CHAPTER THREE
110.
After having considered some of the challenges of the present, I would now like
to speak of the task which bears upon us in every age and place, for “there can
be no true evangelization without the explicit proclamation of Jesus as Lord”,
and without “the primacy of the proclamation of Jesus Christ in all
evangelizing work”.[77] Acknowledging
the concerns of the Asian bishops, John Paul II told them that if the Church
“is to fulfil its providential destiny, evangelization as the joyful, patient
and progressive preaching of the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
must be your absolute priority.”[78] These
words hold true for all of us.
111.
Evangelization is the task of the Church. The Church, as the agent of
evangelization, is more than an organic and hierarchical institution; she is
first and foremost a people advancing on its pilgrim way towards God. She is
certainly a mystery rooted in the Trinity, yet she exists
concretely in history as a people of pilgrims and evangelizers, transcending
any institutional expression, however necessary. I would like to dwell briefly
on this way of understanding the Church, whose ultimate foundation is found in
the free and gracious initiative of God.
112.
The salvation which God offers us is the work of his mercy. No human efforts,
however good they may be, can enable us to merit so great a gift. God, by his
sheer grace, draws us to himself and makes us one with him.[79] He
sends his Spirit into our hearts to make us his children, transforming us and
enabling us to respond to his love by our lives. The Church is sent by Jesus
Christ as the sacrament of the salvation offered by God.[80] Through
her evangelizing activity, she cooperates as an instrument of that divine grace
which works unceasingly and inscrutably. Benedict XVI put it nicely at the
beginning of the Synod’s reflections: “It is important always to know that the
first word, the true initiative, the true activity comes from God and only by
inserting ourselves into the divine initiative, only begging for this divine
initiative, shall we too be able to become – with him and in him –
evangelizers”.[81] This
principle of the primacy of grace must be a beacon which
constantly illuminates our reflections on evangelization.
113.
The salvation which God has wrought, and the Church joyfully proclaims, is for
everyone.[82] God
has found a way to unite himself to every human being in every age. He has
chosen to call them together as a people and not as isolated individuals.[83] No
one is saved by himself or herself, individually, or by his or her own efforts.
God attracts us by taking into account the complex interweaving of personal
relationships entailed in the life of a human community. This people which God
has chosen and called is the Church. Jesus did not tell the apostles to form an
exclusive and elite group. He said: “Go and make disciples of all
nations” (Mt 28:19). Saint Paul tells us in the people of God, in
the Church, “there is neither Jew or Greek... for you are all one in Christ
Jesus” (Gal 3:28). To those who feel far from God and the Church,
to all those who are fearful or indifferent, I would like to say this: the
Lord, with great respect and love, is also calling you to be a part of his people!
114.
Being Church means being God’s people, in accordance with the great plan of his
fatherly love. This means that we are to be God’s leaven in the midst of
humanity. It means proclaiming and bringing God’s salvation into our world,
which often goes astray and needs to be encouraged, given hope and strengthened
on the way. The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone
can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the
Gospel.
115.
The People of God is incarnate in the peoples of the earth, each of which has
its own culture. The concept of culture is valuable for grasping the various
expressions of the Christian life present in God’s people. It has to do with
the lifestyle of a given society, the specific way in which its members relate
to one another, to other creatures and to God. Understood in this way, culture
embraces the totality of a people’s life.[84] Each
people in the course of its history develops its culture with legitimate
autonomy.[85] This
is due to the fact that the human person, “by nature stands completely in need
of life in society”[86] and
always exists in reference to society, finding there a concrete way of relating
to reality. The human person is always situated in a culture: “nature and
culture are intimately linked”.[87]Grace
supposes culture, and God’s gift becomes flesh in the culture of those who
receive it.
116.
In these first two Christian millennia, countless peoples have received the
grace of faith, brought it to flower in their daily lives and handed it on in
the language of their own culture. Whenever a community receives the message of
salvation, the Holy Spirit enriches its culture with the transforming power of
the Gospel. The history of the Church shows that Christianity does not have
simply one cultural expression, but rather, “remaining completely true to
itself, with unswerving fidelity to the proclamation of the Gospel and the
tradition of the Church, it will also reflect the different faces of the
cultures and peoples in which it is received and takes root”.[88] In
the diversity of peoples who experience the gift of God, each in accordance
with its own culture, the Church expresses her genuine catholicity and shows
forth the “beauty of her varied face”.[89] In
the Christian customs of an evangelized people, the Holy Spirit adorns the
Church, showing her new aspects of revelation and giving her a new face.
Through inculturation, the Church “introduces peoples, together with their
cultures, into her own community”,[90] for
“every culture offers positive values and forms which can enrich the way the
Gospel is preached, understood and lived”.[91] In
this way, the Church takes up the values of different cultures and
becomes sponsa ornata monilibus suis, “the bride bedecked with her
jewels” (cf. Is 61:10)”.[92]
117.
When properly understood, cultural diversity is not a threat to Church unity.
The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son, transforms our hearts and
enables us to enter into the perfect communion of the blessed Trinity, where
all things find their unity. He builds up the communion and harmony of the
people of God. The same Spirit is that harmony, just as he is the bond of love
between the Father and the Son.[93] It
is he who brings forth a rich variety of gifts, while at the same time creating
a unity which is never uniformity but a multifaceted and inviting harmony.
Evangelization joyfully acknowledges these varied treasures which the Holy
Spirit pours out upon the Church. We would not do justice to the logic of the
incarnation if we thought of Christianity as monocultural and monotonous. While
it is true that some cultures have been closely associated with the preaching
of the Gospel and the development of Christian thought, the revealed message is
not identified with any of them; its content is transcultural. Hence in the
evangelization of new cultures, or cultures which have not received the
Christian message, it is not essential to impose a specific cultural form, no
matter how beautiful or ancient it may be, together with the Gospel. The
message that we proclaim always has a certain cultural dress, but we in the
Church can sometimes fall into a needless hallowing of our own culture, and
thus show more fanaticism than true evangelizing zeal.
118.
The Bishops of Oceania asked that the Church “develop an understanding and a
presentation of the truth of Christ working from the traditions and cultures of
the region” and invited “all missionaries to work in harmony with indigenous
Christians so as to ensure that the faith and the life of the Church be
expressed in legitimate forms appropriate for each culture”.[94] We
cannot demand that peoples of every continent, in expressing their Christian
faith, imitate modes of expression which European nations developed at a
particular moment of their history, because the faith cannot be constricted to
the limits of understanding and expression of any one culture.[95] It
is an indisputable fact that no single culture can exhaust the mystery of our
redemption in Christ.
