Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The Synod of Bishops forcefully reaffirmed the need within the Church for a revival of the missionary consciousness present in the People of God from the beginning...Consequently, the Church’s mission cannot be considered as an optional or supplementary element in her life...It is the word itself which impels us towards our brothers and sisters: it is the word which illuminates, purifies, converts; we are only its servants. We need, then, to discover ever anew the urgency and the beauty of the proclamation of the word for the coming of the Kingdom of God which Christ himself preached...The Church, as a mystery of communion, is thus entirely missionary, and everyone, according to his or her proper state in life, is called to give an incisive contribution to the proclamation of Christ” (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, 92-94). These are some of the passages found in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini by the Holy Father Benedict XVI “on the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church,” dated September 30, 2010. The Exhortation is a compilation of the fruits of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops held at the Vatican in October 2008.
The aims of the Exhortation, according to a statement by Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, during a press conference, are multiple: to communicate the results of the Synod Assembly, rediscover the Word of God as the source of constant renewal of the Church, to promote the biblical animation of pastoral and biblical formation for all the faithful; witness to the Word; continue, with renewed enthusiasm, the missio ad gentes and engage with all our strength in the new evangelization; promote ecumenical dialogue; love the Word of God more and more.
As for its structure, the Apostolic Exhortation is divided into 3 parts, which are subsequently divided into several chapters. They are inspired by the Prologue of the Gospel of St. John. The first part, entitled “Verbum Dei,” “highlights both the fundamental role of God the Father, source and origin of the Word, and the Trinitarian dimension of revelation.” It is divided into 3 chapters: The God Who Speaks; Our Response to the God Who Speaks; The Interpretation of Sacred Scripture in the Church.
The second part is entitled “Verbum in Ecclesia, and it “highlights that, by Divine Providence, the Church is the house of the Word of God that receives the Word made flesh that has pitched his tent among us (cf. Jn 1:14).” This part is also divided into 3 chapters: The Word of God and the Church; The Liturgy, Privileged Setting for the Word of God; The Word of God in the Life of the Church.
The third part, which is entitled “Verbum Mundo,” “draws attention to the duty of Christians to announce the Word of God in the world in which they live and work.” It is divided into 4 chapters: The Church’s Mission: To Proclaim the Word of God to the World; The Word of God and Commitment in the World; The Word of God and Culture; The Word of God and Interreligious Dialogue.
In the Conclusion, the Holy Father Benedict XVI exhorts all Christians to “become increasingly familiar with the sacred Scriptures” (VD, 121). The Word of God leads us to the mission, as the example of St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, demonstrates. “In our day too, the Holy Spirit constantly calls convinced and persuasive hearers and preachers of the word of the Lord” (VD, 122). They are called to be “credible heralds of the word of salvation before the world,” transmitting “the source of true joy...born of the awareness that the Lord Jesus alone has words of everlasting life (cf. Jn 6:68)” (VD, 123). “This close relationship between God’s word and joy is evident in the Mother of God, ‘Mater Verbi et Mater laetitiae’” (VD, 124). (SL) (Agenzia Fides 12/11/2010)
