Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate

Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines

LINEAMENTA

 

THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH

 

Answers to the questions posed

at the

LINEAMENTA of the 12th Ordinary Synod of Bishops

 

By: Most Rev. Arturo M. Bastes, SVD, DD

       Bishop of Sorsogon, Philippines

 

INTRODUCTION

 

  1. What “signs of the times” in your country give this Synod on the Word of God a particularly timely character? What do people expect from it?

 

Among the “signs of the times” in the Philippines that give this Synod a particularly timely character is the hunger for God’s Word among the people. I have been engaged in the biblical apostolate for many years as a missionary priest, as seminary professor, a director of a regional biblical center and as a bishop. This hunger for God’s Word among our Catholic faithful is shown by their eagerness to attend biblical seminars, workshops, congresses at all levels whether in the parish, in the vicariate, diocese, region or in the whole nation. One of the reasons why some Catholics go to the “born-again Christian” groups is that these latter Christians offer attractive seminars on the Word of God, whose message they long to hear. Our people certainly expect one important result from this Synod: a more vigorous pastoral biblical ministry in the local churches under the leadership of their bishop. Apparently some bishops are quite indifferent to the Vatican II’s mandate expressed by DEI VERBUM: easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful.

 

  1. What is the relation of the preceding Synod on the Eucharist to the present one on the Word of God?

 

The relation is both doctrinal and pastoral. The Eucharist would remain an empty religious rite, devoid of content and proper understanding unless the Word of God, inherently part of the Eucharist, clarifies it to the people, thereby eliciting from them a genuine act of faith and the correct response to the ceremonies they participate in. One of the reasons why the Filipino Catholics are more “sacramentalized” and less “evangelized” is the relative neglect of the Word of God in the Eucharistic and all sacramental celebrations. Without the guidance of the Word, people have erroneous or improper understanding of the rites, making them mere social obligations, which have become part of their cultural tradition devoid of authentic Christian faith. The pastoral aspect is evident: to make the Eucharist relevant to their Christian life. Philippine society would have been more Christian if our people are fed with the message of God’s Word explained to them in well prepared homilies. Now people appreciate good homilies based on the scriptural readings at Mass especially on Sundays. They have become attentive to what is said by the preacher. The renewal of our Catholic country will hopefully be given impetus by underlining the importance of the liturgy of the Word of all sacramental celebrations.

 

  1. Do experiences and practices with the Bible exist in your particular Church? What are they? Do Bible groups exist? Describe them and their activities.

 

Yes, the diocese of Sorsogon has a pastoral plan which is called the DEEP (Diocesan Ecclesial and Evangelization Program). There are eight commissions. Among them is the Commission on Education whose main components are catechesis and the biblical apostolate. We have a diocesan biblical director, who trains biblical animators of every parish. Each parish has a pastoral biblical ministry headed by biblical animators, who go to each Chapel, whose population is broken into zones composed of several “Basic Ecclesial Communities of Families of God” (BEC-FG). Each BEC-FG is a bible group in itself because the members do regular bible sharing and study. Besides the BEC-FG’s there are other groups that practice bible study and sharing such as the “covenanted” charismatic transparochial communities, which have their own structure but still under the mantle of the diocesan pastoral plan in coordination with the parish priest. Biblical seminars are being conducted both in the diocesan and parochial levels to give further training to the biblical animators. Sometimes we hold a large biblical gathering such as diocesan symposium on the bible, attended by all biblical animators and educators of our Catholic schools. For example, a recent symposium on the bible for the BEC-FG’s was attended by 120 participants – a sign that our people are really hungry for God’s Word.

 

Every year during the third week of January, following the mandate of the Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (whose present chairman is myself), we celebrate Bible Week. There are many diocesan and parochial activities honoring the bible suggested by our national commission: bible rallies, bible enthronement in all government offices, bible parade, ecumenical bible services, bible exhibits. The Philippine Church has institutionalized the “National Catholic Family Bible Quiz”, which happens every two years.

 

Our diocesan biblical director, who has a licentiate in Sacred Scriptures from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, gives biblical talks every morning for half an hour, broadcast in our diocesan radio, heard in all our parishes and even in neighboring dioceses. He explains the scripture readings of the day. For the past three years the theme of the annual retreat of our clergy was biblical, taken from the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Mark.

 

CHAPTER I: REVELATION, THE WORD OF GOD AND THE CHURCH

 

  1. Knowledge of the Word of God in the History of Salvation

What is the prevalent idea among the faithful (parishes, religious communities, movements) on Revelation, the Word of God, the Bible, Divine Tradition and the Magisterium? Do the faithful understand the various levels of meaning of the Word of God? Is Jesus Christ understood to be central to the Word of God? What is the relation between the Word of God and the Bible? What aspects are less  understood? What are the reasons?

 

Most of the Catholic faithful in our diocese (and even in the whole Philippines) do not have clear ideas on Revelation, the Word of God, the Bible, Divine Tradition and the Magisterium. The reason is that they receive very little catechetical instruction from childhood on. In my opinion the majority of our faithful simply believe that God indeed has revealed himself to men without bothering to ask themselves how this revelation took place or what the nature of this revelation is. Most of our people equate the Word of God with the Bible because for them the Word, spoken in the past, was written down for the present and future generations. However because of our pastoral biblical ministry, some of our faithful have come to understand and to realize that whenever the Bible is read and proclaimed, God really speaks to them at the present. The bible used to be a static book of the past but is gradually being made alive by constant use and reflection in relation to present events.

 

Divine Tradition for many Catholics is an added set of doctrines not necessarily found in the Bible. A great majority understand Magisterium as the teaching authority of the Church such as the Pope and the bishops, who writes letters to the faithful on various occasions. As far as I perceive most of our faithful have not correctly grasped the various levels of meaning of the Word of God, much less the fact that Jesus Christ is central to the Word of God. Many of them practice their faith mainly through their devotion to the Patron Saints of their parish or barrio chapel. Till now the annual fiestas of their Patron Saints are very well celebrated. Their Catholic life is centered on their favorite devotions, seemingly forgetting the centrality of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God.  One of the main reasons for this pitiful pastoral situation is that the Bible was hidden from the Catholic faithful for many centuries. It would take time to make them grow deeper in their full understanding of Revelation, the Word of God, the Bible, Divine Tradition and the Magisterium But because of our present pastoral biblical ministry there is some improvement in this regard.