119.
In all the baptized, from first to last, the sanctifying power of the Spirit is
at work, impelling us to evangelization. The people of God is holy thanks to
this anointing, which makes it infallible in credendo. This means
that it does not err in faith, even though it may not find words to explain
that faith. The Spirit guides it in truth and leads it to salvation.[96] As
part of his mysterious love for humanity, God furnishes the totality of the
faithful with an instinct of faith –sensus fidei –
which helps them to discern what is truly of God. The presence of the Spirit
gives Christians a certain connaturality with divine realities, and a wisdom
which enables them to grasp those realities intuitively, even when they lack
the wherewithal to give them precise expression.
120.
In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become
missionary disciples (cf. Mt28:19). All the baptized, whatever
their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are
agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of
evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the
faithful would simply be passive recipients. The new evangelization calls for
personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is
challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed,
anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or
lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a
missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in
Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are “disciples” and “missionaries”, but
rather that we are always “missionary disciples”. If we are not convinced, let
us look at those first disciples, who, immediately after encountering the gaze
of Jesus, went forth to proclaim him joyfully: “We have found the Messiah!” (Jn 1:41).
The Samaritan woman became a missionary immediately after speaking with Jesus
and many Samaritans come to believe in him “because of the woman’s testimony” (Jn 4:39).
So too, Saint Paul, after his encounter with Jesus Christ, “immediately
proclaimed Jesus” (Acts 9:20; cf. 22:6-21). So what are we waiting
for?
121.
Of course, all of us are called to mature in our work as evangelizers. We want
to have better training, a deepening love and a clearer witness to the Gospel.
In this sense, we ought to let others be constantly evangelizing us. But this
does not mean that we should postpone the evangelizing mission; rather, each of
us should find ways to communicate Jesus wherever we are. All of us are called
to offer others an explicit witness to the saving love of the Lord, who despite
our imperfections offers us his closeness, his word and his strength, and gives
meaning to our lives. In your heart you know that it is not the same to live
without him; what you have come to realize, what has helped you to live and
given you hope, is what you also need to communicate to others. Our falling
short of perfection should be no excuse; on the contrary, mission is a constant
stimulus not to remain mired in mediocrity but to continue growing. The witness
of faith that each Christian is called to offer leads us to say with Saint
Paul: “Not that I have already obtained this, or am already perfect; but I press
on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Phil 3:12-13).
122.
In the same way, we can see that the different peoples among whom the Gospel
has been inculturated are active collective subjects or agents of
evangelization. This is because each people is the creator of their own culture
and the protagonist of their own history. Culture is a dynamic reality which a
people constantly recreates; each generation passes on a whole series of ways
of approaching different existential situations to the next generation, which
must in turn reformulate it as it confronts its own challenges. Being human
means “being at the same time son and father of the culture to which one
belongs”.[97] Once
the Gospel has been inculturated in a people, in their process of transmitting
their culture they also transmit the faith in ever new forms; hence the
importance of understanding evangelization as inculturation. Each portion of
the people of God, by translating the gift of God into its own life and in
accordance with its own genius, bears witness to the faith it has received and
enriches it with new and eloquent expressions. One can say that “a people
continuously evangelizes itself”.[98] Herein
lies the importance of popular piety, a true expression of the spontaneous
missionary activity of the people of God. This is an ongoing and developing
process, of which the Holy Spirit is the principal agent.[99]
123.
Popular piety enables us to see how the faith, once received, becomes embodied
in a culture and is constantly passed on. Once looked down upon, popular piety
came to be appreciated once more in the decades following the Council. In the
Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI gave a decisive
impulse in this area. There he stated that popular piety “manifests a thirst
for God which only the poor and the simple can know”[100] and
that “it makes people capable of generosity and sacrifice even to the point of
heroism,when it is a question of bearing witness to belief”.[101] Closer
to our own time, Benedict XVI, speaking about Latin America, pointed out that
popular piety is “a precious treasure of the Catholic Church”, in which “we see
the soul of the Latin American peoples”.[102]
124.
The Aparecida Document describes the riches which the Holy Spirit
pours forth in popular piety by his gratuitous initiative. On that beloved
continent, where many Christians express their faith through popular piety, the
bishops also refer to it as “popular spirituality” or “the people’s mysticism”.[103] It
is truly “a spirituality incarnated in the culture of the lowly”.[104] Nor
is it devoid of content; rather it discovers and expresses that content more by
way of symbols than by discursive reasoning, and in the act of faith greater
accent is placed on credere in Deum than on credere
Deum.[105] It
is “a legitimate way of living the faith, a way of feeling part of the Church
and a manner of being missionaries”;[106] it
brings with itself the grace of being a missionary, of coming out of oneself
and setting out on pilgrimage: “Journeying together to shrines and taking part
in other manifestations of popular piety, also by taking one’s children or
inviting others, is in itself an evangelizing gesture”.[107] Let
us not stifle or presume to control this missionary power!
125.
To understand this reality we need to approach it with the gaze of the Good
Shepherd, who seeks not to judge but to love. Only from the affective
connaturality born of love can we appreciate the theological life present in
the piety of Christian peoples, especially among their poor. I think of the
steadfast faith of those mothers tending their sick children who, though
perhaps barely familiar with the articles of the creed, cling to a rosary; or
of all the hope poured into a candle lighted in a humble home with a prayer for
help from Mary, or in the gaze of tender love directed to Christ crucified. No
one who loves God’s holy people will view these actions as the expression of a
purely human search for the divine. They are the manifestation of a theological
life nourished by the working of the Holy Spirit who has been poured into our
hearts (cf. Rom 5:5).
126.
Underlying popular piety, as a fruit of the inculturated Gospel, is an active
evangelizing power which we must not underestimate: to do so would be to fail
to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit. Instead, we are called to promote and
strengthen it, in order to deepen the never-ending process of inculturation.
Expressions of popular piety have much to teach us; for those who are capable
of reading them, they are a locus theologicus which demands
our attention, especially at a time when we are looking to the new evangelization.
127.
Today, as the Church seeks to experience a profound missionary renewal, there
is a kind of preaching which falls to each of us as a daily responsibility. It
has to do with bringing the Gospel to the people we meet, whether they be our
neighbours or complete strangers. This is the informal preaching which takes
place in the middle of a conversation, something along the lines of what a
missionary does when visiting a home. Being a disciple means being constantly
ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly
and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey.
