Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 19, 2025 - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Exod 17:8-13; 2 Tim 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8]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 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. [Timothy]
One of the most important documents that come to us from the Second Vatican Council is the one titled Dei Verbum [The Word of God]. When I was a kid, the Church did not encourage ordinary Catholics to read the Bible on their own. This was, no doubt, a part of the 400 years of reaction to the Protestant Reformation, which placed great emphasis on personal scripture reading, made possible by the invention of the printing press. Dei Verbum made a 180 degree turn and encouraged Catholics of all ages to become familiar with the Word of God. The lectionary - the scriptures to be read and preached at Sunday and daily Mass - was developed in such a way that most of the Bible is read at Mass over a cycle of three years for Sundays (A, B and C cycles) and two years for daily Mass (Years I and II). Most importantly, the Liturgy of the Word was given theological and liturgical prominence that it had not had for many centuries. (The quality of preaching still needs work, but efforts are being made in that regard at the initial formation level.)
Bible study groups are now common. Large commentaries are available to anyone who wants to go deeper into the scriptures. Lectio divina and other ways of reading and reflecting on the Bible are now available to all. But one thing that needs greater emphasis is the teaching that Christ is truly present in the scriptures and not just in the bread and wine that are consecrated in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word is food as well. Respect for this reality means those who are lectors and preachers must "proclaim," not just "read," the assigned scriptures for the day. The living Word of God should not be "dead on arrival" because of poor reading and preaching!
The Letter to the Hebrews teaches: Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart." [Heb. 4:12]. The second scripture for today, quoted above, adds to this importance. Scripture is the living Word of God, a kind of tabernacle of Christ's real presence, that can enable us to be "competent, equipped for every good work!" AMEN