 

  1. The Word of God and the Church

To what extent does approaching the Word of God develop a dynamic knowledge of belonging to the Church, the Body of Christ, and prompt a genuine participation in the Church’s mission? What is the faithful’s understanding of the relation between the Word of God and the Church?. Does a proper relation between the Bible and Divine Tradition exist in exegetical and theological studies, and in the faithful’s encounter with the Holy Book? Is catechesis based on the Word of God? Are the Sacred Scriptures well-valued? What is the perception of the Magisterium’s importance and responsibility in the proclamation of the Word of God? Is there a genuine listening to the Word of God in faith? What aspects need to be clarified and reinforced?

 

The parishioners, particularly the “ministers of the Word”, who have become active in the pastoral biblical ministry have indeed developed in themselves a sort of dynamic consciousness of belonging to the Church. But in general the faithful of my diocese do not understand the relation between the Word of God and the Church. Equating the Word of God with the Bible, the majority of Catholics still have the impression that the frequent use of the Holy Book is the main characteristic of Protestant Churches. There is no problem finding a proper relation between the Bible and Divine Tradition as being taught by Catholic exegetes and theologians. Our seminarians are fortunate to have a better exegetical and theological formation in the post Vatican II curriculum offered in the schools of theology.

 

However, regarding the situation of the ordinary faithful, who have no proper exegetical and theological training, the relation of the Bible and Divine Tradition may not be properly perceived. This could be the reason why some Catholics who acquired private interest in reading the Bible tend to be attracted to Protestantism. Ironically sometimes when Catholics begin to read the bible by themselves without the proper guidance, they seem to do away with Tradition, a danger sign of disposing them to join Protestant sects without being proselytized.

 

We are glad the new Catechism of Catholic Church is based on the Word of God. Following the model of the CCC, the Philippine Church has also published a Catechism for Filipino Catholics and a Catholic Catechetical Directory, which are both heavily based on the Word of God, with many references to Sacred Scripture. Our catechists are given modules which are rich in biblical quotations. Hopefully the young Catholic students who are given this new catechesis based on the Word of God will have a better appreciation of the value of Sacred Scriptures than their forbears. The intense pastoral biblical ministry being done in our local church has enabled the faithful who regularly attend Holy Mass to perceive the importance given by the Magisterium in the proclamation of the Word of God. As far as I experience, the people who attend Mass are attentive to the homily, which beautifully explains the Word of God to them. They are very quiet and show approval to what is said in my homily. But it is difficult for me to gauge their personal level of faith or whether their life conforms to their faith. After an attentive listening to God’s Word, the aspect of living it fully in people’s daily lives should be reinforced. But when they go back to ordinary life during the week, our people seem to forget the good lessons they have heard in Church. For example, they continue to sell their votes during election, and candidates continue to buy votes; many public officials remain callous in their conscience despite our many admonitions against corruption based on God’s Word! Seemingly it is not enough merely to proclaim the Word of God to the people but to follow up the proclamation with a more thorough Christian formation in all levels in life. To achieve this our diocese has a pastoral plan called the “Diocesan Ecclesial and Evangelization Program” already alluded to above.

 

 

  1. Signs of the Church’s faith in the Word of God

How has Dei Verbum been received? The Catechism of the Catholic Church? What is the specific magisterial role of Bishops in the apostolate of the Word of God? What is the task of ordained ministers, priests and deacons in proclaiming the Word (cf. Lumen Gentium 25,28)? What is the faithful’s understanding of the relation between the Word of God and the consecrated life? How can the Word of God be employed in the formation of future priests? What formation in the Word of God is needed in the People of God – priests, deacons, consecrated persons and the laity?

 

Vatican II’s Dei Verbum has been received with great enthusiasm, joy and gratitude because this official Church document has ended the “Babylonian Captivity” of the Bible among the ordinary Catholic faithful. However, our people are simply aware of the pastoral thrust of this document: to give easy access of Sacred Scripture to all the Christian faithful. A great majority of them have not read the document and much less know the rich theological content of this Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation. That is why for the past two years, in our celebration of the 40th year of the promulgation of this document, seminars have been given to our biblical animators, who have become more appreciative of what is taught by the Council regarding Divine Revelation. As I mentioned above, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is also highly appreciated and is being used to produce catechetical modules for the school children. Luckily the Department of Education in our province is quite cooperative with the diocesan catechetical ministry, coordinated by a priest and a religious Sister.

 

The specific magisterial role of Bishops in the apostolate of the Word of God is clearly taught by Dei Verbum no. 25 that “it devolves on bishops, ‘who have the apostolic teaching’, to give the faithful entrusted to them suitable instruction in the right use of the divine books…” The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has taken this mandate seriously and created an Episcopal Commission on the Bible as early as 1968. This commission is now called the Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate of the CBCP. This commission offers help to all the local churches of the Philippines so as to enable the Bishop or Local Ordinary to perform his specific magisterial role in the apostolate of the Word of God. Our biblical-pastoral ministry is five-fold: 1) animating biblical-pastoral formation through biblical seminars, studies, symposia, workshops, congresses and periodic institutes for lay biblical animators; 2) organizing bible celebrations; 3) promoting bible translations; 4) assisting bible productions; 5) coordinating bible distribution.

 

It is clear that the task of ordained ministers, priests and deacons in proclaiming the Word as taught by Lumen Gentium (25,28) is to preach the gospel. Happily the diocesan clergy of Sorsogon has realized the supreme importance of giving good homilies to the faithful by basing them on the Word of God, mainly on the readings assigned to the Holy Mass. As I alluded earlier, our people are eager to listen to homilies, an attitude which is a big change from pre-Vatican II times. I remember that on those old days when priests deliver “oratorical sermons” (often not based on Sacred Scripture), the men got out of church, engaged in all kinds of conversations and went back to their pews after the sermon was over! Today, the opposite is happening. People may be late for the first and second readings, but they do not want to miss the homily of the celebrant.