128.
In this preaching, which is always respectful and gentle, the first step is
personal dialogue, when the other person speaks and shares his or her joys,
hopes and concerns for loved ones, or so many other heartfelt needs. Only
afterwards is it possible to bring up God’s word, perhaps by reading a Bible
verse or relating a story, but always keeping in mind the fundamental message:
the personal love of God who became man, who gave himself up for us, who is
living and who offers us his salvation and his friendship. This message has to
be shared humbly as a testimony on the part of one who is always willing to learn,
in the awareness that the message is so rich and so deep that it always exceeds
our grasp. At times the message can be presented directly, at times by way of a
personal witness or gesture, or in a way which the Holy Spirit may suggest in
that particular situation. If it seems prudent and if the circumstances are
right, this fraternal and missionary encounter could end with a brief prayer
related to the concerns which the person may have expressed. In this way they
will have an experience of being listened to and understood; they will know
that their particular situation has been placed before God, and that God’s word
really speaks to their lives.
129.
We should not think, however, that the Gospel message must always be
communicated by fixed formulations learned by heart or by specific words which
express an absolutely invariable content. This communication takes place in so
many different ways that it would be impossible to describe or catalogue them
all, and God’s people, with all their many gestures and signs, are its
collective subject. If the Gospel is embedded in a culture, the message is no
longer transmitted solely from person to person. In countries where
Christianity is a minority, then, along with encouraging each of the baptized
to proclaim the Gospel, particular Churches should actively promote at least
preliminary forms of inculturation. The ultimate aim should be that the Gospel,
as preached in categories proper to each culture, will create a new synthesis
with that particular culture. This is always a slow process and at we can be
overly fearful. But if we allow doubts and fears to dampen our courage, instead
of being creative we will remain comfortable and make no progress whatsoever.
In this case we will not take an active part in historical processes, but
become mere onlookers as the Church gradually stagnates.
130.
The Holy Spirit also enriches the entire evangelizing Church with different
charisms. These gifts are meant to renew and build up the Church.[108] They
are not an inheritance, safely secured and entrusted to a small group for
safekeeping; rather they are gifts of the Spirit integrated into the body of
the Church, drawn to the centre which is Christ and then channelled into an
evangelizing impulse. A sure sign of the authenticity of a charism is its
ecclesial character, its ability to be integrated harmoniously into the life of
God’s holy and faithful people for the good of all. Something truly new brought
about by the Spirit need not overshadow other gifts and spiritualities in
making itself felt. To the extent that a charism is better directed to the
heart of the Gospel, its exercise will be more ecclesial. It is in communion,
even when this proves painful, that a charism is seen to be authentic and
mysteriously fruitful. On the basis of her response to this challenge, the
Church can be a model of peace in our world.
131.
Differences between persons and communities can sometimes prove uncomfortable,
but the Holy Spirit, who is the source of that diversity, can bring forth
something good from all things and turn it into an attractive means of
evangelization. Diversity must always be reconciled by the help of the Holy
Spirit; he alone can raise up diversity, plurality and multiplicity while at
the same time bringing about unity. When we, for our part, aspire to diversity,
we become self-enclosed, exclusive and divisive; similarly, whenever we attempt
to create unity on the basis of our human calculations, we end up imposing a
monolithic uniformity. This is not helpful for the Church’s mission.
132.
Proclaiming the Gospel message to different cultures also involves proclaiming
it to professional, scientific and academic circles. This means an encounter
between faith, reason and the sciences with a view to developing new approaches
and arguments on the issue of credibility, a creative apologetics[109] which
would encourage greater openness to the Gospel on the part of all. When certain
categories of reason and the sciences are taken up into the proclamation of the
message, these categories then become tools of evangelization; water is changed
into wine. Whatever is taken up is not just redeemed, but becomes an instrument
of the Spirit for enlightening and renewing the world.
133.
It is not enough that evangelizers be concerned to reach each person, or that
the Gospel be proclaimed to the cultures as a whole. A theology – and not
simply a pastoral theology – which is in dialogue with other sciences and human
experiences is most important for our discernment on how best to bring the
Gospel message to different cultural contexts and groups.[110] The
Church, in her commitment to evangelization, appreciates and encourages the
charism of theologians and their scholarly efforts to advance dialogue with the
world of cultures and sciences. I call on theologians to carry out this service
as part of the Church’s saving mission. In doing so, however, they must always
remember that the Church and theology exist to evangelize, and not be content
with a desk-bound theology.
134.
Universities are outstanding environments for articulating and developing this
evangelizing commitment in an interdisciplinary and integrated way. Catholic
schools, which always strive to join their work of education with the explicit
proclamation of the Gospel, are a most valuable resource for the evangelization
of culture, even in those countries and cities where hostile situations
challenge us to greater creativity in our search for suitable methods.[111]
II. THE HOMILY
135.
Let us now look at preaching within the liturgy, which calls for serious
consideration by pastors. I will dwell in particular, and even somewhat
meticulously, on the homily and its preparation, since so many concerns have
been expressed about this important ministry and we cannot simply ignore them. The
homily is the touchstone for judging a pastor’s closeness and ability to
communicate to his people. We know that the faithful attach great importance to
it, and that both they and their ordained ministers suffer because of homilies:
the laity from having to listen to them and the clergy from having to preach
them! It is sad that this is the case. The homily can actually be an intense
and happy experience of the Spirit, a consoling encounter with God’s word, a
constant source of renewal and growth.
136.
Let us renew our confidence in preaching, based on the conviction that it is
God who seeks to reach out to others through the preacher, and that he displays
his power through human words. Saint Paul speaks forcefully about the need to
preach, since the Lord desires to reach other people by means of our word
(cf. Rom 10:14-17). By his words our Lord won over the hearts
of the people; they came to hear him from all parts (cf. Mk 1:45);
they were amazed at his teachings (cf. Mk 6:2), and they
sensed that he spoke to them as one with authority (cf. Mk 1:27).
By their words the apostles, whom Christ established “to be with him and to be
sent out to preach” (Mk 3:14), brought all nations to the bosom of
the Church (cf. Mt 16:15.20).
137.
It is worthy remembering that “the liturgical proclamation of the word of God,
especially in the eucharistic assembly, is not so much a time for meditation
and catechesis as a dialogue between God and his people, a dialogue in which
the great deeds of salvation are proclaimed and the demands of the covenant are
continually restated”.[112]The
homily has special importance due to its eucharistic context: it surpasses all
forms of catechesis as the supreme moment in the dialogue between God and his
people which lead up to sacramental communion. The homily takes up once more
the dialogue which the Lord has already established with his people. The
preacher must know the heart of his community, in order to realize where its
desire for God is alive and ardent, as well as where that dialogue, once
loving, has been thwarted and is now barren.
