The Synod on the Word of God has finished its first stage, and now participants will work in small groups preparing propositions they will present to Pope Benedict XVI on October 25.
These discussions on key topics follow eight days of interventions participants delivered on aspects of the theme "The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church."
The interventions began on Oct. 7 after a keynote speech, papal address and continent reports the previous day.
No general sessions were held on Sunday Oct. 12.
Most of the 253 participants, the Synod Fathers, are bishops from more than 100 countries, 41 of them prelates from Asia.
More than 200 made interventions -- bishops, Religious, lay men and women, a Jewish rabbi and representatives of main Christian denominations. The Vatican published summaries.
The interventions, limited to five minutes, addressed topics such as the meaning of the expression "Word of God" and the need to interpret Scripture within the Church community to avoid fundamentalism.
From the Philippines, Bishop Louis Tagle of Imus spoke of the importance of listening to God's Word, while Oblate Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato touched on the role of Scripture in basic ecclesial communities and among the poor.
Speakers raised questions about the sometimes tense relationship between exegesis and theology. Pope Benedict's intervention on this subject is yet to be published, but he suggested it could serve as the framework for a proposition. Some raised the question of what the Bible's inerrancy means.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec had identified the synod's goal as primarily pastoral in his keynote speech, and many interventions dealt with practical matters, such as the need for bibles in various languages.
Archbishop John Ha Tiong Hock of Kuching, Malaysia, was among those who called for better biblical education of future priests. The need to improve homilies also came up several times. Others called for a revision of the lectionary.
Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar, Sri Lanka, was one of many who spoke about Lectio Divina, a prayerful way of reading Scripture, which Pope Benedict said could lead to "a new spiritual springtime" throughout the Church.
Participants acknowledged they are keen to promote the ancient monastic practice but admitted they know little about it. Reviving it, as some communities have done, is expected to be among the recommendations submitted to the pope.
Several participants including Bishop Felix Toppo of Dumka, India, emphasized Scripture as the common basis for Catholics and other Christians on the road to unity. Some, though fewer, wondered about the relation of the Word of God to holy books and wisdom literature of other religions.
Among them was Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong.
Closing the synod's first stage on Oct. 15, Canadian Cardinal Ouellet, officially the synod relator, presented his report to the plenary assembly. The report synthesizes main ideas and proposals that have surfaced for discussion in the working groups.
It ends with 19 discussion questions for the groups, but the cardinal notes these are not exhaustive and the groups are free to examine other questions.
------
Discussion questions:
1. How does one enable the faithful to better understand that the Word of God is Christ, the Word of God Incarnate? How does one deepen the dialogical dimension of Revelation in theology, and in Church practice?
2. What implications follow from the fact that the liturgical celebration is the origin and summit of the Word of God?
3. How does one educate for a "live hearing" of the Word of God in the Church and for all people and all levels of society?
4. How to train people for Lectio Divina?
5. Should one produce a compendium to help homilists better serve the Word of God?
6. Should we review the lectionary and change the Old Testament readings?
7. What place and what importance should one give to the ministry of the Word of God?
8. How can one grasp better the intrinsic link between the Eucharist and the Word of God?
9. What means should we use for the translation and distribution of the Bible among the greatest possible number of cultures, in particular among the poor?
10. How does one heal the relation and stimulate collaboration between exegetes, theologians and pastors?
11. How can one deepen the sense of Scripture and its interpretation, with respect and balance, between the letter, the Spirit, the living tradition and the magisterium of the Church?
12. What do you think of a World Congress on the Word of God promoted by the magisterium of the Church?
13. How can one profitably develop the search for the unity of Christians and the dialogue with the Jews around the Word of God?
14. What does one mean by biblical animation of all pastoral work?
15. What questions merit a more detailed treatment on the part of the magisterium of the Church? (Inerrancy, Pneumatology, the relation Inspiration-Scripture-Tradition-Magisterium)
16. How to reconcile the practice of interreligious dialogue and the dogmatic affirmation regarding Christ as the unique mediator?
17. How to cultivate knowledge of the Word of God by ways other than the biblical text? (Art, poetry, Internet, etc.)
18. What philosophical formation is needed to understand well and interpret the Word of God and the Sacred Scriptures?
19. What criteria of interpretation of the Word of God ensure an authentic inculturation of the Gospel message?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce
(Source: UCAN)