 

The faithful’s understanding of the relation between the Word of God and the consecrated life is correct: that for the religious men and women the Word of God is their daily bread and sustenance. The common recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours by in religious communities has promoted this fine understanding of the relation between God’s Word and Consecrated Life.

 

For me it is impossible to give a right formation of future priests without employing the Word of God. Indeed there has a concern that the study of Sacred Scriptures in the seminaries and schools of theologies is too academic, without any existential relation to their future ministry and to their personal growth of holiness and listeners and doers of the Word. Many complaints have been heard that classes is scriptural exegesis are boring for many seminarians. But I think the quality of exegesis class depends on the capability of the professor to make the subject of Sacred Scripture attractive by his method of teaching. Serious exegetical and scientific explanation of important biblical passages can be very interesting, an experience I had when I taught Sacred Scriptures in the seminary and even in bible institutes for lay people. In general the formation in the Word of God needed for the People of God must be balanced. I mean that there should be a good dose of scientific studies using the historico-critical method. This basic attitude is needed to combat the disease of fundamentalism. Of course other contemporary methods must be used as described in the recent church document on how to interpret the bible. Besides the scientific approach, the formandi must undergo the spiritual approach, to make them internalize God’s Word. A very effective means is the use of the classic Lectio Divina. Then all must undergo training in the biblical pastoral ministry to enable the priests, deacons, religious and even the lay, to communicate the Word of God to the faithful who hunger for the explanation of its message both scientifically, spiritually and pastorally. Hence all those who study the Bible must undergo training in the ART of the BIBLICAL APOSTOLATE, which has become finer in the course of the years through the efforts of many church groups coordinated by the Catholic Biblical Federation.

 

  1. The Bible as the Word of God

Why are Christians seeking the Bible today? What effect does the Bible have on the life of faith? How is the Bible received in the non-Christian world? And among people of culture? What are some of the more common failings? Describe the faithful’s understanding of the charism of inspiration and truth of the Scriptures. Do the faithful realize that the spiritual sense of Scripture is the final sense willed by God? How is the Old Testament received? If the Gospels are read more often, is the knowledge and reading of them satisfactory? What are overwhelmingly considered the “difficult pages” of the Bible today, and what approach should be taken in their regard?

 

One of the reasons why Christians are seeking the Bible today is the innate longing for human beings to delve into the meaning of existence. Different sorts of philosophies have tried for years to enlighten people on life’s significance but have apparently not succeeded. When Vatican II through the document Dei Verbum has reopened to the faithful the vast library of Sacred Scriptures, many of our people have found answers to the riddles of life. Although Catholicism is not “a religion of the book”, the Holy Book has been recently rediscovered by our faithful to be a wonderful guide of how to live as genuine Christians. We owe this to our Protestant brethren who feel proud that they are “not Catholic”, meaning they have the bible in their hands.

 

The majority of Filipinos are Christians, so I do not have a direct experience on how the Bible is received by non-Christians, especially the Muslims. Since the Muslims consider Jesus as one of the prophets, the Christian Bible seems to be attractive to them. Because they honor the Virgin Mary, they like biblical passages referring her as the Virgin Mother of Jesus. During the 4th Asia-Oceania Biblical Congress, held in the Philippines in February 2005, whose theme is God’s Word: Living Hope and Lasting Peace, we discussed the different traditions of peace in the light of Asian sacred scriptures. We heard talks on “hope and peace” from four different Asian religions based on their holy books: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. Happily we discovered that all religions and cultures are very similar when their sacred scriptures write about hope and peace!   We concluded that to achieve peace in Asia we have to DIALOGUE with each other, to know each other more deeply. Having understood each other, we have no reason to be at war or to fall into despair. The more common failings is the feeling of being superior in one’s religion or holy book. Not only Christians feel superior to others, Muslims also look down on us as “infidels”!

 

The faithful’s understanding of the charism of inspiration and truth of Sacred Scriptures is various, including the childish notion of the bible as being “dictated by the Holy Spirit to the sacred writer”. In fact a wrong understanding of inspiration and scriptural inerrancy is one of the intellectual causes of fundamentalism, found in several non-Catholic sects. I am inclined to think that the faithful realize that the spiritual sense of the Bible is the final sense willed by God because of our insistence hammered in our biblical seminars that the Holy Book is written for our salvation, not mainly for our historical and intellectual curiosity and knowledge. There is no problem for our Catholics to receive the Old Testament because all know that God really chose Israel as his special people, whose history is handed down in the Old Testament. Although the Gospels are now read more often, the knowledge and reading of them remain unsatisfactory. There should be more commentaries on the Gospel adapted to the level and culture of our people. We Asians have been dreaming of producing an Asian Biblical Commentary so as to facilitate an Asian reading of Sacred Scripture. But this project still needs to be realized despite its initial success done for example in India and by some biblical scholars in China.

 

The “difficult” passages of the bible are some passages of the Old Testament where God orders the killing of people (the “herem”) to wipe out “paganism”, for the Church today is consistent in the teaching of respect for any life, human and even of animals and the life of Mother Earth. Other difficult passages in the New Testament are those which speak of the “Jews” as unbelievers, enemies of the Lord, for these can still instigate anti-Semitism for the uninformed. Other difficult passages are those which openly subordinate women to men as second class human beings (cf. letters of St. Paul). It is hard and embarrassing to read them in front of “women liberationists”, especially religious sisters! To explain these passages, the cultural approach should be taken. We need to understand the culture of the people at those times, the circumstances of the particular events and the stage of divine revelation, whose unfolding is gradual, depending on the people’s capacity to understand God’s message at that particular time of world and church history.

 

  1. Faith in the Word of God

How do believers look at the Word of God? Do the faithful listen to the Word of God with a deep faith and do they aim at re-generating their faith by it? Why do the faithful read the Bible? What criteria for discernment are used by believers in reading the Bible?