138.
The homily cannot be a form of entertainment like those presented by the media,
yet it does need to give life and meaning to the celebration. It is a
distinctive genre, since it is preaching which is situated within the framework
of a liturgical celebration; hence it should be brief and
avoid taking on the semblance of a speech or a lecture. A preacher may be able
to hold the attention of his listeners for a whole hour, but in this case his
words become more important than the celebration of faith. If the homily goes
on too long, it will affect two characteristic elements of the liturgical
celebration: its balance and its rhythm. When preaching takes place within the
context of the liturgy, it is part of the offering made to the Father and a
mediation of the grace which Christ pours out during the celebration. This
context demands that preaching should guide the assembly, and the preacher, to
a life-changing communion with Christ in the Eucharist. This means that the
words of the preacher must be measured, so that the Lord, more than his
minister, will be the centre of attention.
139.
We said that the people of God, by the constant inner working of the Holy
Spirit, is constantly evangelizing itself. What are the implications of this
principle for preachers? It reminds us that the Church is a mother, and that
she preaches in the same way that a mother speaks to her child, knowing that
the child trusts that what she is teaching is for his or her benefit, for
children know that they are loved. Moreover, a good mother can recognize
everything that God is bringing about in her children, she listens to their
concerns and learns from them. The spirit of love which reigns in a family
guides both mother and child in their conversations; therein they teach and
learn, experience correction and grow in appreciation of what is good.
Something similar happens in a homily. The same Spirit who inspired the Gospels
and who acts in the Church also inspires the preacher to hear the faith of the
God’s people and to find the right way to preach at each Eucharist. Christian
preaching thus finds in the heart of people and their culture a source of
living water, which helps the preacher to know what must be said and how to say
it. Just as all of us like to be spoken to in our mother tongue, so too in the
faith we like to be spoken to in our “mother culture,” our native language
(cf. 2 Macc7:21, 27), and our heart is better disposed to listen.
This language is a kind of music which inspires encouragement, strength and enthusiasm.
140.
This setting, both maternal and ecclesial, in which the dialogue between the
Lord and his people takes place, should be encouraged by the closeness of the
preacher, the warmth of his tone of voice, the unpretentiousness of his manner
of speaking, the joy of his gestures. Even if the homily at times may be
somewhat tedious, if this maternal and ecclesial spirit is present, it will
always bear fruit, just as the tedious counsels of a mother bear fruit, in due
time, in the hearts of her children.
141.
One cannot but admire the resources that the Lord used to dialogue with his
people, to reveal his mystery to all and to attract ordinary people by his
lofty teachings and demands. I believe that the secret lies in the way Jesus
looked at people, seeing beyond their weaknesses and failings: “Fear not little
flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32);
Jesus preaches with that spirit. Full of joy in the Spirit, he blesses the
Father who draws the little ones to him: “I thank you Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding
and revealed them to babes” (Lk 10:21). The Lord truly enjoys
talking with his people; the preacher should strive to communicate that same
enjoyment to his listeners.
142.
Dialogue is much more than the communication of a truth. It arises from the
enjoyment of speaking and it enriches those who express their love for one
another through the medium of words. This is an enrichment which does not
consist in objects but in persons who share themselves in dialogue. A preaching
which would be purely moralistic or doctrinaire, or one which turns into a
lecture on biblical exegesis, detracts from this heart-to-heart communication
which takes place in the homily and possesses a quasi-sacramental character:
“Faith come from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of
Christ” (Rom 10:17). In the homily, truth goes hand in hand with
beauty and goodness. Far from dealing with abstract truths or cold syllogisms,
it communicates the beauty of the images used by the Lord to encourage the
practise of good. The memory of the faithful, like that of Mary, should
overflow with the wondrous things done by God. Their hearts, growing in hope
from the joyful and practical exercise of the love which they have received,
will sense that each word of Scripture is a gift before it is a demand.
143.
The challenge of an inculturated preaching consists in proclaiming a synthesis,
not ideas or detached values. Where your synthesis is, there lies your heart.
The difference between enlightening people with a synthesis and doing so with
detached ideas is like the difference between boredom and heartfelt fervour.
The preacher has the wonderful but difficult task of joining loving hearts, the
hearts of the Lord and his people. The dialogue between God and his people
further strengthens the covenant between them and consolidates the bond of
charity. In the course of the homily, the hearts of believers keep silence and
allow God to speak. The Lord and his people speak to one another in a thousand
ways directly, without intermediaries. But in the homily they want someone to
serve as an instrument and to express their feelings in such a way that afterwards,
each one may chose how he or she will continue the conversation. The word is
essentially a mediator and requires not just the two who dialogue but also an
intermediary who presents it for what it is, out of the conviction that “what
we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your
servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor 4:5).
144.
To speak from the heart means that our hearts must not just be on fire, but
also enlightened by the fullness of revelation and by the path travelled by
God’s word in the heart of the Church and our faithful people throughout
history. This Christian identity, as the baptismal embrace which the Father
gave us when we were little ones, makes us desire, as prodigal children – and
favourite children in Mary – yet another embrace, that of the merciful Father
who awaits us in glory. Helping our people to feel that they live in the midst
of these two embraces is the difficult but beautiful task of one who preaches
the Gospel.
III. PREPARING TO PREACH
145.
Preparation for preaching is so important a task that a prolonged time of
study, prayer, reflection and pastoral creativity should be devoted to it. With
great affection I wish to stop for a moment and offer a method of preparing
homilies. Some may find these suggestions self-evident, but I consider it
helpful to offer them as a way of emphasizing the need to devote quality time
to this precious ministry. Some pastors argue that such preparation is not
possible given the vast number of tasks which they must perform; nonetheless, I
presume to ask that each week a sufficient portion of personal and community
time be dedicated to this task, even if less time has to be given to other
important activities. Trust in the Holy Spirit who is at work during the homily
is not merely passive but active and creative. It demands that we offer
ourselves and all our abilities as instruments (cf. Rom 12:1)
which God can use. A preacher who does not prepare is not “spiritual”; he is
dishonest and irresponsible with the gifts he has received.
146.
