Word to the Wise
Friday, June 5, 2020 - Friday in the 9th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Tim 3:10-17 and Mark 12:35-37]But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. [2 Timothy]
JUNE 5 ST. BONIFACE, bishop and martyr
One of the greatest achievements of the Second Vatican Council was its document on divine revelation, DEI VERBUM (The Word of God). This document began the gradual reversal of centuries of ignorance of the Bible among Catholics. When I went to undergraduate school (1960), my knowledge of scripture was mostly confined to a high school course in "apologetics" - how to defend the faith using selected lines from the gospels. My first roommate was a dedicated Southern Baptist who knew his Bible. He had been steeped in it "from his infancy." In truth, I did not really become acquainted with the scriptures until, as a Dominican novice (1964-65), I took the advice of my novice master and read the Bible cover to cover. That was the first scratch on the surface of my ignorance! It was only when I began the serious study of the scriptures in my theological studies that I finally made the kind of progress that truly made the Word of God "living and effective" [Heb. 4:12] in my life. The Second Vatican Council took place 1962-65 and the People of God were just then being encouraged to read the scriptures on their own instead of hearing them only in the gospel at Mass, followed by sermons on anything BUT the scriptures! Now there are literally thousands of "aids" for every age of Catholic to understand the Word of God and have it "living and effective" in their lives.
The Letter to Timothy gives us all the reasons we need for becoming reasonably knowledgeable in God's Word. We don't have to be scholars and be able to read the ancient languages. We just need to be open to what the Holy Spirit, who guided the authors, enables us to understand. Yes, we do have the guidance of the Tradition of the church so that we don't go off on personal tangents, making God say what WE want God to say. Our goal should be the one offered to Timothy: [S]o that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work." AMEN