 

Most believers look at the Word of God as authoritative, meaning that they find in Sacred Scriptures God’s sure instructions how to live properly in this world in order to be citizens of the Kingdom promised by Jesus Christ. As far as I am concerned, many people are convinced that God’s Word if lived can re-generate their faith. But many apparently do not live up to this faith satisfactorily as evidenced by the many happenings in our so-called Christian country, where injustice, oppression of the powerful over the weak, inequality in political, educational and economic opportunities are rampant. For me the effect of genuine faith should be made evident in society. The faithful read the Bible for several reasons: to get acquainted with salvific history and to be able to join bible sharings and studies, taking place at our BEC-FG’s.

 

The ordinary Catholics of our diocese do not have criteria for discernment in reading the Bible except the general and simple guide they learn from our very Basic Bible Seminars. We teach them the difference between bible sharing and bible study. In the sharing they first listen to what God speaks to them in the particular word, phrase or passage they select and spontaneously proclaim to others what they understand as their personal message. The bible study is done with a more professional animator, who uses the usual criteria of biblical exegesis in a simplified form including some historico-critical analysis and adding the spiritual sense as taught by Tradition and the Magisterium.

 

  1. Mary and the Word of God

Why is Mary the Model and Mother of listening to the Word of God? Is the Word of God received and lived as she did? How can Mary become the Model for every believer of listening, meditating upon and living the Word of God?

 

Mary is the model listener to God’s Word because she is always ready to hear God speaking to her, although she cannot yet understand its meaning. This is clear in the Annunciation scene, the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the Presentation of the Baby Jesus at the Temple, and the Loss and Finding of Boy Jesus in Temple. How beautiful if we all receive and live the Word of God as Mary did! The world would be Paradise restored! Mary can become for us the Model for the listening and living the Word, when we pastors, especially we bishops, will constantly inspire our people with this foremost Marian attitude to the Word rather than talk too often of the privileges of Mary which are beyond the reach of ordinary mortals (Immaculate Conception, Assumption, Co-Redemptrix, perpetual virginity in motherhood, miraculous apparitions etc.) Mary as a listener to God’s Word, who meditates and ruminates on its meaning, contemplates on its message and lives up to it can be IMITATED by all Christians. Her MAGNIFICAT is a wonderful song to be studied, contemplated and acted upon by all Christians in order to achieve the three-fold revolutions desired by God: religious, political and socio-economic.

 

 

CHAPTER II: THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH

 

  1. The Word of God in the Life of the Church

What importance is shown to the Word of God in the life of your community and among the faithful-at-large? In what way is the Word of God a source of nourishment for Christians? Does the danger exist of reducing Christianity to a “religion of the book”? Describe how individuals show reverence and familiarity towards the Word of God in their personal life and in the life of the community on Sundays? Weekdays? In the special seasons of the liturgical year?

 

Our diocese has given a great importance to the Word of God in the life of our people by our stressing that it is impossible to establish and nourish the Basic Ecclesial Communities- Families of God without the Word of God as the central to their lives. The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines celebrated in 1991 has rightly promoted the BEC as the modern way of being Church. From my previous experience as a missionary priest working in Mindanao I have realized that the life of the small Christian or ecclesial communities is centered on God’s Word, which is understood as the Bible. Besides my pastoral experience in Mindanao as a missionary priest of the Society of the Divine Word, I introduced the bible apostolate in my first diocese of Romblon, whose diocesan pastoral plan is also aimed at the formation of Basic Ecclesial Communities. Because of the emphasis on the Word of God as playing a central role to keep these communities alive, the BEC’s in Romblon are developing quite satisfactorily, a fact I found out when I visited my former diocese two years ago. Backed up with my authoritative experience as a pastor in different areas of the country, I have been insisting that God’s Word must occupy a pivotal role in the building up and sustaining our Basic Ecclesial Communities-Families of God here in Sorsogon. In my pastoral visits of the pilot BEC’s, the people themselves admitted that the Word of God is the cause of their being gathered together. They immediately asked me how to acquire more copies of the Bible.

 

The danger of reducing Christianity to a “religion of the book” does not exist because our people have slowly learned to read the Bible not as a book of the past but God’s voice actually addressing them in words that are relevant to their daily concerns both as individuals and as members of the community. The sacramental celebrations of the Church, such as the Holy Eucharist, to which the bible is closely related, make the people feel that what is written in the Holy Book is needed to explain the meaning of the rites that make Jesus mysteriously present in their midst. The Catholic Church’s insistence on the centrality of the person of Jesus Christ and the inner relation between the Word and the Sacrament prevents our faith to be a “bookish” religion

 

The practice of enthroning the Bible in our homes has helped our faithful show proper reverence to the Word of God. Many churches and chapels have given the Bible a prominent place in the sanctuary. This new feature has aroused the curiosity of parishioners, asking their pastors the reason for placing a book in the hallowed place of the church. The good explanation of the priest bears fruit: many Catholics saw the Bible for the first time, give reverence to it and buy copies. They attend our Basic Bible Seminars and become more familiar with it. They like to hear the biblical readings on Sundays, weekdays and different liturgical seasons. Thanks to the reform of the Liturgy, people have become aware of the names of the books composing the Bible.

 

  1. The Word of God in the Formation of the People of God

What is being done to transmit the entire and complete teaching of the Word of God to your community and to each member of the faithful? Are future priests, consecrated persons and those responsible for various services in the community (catechist etc.) properly formed and periodically up-dated in the biblical aspects of their pastoral ministry? Are there ongoing programmes of formation for the laity?

 

We have put up a biblical center where people can buy copies of the bible in different languages. There is still much to do in our task of transmitting the entire and complete teaching of the Word of God to our diocese and to each member of the faithful. The first step is to train the biblical facilitators with basic bible seminars, where people learn the rudiments about the Word of God and how to do bible sharing and bible study. We oblige people who attend the seminar to buy copies of the bible. It is the task of the parish priests to commission the bible facilitators in their respective parishes to echo the basic bible seminar to all chapels and eventually to each zone of Basic Ecclesial Communities. The biblical knowledge of our people is practically nothing on account of the centuries of hiding Sacred Scripture from them. It is an uphill struggle. In all our national and regional biblical workshops we have been insisting on the right biblical formation of our seminarians and religious candidates in the seminaries and houses of formation. Due to this constant ecclesial demand some progress is being made in these institutions. Our lay partners such as the catechists, the ministers of the Word, the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion have their own ongoing program of formation which includes the biblical dimension of their respective ministry. The catechists in particular are given regular workshops and seminars with scriptural themes to enable them to communicate God’s Word to young students in the elementary and high school level.