The first step, after calling upon the Holy Spirit in prayer, is to give our
entire attention to the biblical text, which needs to be the basis of our
preaching. Whenever we stop and attempt to understand the message of a
particular text, we are practising “reverence for the truth”.[113] This
is the humility of heart which recognizes that the word is always beyond us,
that “we are neither its masters or owners, but its guardians, heralds and
servants”.[114] This
attitude of humble and awe-filled veneration of the word is expressed by taking
the time to study it with the greatest care and a holy fear lest we distort it.
To interpret a biblical text, we need to be patient, to put aside all other
concerns, and to give it our time, interest and undivided attention. We must
leave aside any other pressing concerns and create an environment of serene
concentration. It is useless to attempt to read a biblical text if all we are
looking for are quick, easy and immediate results. Preparation for preaching
requires love. We only devote periods of quiet time to the things or the people
whom we love; and here we are speaking of the God whom we love, a God who
wishes to speak to us. Because of this love, we can take as much time as we
need, like every true disciple: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1
Sam 3:9).
147.
First of all, we need to be sure that we understand the meaning of the words we
read. I want to insist here on something which may seem obvious, but which is
not always taken into account: the biblical text which we study is two or three
thousand years old; its language is very different from that which we speak
today. Even if we think we understand the words translated into our own
language, this does not mean that we correctly understand what the sacred
author wished to say. The different tools provided by literary analysis are
well known: attention to words which are repeated or emphasized, recognition of
the structure and specific movement of a text, consideration of the role played
by the different characters, and so forth. But our own aim is not to understand
every little detail of a text; our most important goal is to discover its
principal message, the message which gives structure and unity to the text. If
the preacher does not make this effort, his preaching will quite likely have
neither unity nor order; what he has to say will be a mere accumulation of
various disjointed ideas incapable of inspiring others. The central message is
what the author primarily wanted to communicate; this calls for recognizing not
only the author’s ideas but the effect which he wanted to produce. If a text
was written to console, it should not be used to correct errors; if it was
written as an exhortation, it should not be employed to teach doctrine; if it
was written to teach something about God, it should not be used to expound
various theological opinions; if it was written as a summons to praise or
missionary outreach, let us not use it to talk about the latest news.
148.
Certainly, to understand properly the meaning of the central message of a text
we need to relate it to the teaching of the entire Bible as handed on by the
Church. This is an important principle of biblical interpretation which
recognizes that the Holy Spirit has inspired not just a part of the Bible, but
the Bible as a whole, and that in some areas people have grown in their
understanding of God’s will on the basis of their personal experience. It also
prevents erroneous or partial interpretations which would contradict other
teachings of the same Scriptures. But it does not mean that we can weaken the
distinct and specific emphasis of a text which we are called to preach. One of
the defects of a tedious and ineffectual preaching is precisely its inability
to transmit the intrinsic power of the text which has been proclaimed.
149.
The preacher “ought first of all to develop a great personal familiarity with
the word of God. Knowledge of its linguistic or exegetical aspects, though
certainly necessary, is not enough. He needs to approach the word with a docile
and prayerful heart so that it may deeply penetrate his thoughts and feelings
and bring about a new outlook in him”.[115] It
is good for us to renew our fervour each day and every Sunday as we prepare the
homily, examining ourselves to see if we have grown in love for the word which
we preach. Nor should we forget that “the greater or lesser degree of the
holiness of the minister has a real effect on the proclamation of the word”.[116] As
Saint Paul says, “we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our
hearts” (1 Th 2:4). If we have a lively desire to be the first to
hear the word which we must preach, this will surely be communicated to God’s
faithful people, for “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34).
The Sunday readings will resonate in all their brilliance in the hearts of the
faithful if they have first done so in the heart of their pastor.
150.
Jesus was angered by those supposed teachers who demanded much of others,
teaching God’s word but without being enlightened by it: “They bind heavy
burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they
themselves will not lift a finger to move them” (Mt 23:4). The
apostle James exhorted: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brethren,
for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness” (Jas 3:1).
Whoever wants to preach must be the first to let the word of God move him
deeply and become incarnate in his daily life. In this way preaching will
consist in that activity, so intense and fruitful, which is “communicating to
others what one has contemplated”.[117] For
all these reasons, before preparing what we will actually say when preaching,
we need to let ourselves be penetrated by that word which will also penetrate
others, for it is a living and active word, like a sword “which pierces to the
division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerns the thoughts
and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12). This has great pastoral
importance. Today too, people prefer to listen to witnesses: they “thirst for
authenticity” and “call for evangelizers to speak of a God whom they themselves
know and are familiar with, as if they were seeing him”.[118]
151.
We are not asked to be flawless, but to keep growing and wanting to grow as we
advance along the path of the Gospel; our arms must never grow slack. What is
essential is that the preacher be certain that God loves him, that Jesus Christ
has saved him and that his love has always the last word. Encountering such
beauty, he will often feel that his life does not glorify God as it should, and
he will sincerely desire to respond more fully to so great a love. Yet if he
does not take time to hear God’s word with an open heart, if he does not allow
it to touch his life, to challenge him, to impel him, and if he does not devote
time to pray with that word, then he will indeed be a false prophet, a fraud, a
shallow impostor. But by acknowledging his poverty and desiring to grow in his
commitment, he will always be able to abandon himself to Christ, saying in the
words of Peter: “I have no silver and gold, but what I have I give you” (Acts3:6).
The Lord wants to make use of us as living, free and creative beings who let
his word enter their own hearts before then passing it on to others. Christ’s
message must truly penetrate and possess the preacher, not just intellectually
but in his entire being. The Holy Spirit, who inspired the word, “today, just
as at the beginning of the Church, acts in every evangelizer who allows himself
to be possessed and led by him. The Holy Spirit places on his lips the words
which he could not find by himself”.[119]
152.
There is one particular way of listening to what the Lord wishes to tell us in
his word and of letting ourselves be transformed by the Spirit. It is what we
call lectio divina. It consists of reading God’s word in a moment
of prayer and allowing it to enlighten and renew us. This prayerful reading of
the Bible is not something separate from the study undertaken by the preacher
to ascertain the central message of the text; on the contrary, it should begin
with that study and then go on to discern how that same message speaks to his
own life. The spiritual reading of a text must start with its literal sense.
Otherwise we can easily make the text say what we think is convenient, useful
for confirming us in our previous decisions, suited to our own patterns of
thought. Ultimately this would be tantamount to using something sacred for our
own benefit and then passing on this confusion to God’s people. We must never
forget that sometimes “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2
Cor 11:14).
153.
