlos Mesters, SBB 54 (Stuttgart, 2005) 238-240.

[12] Pontifical Biblical Commission, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 141.

[13] Pontifical Biblical Commission, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 150-155.

[14] Pontifical Biblical Commission, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 150.

[15] Pontifical Biblical Commission, Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 185.

[16] This originated from Latin America, especially with the work of the so-called “liberation theologians;” see, Ralf Huning, Bibelwissenschaft, 240.

[17] Mesters, Defenseless Flower, 108-109.

[18] Pontifical Biblical Commission, Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 185.

[19] Pontifical Biblical Commission, Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 185.

[20] Based on the United Bible Society World Report, February 14, 2006, the whole Bible, Old and New Testament, has been translated and printed into 426 languages. The New Testament has been translated into 1,115 languages. Portions of the Bible are translated into another 862 languages. Some parts of the Bible can be read in 2,403 languages.

[21] This information was furnished by Mrs. Sarah Jacobson of SIL during our trip together to Cagayan de Oro City last February 11, 2008 to attend the National Bible Workshop.

[22] Fr. Rudi Pöhl, SVD and Sr. Maria Illich, SSpS, Talitha Kumi – Dance! Bridging Cultures and the Word of God. Bibliodrama Volume II (Logos Publications, Inc.: Manila, 2005) ix.

[23] Pöhl and Illich, Talitha Kumi – Dance!, ix.

[24] Mesters, Defenseless Flower, 110.