 

  1. The Word of God, Liturgy and Prayer

What is the faithful’s approach to Sacred Scripture in liturgical and personal prayer? What is their understanding of the relationship between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist? Between the Word celebrated in the Eucharist and the everyday life of the Christian? Does the Word of God have a genuine resonance in homilies? What needs to be done? Is a listening to the Word of God incorporated in the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Does the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours include a listening to and dialogue with the Word of God? Does this practice extend to lay people? Do the People of God have sufficient access to the Bible?

 

As of now only very few of our faithful really use Sacred Scripture for personal prayer. The number one reason is that many do not have a copy of the Bible and if some do, they would not know how to use it for prayer. However, they find Sacred Scripture very meaningful when it is used in the context of a liturgical celebration like the Holy Mass and even in simple blessings. Slowly our people have acquired the understanding of the relation between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. I frequently use the image of the Holy Mass as a banquet of two menus. In the one table of this banquet, there is the first course of the Word and the second course, the Eucharist. The appetizer is the Word (which gives meaning to the rituals of the Eucharist) and main dish is the Eucharist (the life-giving bread engendered by the Word). If the Word is explained well the faithful would be able to relate the Eucharist to their everyday life. Indeed more resonance of God’s Word should be more emphasized in the homilies. People listen to good homilies based on Scriptural readings of the Mass. How I wish to listen to the homilies my priests preach on Sundays to find out whether they are scripturally based! All can hear my homilies because my Sunday Mass is broadcast by our diocesan radio. I am consoled to be told that most of my priests deliver “good” homilies but I am not sure whether they are really based on God’s Word. My clergy’s appreciation of the past three biblical retreats is an indication that they do preach God’s Word to our people. The Word of God is incorporated whenever there is a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to prepare penitents for individual confessions. The Liturgy of the Hours itself is replete with the Word of God. But I wonder if priests, including my own, are faithfully praying the Liturgy of the Hours! Very few if any of my laity pray the Liturgy of the Hours. I agree that this should be promoted more intensely because the Liturgy of the Hours is an excellent vehicle for our people to pray the inspired Word of God.

 

As of now the access of our people to the Bible is still limited, although the Philippine Bible Society has distributed more than 10,000,000 copies of the bibles in the past 25 years. The big reason is lack of funds or that the people are not yet conscious of the worth of the Bible. The Philippine Bible Society, whose Vice-Chairman I am, is doing its best to translate the Bible to different Filipino languages and to sell them at affordable prices. Thanks to the help of the Philippine Bible Society (an ecumenical group composed of different Christian Churches, including the Catholic Church), bibles translated to the main Filipino languages are now available to the faithful. There are editions intended for Catholics, the majority of our country. Our target is to distribute 8,000,000 bibles in 2008! Our problem is how to get funding for this big and ambitious project!

 

  1. The Word of God, Evangelization and Catechesis

Bearing in mind the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and those of the Church’s Magisterium, describe the positive and negative aspects of the Word of God and catechesis? How is the Word of God treated in the various forms of catechesis (Christian initiation and ongoing formation)? Does the community give sufficient attention and study to the written Word of God? If yes, please explain? How are various groups of people (children, adolescents, young people and adults) introduced to the Bible? What introductory courses on Sacred Scriptures are offered?

 

The positive aspects of the modern catechesis based on the Word of God is that the people get the basic knowledge of the faith coming from the written and inspired Word, which is the Bible. Bible stories are included which fascinate people. Ample biblical quotations are provided in explaining catechetical doctrines such as the Creed. The negative aspect is that catechesis has become complicated, too long to read and quite burdensome for simple people, who know very little theology. The older catechesis of “question and answer” such as the Baltimore Catechism is easier to remember and make people recite the basic doctrines of the Church at their finger tips. The older catechism insists on memorizing of basic prayers, the ten commandments, the precepts of the Church etc. Those who study the new catechesis cannot recite prayers and other classical lists so easily. This is alarming because our children seem to learn nothing concrete from the catechetical instruction. There should be a balance of the old and the new! But the inclusion of God’s Word in the various forms of catechetical instruction (called pre-baptismal, pre-confirmation and pre-Cana seminars) is very helpful for the candidates of the respective sacrament. Since babies cannot yet understand, the parents and godparents benefit from the pre-baptismal instruction with biblical references.

 

Our local church has various communities which give sufficient attention and study to the Word of God: the “covenanted” charismatic groups, the Neo-catechumenate group, other religious organizations. These groups possess their own modules for instructing beginners and for the ongoing formation of their members. I admire the booklet written by the elders of a certain covenanted community in Sorsogon, called the “Living Water Covenanted Community”. Very surprisingly their module is filled with doctrines based on Vatican II and Sacred Scriptures and even quotations of the Fathers of the Church and the current Magisterium. Several of our lay leaders are reading scientific biblical commentaries! However, the great majority of the people are not yet properly introduced to the Bible. For absolute beginners we are using the famous “Basic Bible Seminar” handbook produced and published by John Paul I Bibical Center, Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, which is translated to many languages all over the world.

 

  1. The Word of God, Exegesis and Theology

Is the Word of God the soul of exegesis and theology? Is its character as the Word-Revealed sufficiently understood and reverenced? Is scientific research of the Bible animated and sustained by a proper grounding in the faith? What is the customary method of approaching the scriptural text? What role does the Bible play in theological study? Is the Bible sufficiently taken into consideration in the pastoral life of the community?