In the presence of God, during a recollected reading of the text, it is good to
ask, for example: “Lord, what does this text say to me? What is it
about my life that you want to change by this text? What troubles me about this
text? Why am I not interested in this? Or perhaps: What do I find pleasant in
this text? What is it about this word that moves me? What attracts me? Why does
it attract me?” When we make an effort to listen to the Lord, temptations
usually arise. One of them is simply to feel troubled or burdened, and to turn
away. Another common temptation is to think about what the text means for other
people, and so avoid applying it to our own life. It can also happen that we
look for excuses to water down the clear meaning of the text. Or we can wonder
if God is demanding too much of us, asking for a decision which we are not yet
prepared to make. This leads many people to stop taking pleasure in the
encounter with God’s word; but this would mean forgetting that no one is more
patient than God our Father, that no one is more understanding and willing to
wait. He always invites us to take a step forward, but does not demand a full
response if we are not yet ready. He simply asks that we sincerely look at our
life and present ourselves honestly before him, and that we be willing to
continue to grow, asking from him what we ourselves cannot as yet achieve.
154.
The preacher also needs to keep his ear to the people and to discover what it
is that the faithful need to hear. A preacher has to contemplate the word, but
he also has to contemplate his people. In this way he learns “of the
aspirations, of riches and limitations, of ways of praying, of loving, of
looking at life and the world, which distinguish this or that human gathering,”
while paying attention “to actual people, to using their language, their signs
and symbols, to answering the questions they ask”.[120] He
needs to be able to link the message of a biblical text to a human situation,
to an experience which cries out for the light of God’s word. This interest has
nothing to do with shrewdness or calculation; it is profoundly religious and
pastoral. Fundamentally it is a “spiritual sensitivity for reading God’s
message in events”,[121] and
this is much more than simply finding something interesting to say. What we are
looking for is “what the Lord has to say in this or that particular
circumstance”.[122] Preparation
for preaching thus becomes an exercise in evangelical discernment, wherein we
strive to recognize – in the light of the Spirit – “a call which God causes to
resound in the historical situation itself. In this situation, and also through
it, God calls the believer.”[123]
155.
In this effort we may need but think of some ordinary human experience such as
a joyful reunion, a moment of disappointment, the fear of being alone,
compassion at the sufferings of others, uncertainty about the future, concern
for a loved one, and so forth. But we need to develop a broad and profound
sensitivity to what really affects other people’s lives. Let us also keep in
mind that we should never respond to questions that nobody asks. Nor is it
fitting to talk about the latest news in order to awaken people’s interest; we
have television programmes for that. It is possible, however, to start with
some fact or story so that God’s word can forcefully resound in its call to
conversion, worship, commitment to fraternity and service, and so forth. Yet
there will always be some who readily listen to a preacher’s commentaries on
current affairs, while not letting themselves be challenged.
156.
Some people think they can be good preachers because they know what ought to be
said, but they pay no attention to how it should be said, that
is, the concrete way of constructing a sermon. They complain when people do not
listen to or appreciate them, but perhaps they have never taken the trouble to
find the proper way of presenting their message. Let us remember that “the
obvious importance of the content of evangelization must not overshadow the
importance of its ways and means”.[124] Concern
for the way we preach is likewise a profoundly spiritual concern. It entails
responding to the love of God by putting all our talents and creativity at the
service of the mission which he has given us; at the same time, it shows a
fine, active love of neighbour by refusing to offer others a product of poor
quality. In the Bible, for example, we can find advice on how to prepare a
homily so as to best to reach people: “Speak concisely, say much in few words”
(Sir 32:8).
157.
Simply using a few examples, let us recall some practical resources which can
enrich our preaching and make it more attractive. One of the most important
things is to learn how to use images in preaching, how to appeal to imagery.
Sometimes examples are used to clarify a certain point, but these examples
usually appeal only to the mind; images, on the other hand, help people better
to appreciate and accept the message we wish to communicate. An attractive
image makes the message seem familiar, close to home, practical and related to
everyday life. A successful image can make people savour the message, awaken a
desire and move the will towards the Gospel. A good homily, an old teacher once
told me, should have “an idea, a sentiment, an image.”
158.
Paul VI said that “the faithful… expect much from preaching, and will greatly
benefit from it, provided that it is simple, clear, direct, well-adapted”.[125] Simplicity
has to do with the language we use. It must be one that people understand, lest
we risk speaking to a void. Preachers often use words learned during their
studies and in specialized settings which are not part of the ordinary language
of their hearers. These are words that are suitable in theology or catechesis,
but whose meaning is incomprehensible to the majority of Christians. The
greatest risk for a preacher is that he becomes so accustomed to his own language
that he thinks that everyone else naturally understands and uses it. If we wish
to adapt to people’s language and to reach them with God’s word, we need to
share in their lives and pay loving attention to them. Simplicity and clarity
are two different things. Our language may be simple but our preaching not very
clear. It can end up being incomprehensible because it is disorganized, lacks
logical progression or tries to deal with too many things at one time. We need
to ensure, then, that the homily has thematic unity, clear order and
correlation between sentences, so that people can follow the preacher easily
and grasp his line of argument.
159.
Another feature of a good homily is that it is positive. It is not so much
concerned with pointing out what shouldn’t be done, but with suggesting what we
can do better. In any case, if it does draw attention to something negative, it
will also attempt to point to a positive and attractive value, lest it remain
mired in complaints, laments, criticisms and reproaches. Positive preaching
always offers hope, points to the future, does not leave us trapped in
negativity. How good it is when priests, deacons and the laity gather
periodically to discover resources which can make preaching more attractive!
160.
The Lord’s missionary mandate includes a call to growth in faith: “Teach them
to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:20). Hence it is
clear that that the first proclamation also calls for ongoing formation and
maturation. Evangelization aims at a process of growth which entails taking
seriously each person and God’s plan for his or her life. All of us need to
grow in Christ. Evangelization should stimulate a desire for this growth, so
that each of us can say wholeheartedly: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ
who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
161.
It would not be right to see this call to growth exclusively or primarily in
terms of doctrinal formation. It has to do with “observing” all that the Lord
has shown us as the way of responding to his love. Along with the virtues, this
means above all the new commandment, the first and the greatest of the
commandments, and the one that best identifies us as Christ’s disciples: “This
is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn15:12).
