Year of Faith: Celebrating Our Catholic Tradition
Session #2: “The Word of God: Interpreting Scripture and Tradition”
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Cornerstone Vatican II Document
Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation: Dei
Verbum
Date: November 18, 1965
Copy online:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_c
ouncil/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_deiverbum_en.html
The Canon of Scripture, that is, the understanding of
what is divinely inspired, comes from Tradition (DV 8)
The Canon of Scripture is closed with no new public
revelation forthcoming – Christ represents the fullness of
revelation (DV 4)
Inspiration of Scripture
What Is Divine Revelation?
Definition: “God’s communication of himself, by which
he makes known the mystery of his divine plan” (CCC
Glossary)
God has revealed himself through creation, through the
Law, through the prophets, but most fully through the
Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ.
Revelation has the purpose of revealing God to man and
inviting him to share in his love and divine nature.
What Constitutes Divine Revelation?
Two elements:
 Holy Scripture – the set of holy writings inspired by
the Holy Spirit
 Sacred Tradition – “the living transmission of the
message of the Gospel in the Church” (CCC
Glossary)
However, these are not separate or distinct elements but
“one sacred deposit” that along with the Magisterium
(the teaching authority of the Church) “are so linked and
joined together that one cannot stand without the
others.” (DV 10)
Development of Canon of Sacred Scripture
Process
 Old Testament compiled during centuries before
Christ
 Apostles witness the words, deeds, and life of Christ
 Apostles and followers commit oral tradition to
writing
 During the first six centuries of the Church,
individual Church Fathers and then councils
determine by tradition the canon of Scripture.
 During the Reformation (16th century), Martin
Luther rejects some books traditionally held as
canonical
 The canon is dogmatically defined by the Council of
Trent in 1546
The Holy Spirit inspired imperfect men to write, edit,
and compile the Scriptures – God did not dictate.
God is free from error, but human writers are not.
Words, details, facts, etc. may be wrong, but the true
message of God is not. (DV 11)
The Church and individuals must guard against
rationalism (the tendency to view Scripture stripped of
faith, like one would an ancient myth or piece of
literature) and fundamentalism (taking each word of
Scripture literally as if dictated by God, while ignoring
genre, context, rest of Scripture).
Interpretation of Scripture
Scripture Study has been furthered by Historical-Critical
Method, which studies the ancient texts scientifically
while analyzing the patterns, genres, forms, sources,
redaction, underlying history, archaeology,
anthropology, etc.
This approach is very useful, but used alone can tend to
remove the Scriptures from a context of faith and
inspiration. Thus, it is important to balance this method
with canonical exegesis, a method by which each
passage of Scripture is read in context of the whole of
the canon.
Literal Sense vs. Spiritual Sense
 Literal sense is the direct meaning conveyed by the
words of the human author (not necessarily
literalism that ignores metaphor or context)
 Spiritual sense is the meaning of a text when read
under the influence of the Holy Spirit in the context
of the paschal mystery of Christ
When reading a passage, keep in mind its genre
(historical, legal, liturgical, wisdom, prophetic,
psalm/song, apocalyptic, epistle, parable/allegory, etc.)
in order to understand the author’s intent.
The Old Testament is not replaces by the New
Testament – the two are tightly linked by the Christ
event. The Old points to the New and the New fulfills
the Old.
When encountering a difficult passage (especially in the
Old Testament) that contains approval of violence,
promiscuity, or other actions or moral behavior that
seems contrary to the Gospel, always remember that
revelation is deeply rooted in history. It unfolds in
stages in spite of human limitations and resistance.
While praying with the Scriptures on an individual basis
is good, always remember that interpretation is never
done on the individual level but in the communion of the
Church. Truth is that which unites us – it is not an
individual possession. Attempts to ascertain “Truth”
individually can lead to dangerous outcomes.
The Word of God in Liturgy and Christian Life
The proper response to God’s revelation is “the
obedience of faith” while “offering the full submission
of intellect and will to God.” (DV 5)
When God speaks to us, we should speak back to Him.
This may seem difficult, but in His revelation, God has
already given us words to speak (for example, see the
psalms).
Private revelations (such as the Rosary, Divine Mercy,
apparitions, etc.) are not to be held at the same level as
public revelation (Scripture and Tradition). The role of
private revelation is not to add to or complete public
revelation, but to help live it out more effectively during
a period of history. Catholics are required to assent to
public revelation, but not necessarily to private
revelation.
In the Mass, we receive Jesus in both Word and
Sacrament. We receive the Word proclaimed and then
receive the Word made flesh (the Eucharist). We often
treat the Eucharist with the utmost reverence, not letting
a crumb hit the ground, but do we show the proclaimed
Word such reverence?
Praying With Scripture: Lectio Divina
Lectio divina (Latin for divine or holy reading) is an
ancient prayer practice that involves praying and
meditating upon a Scripture passage. In the Word of
God, we hear God speak to us and then respond in
prayer.
This prayer was put into practice in monasteries by St.
Benedict in the sixth century. In Dei Verbum, Pope Paul
VI recommends this form of prayer for all Christians.
Silence is a critical part of prayer in general, but
especially this process. We do not take enough time to
be truly quiet in the presence of God, away from the
noise of the world, other people, our lives, and even our
own racing minds and hearts.
In lectio divina, one can choose a random passage with
which to pray, or develop a regular pattern. For
example, a good practice is to pray each day with the
Gospel from that day’s Mass. If you do not have a print
source for the readings (Missal, Magnificat, Word
Among Us, etc.), the daily Mass readings can be found
online at the USCCB website (www.usccb.org).
The Traditional Steps:
 Lectio – what does the biblical text say in itself?
 Meditatio – what does the biblical text say to us?
 Oratio – what do we say to the Lord in response to
his word?
 Contemplatio – what conversion of mind, heart, and
life is the Lord asking of us?
Another Way (The Format Used Tonight):
First, pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to enlighten you.
Then read the selected passage four times, with long
pauses in between readings for each step.
 Read and LISTEN (just listen)
 Read and THINK (hone in on a word, phrase, or
image that jumps out)
 Read and FEEL & RESPOND (How is God
reaching out to you in this word or phrase or image?
What feelings or movements of the heart are you
experiencing? How do you respond to God?)
 Read and ACTION (What is the Lord calling me to
do? Am I called to change? Am I called to action?)
Sometimes writing down these words, feelings, and
nudges is useful. What may not be obvious during one
time of prayer may become clear over a period of days
or even weeks, especially if patterns emerge.
Be sure to take your time and not rush through this.
Give time for God to move you in each step. If it feels
like “nothing is happening”, do not just hurry on to the
next step. Part of prayer is to encounter God in the
silence of our hearts – something is always happening,
even if we do not realize it. Our time is never wasted
with God. Finally, be sure to thank God for his graces at
the end of the time of prayer – the ultimate result of the
encounter with God is praise and thanksgiving.