Bishop David Walker address to Synod on the Word of God in the life of the Church

Bishop David Walker – presentation to Synod of Bishops on the Word of God in the Life of the Church

Speaking for myself, I wish to comment on the following words of the Instrument laboris “ The basis for a believer’s relationship to the Bible is summarized in Dei Verbum as holding fast to the Sacred Scriptures through diligent sacred reading and careful study (cf DV 25), because the Bible is “the pure and everlasting source of spiritual life.  “(DV21) (IL par 41)

After twelve years of Episcopal ministry, two issues preoccupy me in a special way: Firstly that our Catholic faithful have not been given the opportunity to enter more deeply into the mystery of Our Risen Lord; and secondly the formation of priests who will enable them to do so

Pope John Paul ll, in Novo Millennia Ineunte, teaches that holiness lies at the heart of our faith; that the holiness of each believer should be of a high standard and that bringing this about is an urgent pastoral task. How can this happen if the faithful are not helped to drink at that” pure and everlasting source of spiritual life”, the Bible. Deep holiness and an intimacy with Scriptures go hand in hand.  This intimacy with the Scriptures is only acquired over time by a consistent, regular prayerful reflection on the Scripture.

I believe that, for the most part, we are not proclaiming the Word today in a way that draws the faithful into a deep involvement with their faith in Jesus. This is not to say that the Word is not being preached, or that our preaching is not orthodox.  It is to say that we have domesticated the Gospel, tamed it, so that we proclaim a living of the Word that is not deep and radical. Hence the exhortation of Pope John Paul ll.

Our priests today are probably better educated about the Scriptures than ever before. A scientific study of the Scriptures has become the backbone of seminary education. However, this has not resulted in a presbyterate whose heart is “a library of the Word” or “dyed the colour of the Scriptures”, to use the imagery of the Fathers.  Such an approach alone can lead to a head filled with the Scriptures but a heart bereft of them.

I see no real effort to change, or better to complement, the present approach with a different methodology directed to moving the experience of the Scriptures from the head to the heart. Faithfulness to the regular practice of a meditative, prayerful reading of the Scriptures, and the sharing of it, is a way to achieve this. This is not a new methodology but one which has been with us since the Scriptures were written. 

While some seminarians may be limited by natural ability to come to a deep scientific knowledge of the Scriptures, all are capable of filling their hearts with the love of God found in the Scriptures. This is the real basis of an ordained ministry leading the faithful to a deeper life of discipleship.

In any age, the Church is the community of believers in dialogue with the Sacred Scriptures.  When that dialogue is strong, the Church is empowered to be what Jesus meant it to be.  When it is weak, the Church can fall into mediocrity, even luke-warmness, with its witness to the world becoming obscured and irrelevant. It is the challenge of our age to foster this dialogue, and help all believers come to an intimacy with the Scriptures which will be the foundation of their journey to God and their witness to the world.

After twelve years of Episcopal ministry, two issues preoccupy me in a special way: Firstly that our Catholic faithful have not been given the opportunity to enter more deeply into the mystery of Our Risen Lord; and secondly the formation of priests who will enable them to do so

Holiness lies at the heart of our faith; the holiness of each believer should be of a high standard; bringing this about is an urgent pastoral task (John Paul ll).  Deep holiness and an intimacy with Scriptures go hand in hand.  This intimacy with the Scriptures is only acquired over time by regular meditative, prayerful reflection on the Scripture

We let the faithful down by not proclaiming the Gospel in a deep and radical way.  We have domesticated it, tamed it, so that it does not draw them to a radical response.

Our priests today are probably better educated about the Scriptures than ever before. However, this has not resulted in a presbyterate whose heart is “a library of the Word” (Origen) or “dyed the colour of the Scriptures” (Cassian).   Such an approach alone can lead to a head filled with the Scriptures and a heart bereft of them.

We need to move the experience of the Scriptures from the head to the heart. This is the real basis of an ordained ministry. Faithfulness to the regular practice of a meditative, prayerful reading of the Scriptures, and the sharing of it, is a way to achieve this.