Clearly, whenever the New Testament authors want to present the heart of the
Christian moral message, they present the essential requirement of love for
one’s neighbour: “The one who loves his neighbour has
fulfilled the whole law… therefore love of neighbour is the fulfilling of the
law” (Rom 13:8, 10). These are the words of Saint Paul, for whom
the commandment of love not only sums up the law but constitutes its very heart
and purpose: “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘you shall love your
neighbour as yourself’” (Gal 5:14). To his communities Paul
presents the Christian life as a journey of growth in love: “May the Lord make
you increase and abound in love for one another and for all” (1 Th 3:12).
Saint James likewise exhorts Christians to fulfil “the royal law according to
the Scripture: You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (2:8), in order not
to fall short of any commandment.
162.
On the other hand this process of response and growth is always preceded by
God’s gift, since the Lord first says: “Baptize them in the name…” (Mt 28:19).
The Father’s free gift which makes us his sons and daughters, and the priority
of the gift of his grace (cf. Eph 2:8-9; 1 Cor 4:7),
enable that constant sanctification which pleases God and gives him glory. In
this way, we allow ourselves to be transformed in Christ through a life lived
“according to the Spirit” (Rom 8:5).
163.
Education and catechesis are at the service of this growth. We already possess
a number of magisterial documents and aids on catechesis issued by the Holy See
and by various episcopates. I think in particular of the Apostolic
Exhortation Catechesi Tradendae (1979), the General
Catechetical Directory (1997) and other documents whose contents need
not be repeated here. I would like to offer a few brief considerations which I
believe to be of particular significance.
164.
In catechesis too, we have rediscovered the fundamental role of the first
announcement or kerygma, which needs to be the centre of all evangelizing
activity and all efforts at Church renewal. The kerygma is trinitarian. The
fire of the Spirit is given in the form of tongues and leads us to believe in
Jesus Christ who, by his death and resurrection, reveals and communicates to us
the Father’s infinite mercy. On the lips of the catechist the first
proclamation must ring out over and over: “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his
life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten,
strengthen and free you.” This first proclamation is called “first” not because
it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more
important things. It is first in a qualitative sense because it is the principal proclamation,
the one which we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we
must announce one way or another throughout the process of catechesis, at every
level and moment.[126] For
this reason too, “the priest – like every other member of the Church – ought to
grow in awareness that he himself is continually in need of being evangelized”.[127]
165.
We must not think that in catechesis the kerygma gives way to a supposedly more
“solid” formation. Nothing is more solid, profound, secure, meaningful and
wisdom-filled than that initial proclamation. All Christian formation consists
of entering more deeply into the kerygma, which is reflected in and constantly
illumines, the work of catechesis, thereby enabling us to understand more fully
the significance of every subject which the latter treats. It is the message
capable of responding to the desire for the infinite which abides in every
human heart. The centrality of the kerygma calls for stressing those elements
which are most needed today: it has to express God’s saving love which precedes
any moral and religious obligation on our part; it should not impose the truth
but appeal to freedom; it should be marked by joy, encouragement, liveliness
and a harmonious balance which will not reduce preaching to a few doctrines
which are at times more philosophical than evangelical. All this demands on the
part of the evangelizer certain attitudes which foster openness to the message:
approachability, readiness for dialogue, patience, a warmth and welcome which
is non-judgmental.
166.
Another aspect of catechesis which has developed in recent decades is mystagogic initiation.[128] This
basically has to do with two things: a progressive experience of formation
involving the entire community and a renewed appreciation of the liturgical
signs of Christian initiation. Many manuals and programmes have not yet taken
sufficiently into account the need for a mystagogical renewal, one which would
assume very different forms based on each educational community’s discernment.
Catechesis is a proclamation of the word and is always centred on that word,
yet it also demands a suitable environment and an attractive presentation, the
use of eloquent symbols, insertion into a broader growth process and the integration
of every dimension of the person within a communal journey of hearing and
response.
167.
Every form of catechesis would do well to attend to the “way of beauty” (via
pulchritudinis).[129] Proclaiming
Christ means showing that to believe in and to follow him is not only something
right and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new
splendour and profound joy, even in the midst of difficulties. Every expression
of true beauty can thus be acknowledged as a path leading to an encounter with
the Lord Jesus. This has nothing to do with fostering an aesthetic relativism[130] which
would downplay the inseparable bond between truth, goodness and beauty, but
rather a renewed esteem for beauty as a means of touching the human heart and
enabling the truth and goodness of the Risen Christ to radiate within it. If,
as Saint Augustine says, we love only that which is beautiful,[131] the
incarnate Son, as the revelation of infinite beauty, is supremely lovable and
draws us to himself with bonds of love. So a formation in the via
pulchritudinis ought to be part of our effort to pass on the faith.
Each particular Church should encourage the use of the arts in evangelization,
building on the treasures of the past but also drawing upon the wide variety of
contemporary expressions so as to transmit the faith in a new “language of
parables”.[132]We
must be bold enough to discover new signs and new symbols, new flesh to embody
and communicate the word, and different forms of beauty which are valued in
different cultural settings, including those unconventional modes of beauty which
may mean little to the evangelizers, yet prove particularly attractive for
others.
168.
As for the moral component of catechesis, which promotes growth in fidelity to
the Gospel way of life, it is helpful to stress again and again the
attractiveness and the ideal of a life of wisdom, self-fulfilment and
enrichment. In the light of that positive message, our rejection of the evils
which endanger that life can be better understood. Rather than experts in dire
predictions, dour judges bent on rooting out every threat and deviation, we
should appear as joyful messengers of challenging proposals, guardians of the
goodness and beauty which shine forth in a life of fidelity to the Gospel.
169.
In a culture paradoxically suffering from anonymity and at the same time
obsessed with the details of other people’s lives, shamelessly given over to
morbid curiosity, the Church must look more closely and sympathetically at
others whenever necessary. In our world, ordained ministers and other pastoral
workers can make present the fragrance of Christ’s closeness and his personal
gaze. The Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious and laity
– into this “art of accompaniment” which teaches us to remove our sandals
before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Ex 3:5). The pace
of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness
and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates and encourages growth in
the Christian life.
170.
Although it sounds obvious, spiritual accompaniment must lead others ever
closer to God, in whom we attain true freedom. Some people think they are free
if they can avoid God; they fail to see that they remain existentially
orphaned, helpless, homeless. They cease being pilgrims and become drifters,
flitting around themselves and never getting anywhere. To accompany them would
be counterproductive if it became a sort of therapy supporting their
self-absorption and ceased to be a pilgrimage with Christ to the Father.
171.