 

When I was professor of both exegesis and theology at Divine Word Seminary of Tagaytay City, it was imperative that all my lectures are based on the Word of God, including my treatise on “De Trinitate”. The trend of seminary teaching was greatly changed after the promulgation of Vatican II’s Dei Verbum, which gives impetus back to the bible as the soul of all theological studies. I think this has continued and even intensified in all seminaries of the Universal Church. It is the task of the seminary and university professors to instill in their students the sense of reverence and proper understanding of its character of as the Word-Revealed. Thus a proper attitude to theological and exegetical studies demands the predisposition of faith in God’s Word as revealed for our salvation. For me a mere scientific study of the Bible as an ancient piece of literature should have no place in our theological and exegetical schools, for it defeats the purpose of God’s writing his message in human form. As a side remark the Muslims are somehow better than we Christians in their great reverence and high respect for the Koran, as God’s revealed word. Their respect for their holy book (even on an external level) is amazing and puts us Christians to shame when we simply treat the Bible as a human book, forgetting its character as Divine Revelation.

 

The customary method of approaching the scriptural text is to treat the passage as a “proof” of a theological assertion.  But this is a very superficial and unorthodox treatment of Sacred Scripture. Before attempting to do systematic theology with philosophic reasons, the theologian or theological teacher should first study and expound the teaching found in Sacred Scripture itself. Let the Bible speak for itself, bearing in mind all the hermeneutical principles. All theologians (dogmatic, moral, liturgical) are happily following this procedure: examine the scriptural data before relating them to Tradition and Magisterial pronouncements and philosophical and other modern scientific argumentation. Thus, it is quite proper for all theologians to undergo training in scientific biblical exegesis to enable them to cull out the proper meaning of the scripture text before using it for their systematic theological presentation to the students. Hence the role that the Bible plays in theological study is absolutely important. No theology is valid without the Bible! Today there is already a growing attempt to take the Bible sufficiently into consideration in the pastoral life of the community. A very good example is making the Bible the focal point in the building up and sustaining the Basic Ecclesial Communities, so prevalent in the “third world” Churches.

 

  1. The Word of God and the Life of the Believer

What is the impact of Sacred Scripture in the spiritual lives of the People of God? The clergy? Those in the consecrated life? The lay faithful? Is Mary’s attitude of poverty and trust in the Magnificat evident? Why does seeking to pile up material goods impede a fervent listening to the Word of God? In the celebration of the Eucharist and other liturgical celebrations, is the Word of God a strong or weak instrument of communicating the faith? Why do various Christians seem to be cold or indifferent to the Bible? Is lectio divina practical? Under what forms? Which factors favour it and which do not?

 

Among those who have started to appreciate the real worth of Sacred Scripture, its impact on their spiritual lives is felt very much. I am surprised to hear testimonies of Catholic families that the Bible has really changed their way of living and their family life has become much better under the influence of the power of God’s Word. But the great majority, who are not yet sufficiently exposed to the riches of the Bible, do not feel a big impact on their lives. They are more aware of the power of the Sacraments ex opere operato and a bit ex opere operantis. The priests and deacons, who pray the Liturgy of the Hours and celebrate Mass daily, are expected to experience the great impact on God’s Word in their lives. Clerics who fall are those who do not make use of Sacred Scripture in their personal prayer and meditation. This is true for persons in the consecrated life, who are in general more exposed to the reading and meditating on Sacred Scripture.

 

Mary’s attitude of poverty and trust in the Magnificat is evident among our poor people, especially the members of the BEC-Families of God, in our diocese. Despite their poverty, they seem to be happy especially when they gather together for their regular bible sharing. When a person is rich in material things, his taste for spiritual life is very little or almost gone because he has already his fill on earth. He “has had it”. However, there are also several wealthy and educated persons who have become attracted to God’s Word, particularly those who have joined convenanted charismatic communities. They treat their earthly goods as mere stewards and are quite generous in supporting church projects. Hence, being wealthy in itself is not an absolute hindrance to the listening of God’s Word. Some wealth is even needed to be able to enjoy the sweet message of the Lord. Primum vivere, deinde precari! In the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the Word of God has become a stronger instrument in the communication of the faith because of improved homilies based on the Bible. However, in the other sacraments, especially those done outside the context of the Eucharist, the Word of God is not yet felt as a strong instrument for eliciting faith. The reason for various Christians to be cold or indifferent to the Bible is that they are ignorant of the role of the Bible in the Church. Forty years after Dei Verbum the majority of the Filipino Catholics have not yet been properly introduced to Sacred Scripture. I do not blame them for their attitude of indifference, which was caused by the fact that for so long a time the Bible is kept hidden from them. If the leaders of the local Church are exerting enough pastoral efforts to disseminate biblical seminars and workshops, this coldness will disappear. From my experience the Bible is a very attractive book to Catholics if they understand what it means in their lives. Lectio divina is practiced in the BEC under different forms.

 

The Lectio Divina is adapted to the situation of our people. In the special BEC edition of the Bible co-published by the Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate of the CBCP and by the Philippine Bible Society, there is an appendix of various forms of “bible sharing”, the different versions of the Lectio Divina. We include the following popular methods:

1)      Prayer Response (3 RSSP – Vigan Method 1)

2)      Action Response (3 RSSA -  Vigan Method 2)

3)      Lectio Divina in Community (Vigan Wabi)

4)      Bibliarasal Approach (Fr. Efren Rivera, OP)

5)      The Seven Steps (7S Lumko)

6)      Twin-Picture (TP-Lumko)

7)      Watching Jesus (WJ-Lumko)

8)      Group Response (GR-Lumko)

9)      Life-Bible-Notes (L-B-N-Lumko)

10)  Look-Listen-Love (L-L-L-Lumko)

These 10 methods are expounded in out BEC Bible to help the community do various types of Lectio Divina, suited to their time, situation and particular events and needs.

 

 

CHAPTER III: The Word of God in the Mission of the Church

 

  1. Proclaiming the Word of God in the Contemporary World

From pastoral experience, describe the factors which foster a listening to the Word of God and those which hinder it? Can a certain interior unrest or the stimulus of other Christians, etc. lead to to a renewal of faith? Can secularism, the continual bombardment of various messages from the world, life-styles opposed to Christian teaching, etc. hinder it? How must the Word of God be proclaimed in light of these challenges?

