CNS photo/Paul Haring

Bishops of the World Gather for XII Ordinary Synod

U.S. DELEGATES

Cardinal Francis E. George
Archdiocese of Chicago

It is important to approach Holy Scripture with a sense of the entire Bible as a written witness to what God has done for his people over the centuries. God is not only the primary author of Scripture; He is the primary actor. We should read and meditate on passages of Scripture to discover how God acts.

One way to begin is to take one of the four Gospels and read it all the way through. Then a commentary can be used to help understand particular passages in their immediate historical context. Then we place our own experience of how God acts in relation to what is revealed to us about God in the pages of Holy Scripture.

From reflection on the life of Jesus and of the Church born of his words and actions, especially his death and resurrection and his sending of the Holy Spirit, we can work back through the history of the Jewish people, through the Exodus and back to Abraham. The pre-historical stories in the first past of Genesis help us to focus again on how God acts and of how our relationship to Him has been contorted by sin and healed through grace.

Lastly, we should not leave a reading or study of Holy Scripture without asking what God asks of us now in the light of the words of Scripture. Personally, I always find spiritual light and nourishment in the Gospel according to St. John and in St. Paul’s second letter to the Church in Corinth.




Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

The Synod is of great significance. It is one of the main ways in which the Pope consults with bishops from all over the world on a regular basis. Each of the four representatives from the United States will convey a particular interest or concern. Each will provide the Holy Father recommendations that can be helpful for him when he writes about this in the future.

I also see that the synod’s importance lies in urging a deeper understanding of the bible for formation. Scripture is essential as we form young people in the faith; it provides a substantial base for their spiritual journey. Scripture study also is important for our priests and seminarians who must preach the word of God and make it understandable for others

Part of this Synod will deal with how, in light of scientific studies of the scriptures, we can utilize the findings of science to make the Word of God realistic and understandable so people want to read it more. At the same time, we want to respect and appreciate the mysteries that lie in the Word of God.

When I go to our parishes, the flock is very interested in Scriptures. They want to understand it and understand Christ Jesus as its centerpiece. The New Testaments is focused on Christ and we need to be immersed in it. Yet we also need to appreciate the significance of the Old Testament for today’s world since it prepared and prepares us for the coming of Jesus.

“Texas is in the part of the United States traditionally called the Bible Belt. Many Catholics in this region hear about the Bible in other churches. We need to develop the within the Catholic tradition how we read and understand the Scriptures and how increased formation in those Scriptures can help us express our faith. Living the scriptures is important in what we call Catholic spirituality.




COMMENTS ON THE SYNOD
By Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas
Diocese of Tucson

I love to read the Word of God. I value the time to pray it. I feel privileged to preach it. So, I feel blessed to participate in the Synod of Bishops in Rome this October on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.

I was in the seminary during the historic gathering of Vatican II when the Council Fathers spoke and wrote of the importance of the Word to Catholics.

I can only imagine the excitement the bishops must have felt to gather from around the world in conversation with one another and in union with the Holy Father. I am looking forward with excitement to a similar experience when we gather for the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly.

I will bring with me to the Synod more than 40 years of priesthood in which I have met Catholics who love the Word, who read it daily, and who know it by heart. They have inspired me. I have heard a hunger in people to better know and understand the Word. I have seen what happens to people when they discover the power of lectio divina as a form of prayer.

But, I also have met a few who still believe the Bible – is not “for Catholics.”

I have seen excitement in young people being introduced to the Bible, studying it for the first time, and feeling inspired by it. For some of them – much to their surprise – they have found the Word to actually be relevant for their lives.

Vatican II emphasized the importance of revelation and the place of the Bible in the life of the Church. I hope the Synod will deepen that emphasis.

I eagerly look forward to listening to the Synod delegates’ wisdom about the pastoral importance of the Word and to offer to the Holy Father concrete ways by which the Word can become even more life giving in our dioceses and parishes.

I hope at the Synod to discuss the importance of preaching the Word and ways to enhance that preaching. We need to preach better. I want to explore ways to engage Catholics, especially the young to read, to study, and to pray the Word. We need to catechize better.

I want to explore ways that the laity can bring the Word to bear on the pressing questions of our time and into the marketplace where they live and work.

The laity have profound respect and love for the Word. I experience this in the interest that the people of the Diocese of Tucson have in the Synod. They have expressed their pride that I will be attending. They have offered suggestions on what I might say. They hope that I will “blog” my experiences for them so they might share in them. They have planned a gathering when I return to hear about the Synod and how the Word can become ever more central to the life and ministry of our local Church.

As we gather in Rome in this Pauline Year, may we experience this blessing from St. Paul:

“I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up” (Acts 20:32).




Archbishop Basil M. Schott, OFM
Metropolitan Archbishop – Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh Sui Iuris

The significance of the synod at this time cannot be underestimated. It is of the greatest importance because many people are either not aware of the needed teachings and richness that Scripture can bring to their lives or they require help in even the most basic ways of listening to the Word of God. It is the written Word that helps to bring to life Jesus Christ, who is first and foremost the Word of God.

In the Byzantine Church the vehicle for proclaiming the written Word is in the Liturgical Services and especially in the Divine Liturgy. This allows the hearing of Scripture to be positioned in the experience of the Church. An experience that will allow the faithful to reflect on a deeper understanding of the ways it can become more meaningful in their lives. It is only when the written Word is proclaimed, assimilated and absorbed that it truly comes alive.

Though opportunities for study and a better insight into the Scripture are available, for many people the Bible remains an unopened book. Others listen to the Epistles, Gospels, and homilies, and they may even quote the more familiar passages in conversation, but Scripture remains a static text to them.

The participants of the Synod – Eastern and Latin Bishops, experts, ecumenical delegates, women and men observers and staff – will contribute to the in-depth discussion of the many facets of the written Word of God. This will include ways to improve methods for teaching, preaching, and proclaiming it, its valid interpretation and the danger of literal interpretation, and its precedence in the call to evangelization.

We pray and trust that the Holy Spirit will direct and bless our reflections and deliberations. It is my hope that this Synod through the Holy Spirit will empower the People of God to break open the Scriptures more fully and bring them to a dynamic and living relationship with Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son and Word of God.