Today more than ever we need men and women who, on the basis of their
experience of accompanying others, are familiar with processes which call for
prudence, understanding, patience and docility to the Spirit, so that they can
protect the sheep from wolves who would scatter the flock. We need to practice
the art of listening, which is more than simply hearing. Listening, in
communication, is an openness of heart which makes possible that closeness
without which genuine spiritual encounter cannot occur. Listening helps us to
find the right gesture and word which shows that we are more than simply
bystanders. Only through such respectful and compassionate listening can we
enter on the paths of true growth and awaken a yearning for the Christian
ideal: the desire to respond fully to God’s love and to bring to fruition what
he has sown in our lives. But this always demands the patience of one who knows
full well what Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us: that anyone can have grace and
charity, and yet falter in the exercise of the virtues because of persistent
“contrary inclinations”.[133] In
other words, the organic unity of the virtues always and necessarily
exists in habitu, even though forms of conditioning can hinder
the operations of those virtuous habits. Hence the need for “a
pedagogy which will introduce people step by step to the full appropriation of
the mystery”.[134] Reaching
a level of maturity where individuals can make truly free and responsible
decisions calls for much time and patience. As Blessed Peter Faber used to say:
“Time is God’s messenger”.
172.
One who accompanies others has to realize that each person’s situation before
God and their life in grace are mysteries which no one can fully know from
without. The Gospel tells us to correct others and to help them to grow on the
basis of a recognition of the objective evil of their actions (cf. Mt 18:15),
but without making judgements about their responsibility and culpability
(cf. Mt 7:1; Lk 6:37). Someone good at such
accompaniment does not give in to frustrations or fears. He or she invites
others to let themselves be healed, to take up their mat, embrace the cross,
leave all behind and go forth ever anew to proclaim the Gospel. Our personal
experience of being accompanied and assisted, and of openness to those who
accompany us, will teach us to be patient and compassionate with others, and to
find the right way to gain their trust, their openness and their readiness to
grow.
173.
Genuine spiritual accompaniment always begins and flourishes in the context of
service to the mission of evangelization. Paul’s relationship with Timothy and
Titus provides an example of this accompaniment and formation which takes place
in the midst of apostolic activity. Entrusting them with the mission of
remaining in each city to “put in order what remains to be done” (Tit 1:5;
cf. 1 Tim 1:3-5), Paul also gives them rules for their
personal lives and their pastoral activity. This is clearly distinct from every
kind of intrusive accompaniment or isolated self-realization. Missionary
disciples accompany missionary disciples.
174.
Not only the homily has to be nourished by the word of God. All evangelization
is based on that word, listened to, meditated upon, lived, celebrated and
witnessed to. The sacred Scriptures are the very source of evangelization.
Consequently, we need to be constantly trained in hearing the word. The Church
does not evangelize unless she constantly lets herself be evangelized. It is
indispensable that the word of God “be ever more fully at the heart of every
ecclesial activity”.[135] God’s
word, listened to and celebrated, above all in the Eucharist, nourishes and
inwardly strengthens Christians, enabling them to offer an authentic witness to
the Gospel in daily life. We have long since moved beyond that old
contraposition between word and sacrament. The preaching of the word, living
and effective, prepares for the reception of the sacrament, and in the
sacrament that word attains its maximum efficacy.
175. The study of the sacred
Scriptures must be a door opened to every believer.[136] It
is essential that the revealed word radically enrich our catechesis and all our
efforts to pass on the faith.[137] Evangelization
demands familiarity with God’s word, which calls for dioceses, parishes and
Catholic associations to provide for a serious, ongoing study of the Bible,
while encouraging its prayerful individual and communal reading.[138] We
do not blindly seek God, or wait for him to speak to us first, for “God has already
spoken, and there is nothing further that we need to know, which has not been
revealed to us”.[139] Let
us receive the sublime treasure of the revealed word.
[77] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia (6
November 1999), 19: AAS 92 (2000), 478.
[81] Meditation
during the First General Congregation of the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops (8 October 2012): AAS 104 (2012), 897.
[82] Cf. Propositio 6;
SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 22.
[84] Cf.
THIRD GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Puebla
Document, 23 March 1979, Nos. 386-387.
[85] Cf.
SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
Modern WorldGaudium et Spes, 36.
[88] JOHN
PAUL II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (6 January
2001), 40: AAS 93 (2001), 295.
[90] JOHN
PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Missio (7 December
1990), 52: AAS 83 (1991), 300; cf. Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi
Tradendae (16 October 1979) 53: AAS 71 (1979), 1321.
[91] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania (22
November 2001), 16: AAS 94 (2002), 383.
[92] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa (14
September 1995), 61: AAS 88 (1996), 39.
[93] SAINT
THOMAS AQUINAS, S. Th. I, q. 39, a. 8 cons. 2: “Without the
Holy Spirit who is the bond of both, one cannot understand the connecting unity
between the Father and the Son”; cf. I, q. 37, a. 1, ad 3.
[94] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania (22
November 2001), 17: AAS 94 (2002), 385.
[95] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia (6
November 1999), 20: AAS 92 (2000), 478-482.
[98] THIRD
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Puebla
Document, 23 March 1979, 450; cf. FIFTH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN
AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS,Aparecida Document, 29 June 2007, 264.
[99] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia (6
November 1999), 21: AAS 92 (2000), 482-484.
[102] Opening
Address of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean
Bishops (13 May 2007), 1: AAS 90 (2007), 446.
[103] FIFTH
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Aparecida
Document, 29 June 2007, 262.
[106] FIFTH
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Aparecida
Document, 29 June 2007, 264.
[115] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25
March 1992), 26: AAS 84 (1992), 698.
[123] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25
March 1992), 10: AAS 84 (1992), 672.
[127] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25
March 1992), 26: AAS 84 (1992), 698.
[130] Cf.
SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIl, Decree on the Means of Social
Communication Inter Mirifica, 6.
[132] BENEDICT
XVI, Address for the Screening of the Documentary “Art and Faith” – Via
Pulchritudinis (25 October 2012): L’Osservatore Romano (27
October 2012), 7.
[134] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia (6
November 1999), 20: AAS 92 (2000), 481.
[135] BENEDICT
XVI , Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini (30
September 2010), 1: AAS 102 (2010), 682.
[137] Cf.
SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine
Revelation Dei Verbum, 21-22.
[138] Cf.
BENEDICT XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini (30
September 2010), 86-87: AAS 102 (2010), 757-760.
[139] BENEDICT
XVI, Address during the First General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops (8
October 2012): AAS 104 (2012), 896.
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