 

From my pastoral experience the factors which foster a listening to the Word of God are the social and economic situations of the people. The poor, simple and “marginalized” people are more docile to the voice of God’s Word. Conversely the factor that hinders listening to God’s Word are material prosperity and a high place in society. In general the rich and powerful have neither time nor use for God’s Word, although there are also notable exceptions in our diocese. For as I already remarked some members of the covenanted charismatic groups belong to the elite of society and they read, meditate, contemplate and live the Word of God in their daily activities as Christians and professionals. Other factors that hinder listening to God’s Word are the vices such as gambling, drinking, drug addiction etc. Also extreme poverty or destitution makes the hearts of people callous to everything. The local church should do pre-evangelization for people in this stratum of society. It is true that a personal crisis can lead a person to renew his/her faith upon listening to God’s Word. The stimulus of other Christian groups – like that of the “born again” type – can challenge our Catholics to strengthen their faith based on the Bible, although some have become so attracted to these groups that they have left the Catholic Church.

 

It is definitely true that the values of the world promoted by the media are hindering our people, especially the youth, from giving attention to the values of the Kingdom as proclaimed by God’s Word. Hence, we have exerted special efforts to reach out to the young people, offering them something better: Sacred Scriptures. We have a special edition of the Bible called the “BEC YOUTH BIBLE” (in English), also co-published by the Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate of the CBCP and the Philippine Bible Society. In the light of these challenges the Word of God must be proclaimed more aggressively by modern means of communication such as the radio, television, internet and national news papers. A unique method of promoting the Bible among the youth and modern people in the Philippines is the “BIBLE ANIME”, which sends and transmits biblical texts in cellular phones operated by SMART, the largest cellular phone company in our country. We are encouraging the youth, especially the students, and all cellphone buffs to subscribe to the “BIBLE ANIME”. Filipinos like to read text messages sent through their cellphones. They love to pass these messages to friends. The Philippines is dubbed as the “texting capital” in the world. We are “exploiting” this for the bible cause!

 

  1. Easy Access to Scripture

How does the directive in Dei Verbum, 22, “Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful,” correspond to fact? Provide some data, even if it be approximate, on this. Can an increase in listening to God’s Word in the Bible be detected among individuals and whole communities?

 

This directive of Dei Verbum was taken seriously by The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines as early as 1967 when the Conference established an Episcopal Committee on the Bible under the Episcopal Commission for the Promotion of Christian Unity. This Bible Committee asked the help of the Philippine Bible Society (then serving exclusively for the Protestant Churches) to provide Bibles for the Catholics in the Philippines. The Philippine Bible Society responded positively to the extent of making this society truly ecumenical, including in its Board of Trustees 5 members representing the Catholic Church. This is the first Bible Society connected with the United Bible Societies to be openly ecumenical and to engage in friendly relations with the Catholic Church. Since then Catholic Bible editions of all Philippine major languages have been produced with the help of the Philippine Bible Society. The translation team, following the rules of interconfessional translation accepted by all Christian Churches, includes the best scholars of both Catholic and Protestant churches. As a result of this massive distribution of copies of the bible, which is going on, there is an increase in reading and listening to God’s Word among individuals and communities, compared with the times before the promulgation of Vatican II’s Dei Verbum.

 

From 1981 to 2006, the Philippine Bible Society distributed (or sold) 2,186,697 copies of COMPLETE CATHOLIC BIBLES (with Deuterocanonical Books) in 8 major Filipino languages:

  1. Tagalog: 1,302,301
  2. Cebuano:   617,672
  3. Ilokano:       94,707
  4. Hiligaynon: 73,753
  5. Bikolano:    39,648
  6. Samarenyo: 38,400
  7. Pangasinan: 16,558
  8. Pampango:  3,658

 

In the same period, the Philippine Bible Society distributed (or sold) 8,530,826 copies of NEW TESTAMENT (with Imprimatur for the Catholics), in the same major languages:

  1. Tagalog:   6,360,566
  2. Cebuano:  1,617,114
  3. Ilokano:       385,286
  4. Hiligaynon:   95,523
  5. Bikolano:      35,473
  6. Pampango:    23,199
  7. Pangasinan:   10,516
  8. Samarenyo:     3,149

 

N.B. The figures do not include Complete Bibles for Protestants (without the Deuterocanonicals) and the New Testament for Protestants (without the imprimatur).

 

There are other publishing houses like the Saint Paul Society and the Claretian Publications, which also produce, distribute and sell bibles. But I do not have their figures. The number of bibles they have distributed is of course less than that of the PBS, which has been engaged in bible production and distribution for the past 104 years.

 

Despite the impressive figure of bibles distributed by PBS in the past 25 years (a total of 10,717,523) to Catholics, the Catholic Church has still a long way to go because there are more than 70,000,000 Filipino baptized Catholics. Our aim is to let every Filipino possess a copy of the bible or at least every Catholic home must have a bible. We take it for granted that Protestant homes have a bible because possessing a bible and not having it used to be the distinguishing characteristic of Protestants and Catholics in the Philippines! However we can now rightly say that the Bible has become a “best seller” also among Catholics after the promulgation of Vatican II’s Dei Verbum.

 

Besides Bible translations to the major languages, there are also translations of the New Testament and other parts of the Bible to fifty-six (56) minority languages of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines published by different groups such as the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), The Bible League, Bible Society in the Republic of China, International Bible Society, Translators Committee of the Philippines, The Seed Company, World Home Bible League, and Word Publishing Society from the year 1975 through 2006.

 

These are the Filipino minority (tribal/indigenous peoples) languages into which the New Testament and/or other parts of the Old Testament have been translated, in the order of their publication from 1975 to 2006:

 

  1. Mansaka 2. Ifugao: Batad 3. Ibaloi 4. Agta: Umiray Dumagat 5. Dibabawon-Cebuano 6. Manobo: Western Bukidnon 7. Tboli 8. Agta: Casiguran Dumagat 9 Ifugao: Antipolo 10. Ifugao: Amganad 11. Isnag (Isneg) 12. Blaan: Sarangani 13. Chavacano 14. Balangao 15. Manobo: Sarangani 16. Mamanwa 17. Sambal: Botolan 18. Tiruray 19. Kankanay: Northern 20. Ivatan 21. Yakan 22. Tausug 23. Binukid 24. Kalinga: Southern 25. Sama: Central 26. Manobo: Cotabato 27. Manobo: Ilianen 28. Ibanag 29. Caluyanen-Tagalog 30. Kankanaey 31. Ifugao; Tuwali 32. Tagbanwa 33. Agta: Central Cagayan 34. Bontoc: Central 35. Subanen: Central-Cebuano 36. Masbatenyo 37. Sama: Pangutaran 38. Yami 39. Atta (Pamplona) 40. Blaan: Koronadal 41. Ibatan-Ilokano 42. Subanon: Western 43. Hiligaynon 44. Inabaknon 45. Sambal: Tina – Tagalog 46. Manobo: Agusan 47. Ga’dang 48. Ata Manobo 49. Agta: Eastern Cagayan (Dupaninan)-Ilokano 50. Tagbanwa: Calamin 51. Finallig 52. Limos Kalinga 53. Tagabawa 54. Agutaynen-Tagalog 55. Mayoyao Ifugao 56. Ayta Mag-antsi (aka Ayta Mag-anchi)

 

  1. Spreading the Word of God

Describe the biblical apostolate in the diocesan community? Is there a diocesan programme? Are those working in the programme properly prepared? Are people aware of the Catholic Biblical Federation? What are the means of encounter with the Word of God (Bible study, listening groups, courses on the Bible, a Day of Celebrating the Bible and lectio divina) and which are most frequented by Christians? What translations of the Bible-complete or partial- are available? What is the practice of the Bible in families? What programmes are offered to people at various age levels (children, adolescents, young people, adults)? How are the means of social communication employed? What elements are seen to have value?

 

In our diocese the biblical apostolate is part of the fourth diocesan pastoral plan which we call the Diocesan Ecclesial and Evangelization Program (DEEP). The biblical apostolate is an important component of out Commission on Education. Following the structure of the Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, our pastoral biblical ministry is headed by a Diocesan Director, who is responsible for the implementing the biblical apostolate in the diocesan level. Among his tasks is to give initial and ongoing formation to all the biblical animators of all our 28 parishes. Each parish has also a biblical coordinator who heads the parish biblical pastoral ministry. The biblical animators of the parish train the biblical  core groups of each Chapel Pastoral Council, whose biblical animators will be responsible for facilitating the bible sharing and bible study of the BEC’s existing in the Chapel territory. Our diocesan biblical director is a priest who is highly trained. He holds a licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. The biblical animators of the parishes have various degrees of preparedness for their task. Some, who are leaders in covenanted charismatic groups, are more competent in the biblical field, while others have to be really formed as beginners, except those who are also engaged in our catechetical ministry.

 

The clergy, religious and the lay leaders of Sorsogon are aware of the existence of the Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF) because I, their bishop, am the present Moderator of the Executive Committee of the CBF for the past five years and I am sometimes out of the diocese and of the country to attend meetings of the CBF abroad. And they come to know it from my monthly schedule posted in the parish bulletins. Many times I have spoken to the clergy and the laity about what the CBF is doing for the Universal Church and that the CBCP is a full member of the CBF and that there are several associate CBF members in our country. The active CBF associate members based in the Philippines are the following:

1)      John Paul I Biblical Center

2)      East Asian Pastoral Institute

3)      Cebu Lay Formation Center

4)      The 3 SVD Philippine Provinces (Society of the Divine Word – North, Central and Southern Provinces)

5)      The Benedictine Sisters of the Eucharistic King (O.S.B. nuns)

6)      Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (SIHM) Baguio City

7)      Mater Dei Bible Center, Diocese of Malolos under the Handmaids of the Divine Word (HDW)

8)      Notre Dame de Vie Institute 

 

We have the usual means of encountering with the Word of God such as bible sharing and bible study, which happen regularly at the BEC’s and other groups. But there are special celebrations such as the annual Bible Week celebrated by the whole country together with all Christians on account of three Presidential Proclamations:

1) Presidential Proclamation no. 2242 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos on October 27, 1979, to be observed every last week of November.

2) Presidential Proclamation no. 44 (1986) of President Corazon C. Aquino assigning the last week of January as the National Bible Week

3) Presidential Proclamation no. 1067 (1997) of President Fidel Ramos, reiterating the celebration of the National Bible Week and recognizing the Bible as “an excellent source of life-giving principles to develop a value-oriented, morally strong, and socially responsible citizenry.”

 

On July 27, 2007, we had a symposium on the Bible for the BEC attended by 120 biblical animators and school educators. This symposium was co-organized by the ECBA-CBCP and the PBS. Our version of the lectio divina, called the Vigan Method (3 RSSP and 3 RSSA) is the most frequently used because of its simplicity and clarity of preocedure with good results for sustaining the BEC’s.

 

A recent development in our country is the National Catholic Family Bible Quiz, which started in 2004 through the initiative of a lay woman, Miss Elvira Y. Go, who asked for the help of some CBCP commissions and committees to realize this project. The First National Catholic Family Bible Quiz, whose finals were held in Manila in January 2007, was so successful that the bishops and the laity clamored for a second, resulting in forming a National Secretariat for this bi-annual event. After the even more successful Second NCFBQ, the organizers, upon the suggestion of the then Apostolic Nuncio Fernando Filoni, made it an international event by promoting it among the Overseas Filipino Workers. The first International CFBQ was held in Italy, (first in Florence on April 22, 2007 and second in Rome on May 3, 2007). There are plans to introduce this biblical event to many other countries were Filipino families have emigrated. In the First NCFBQ 44 dioceses participated but in the Second NCFBQ the number of dioceses increased to 57 (out of 86 ecclesiastical jurisdictions). I am sure more if not all dioceses will be involved in the third one to be conducted two years from now.

 

With the help of the Philippine Bible Society, translations of the complete bible to all major Filipino languages are now available, besides English, which is the second language of our country.

1)      Tagalog, 2) Cebuano, 3) Ilokano, 4) Hiligaynon, 5) Bikol, 6) Pampango, 7) Pangasinan, 8) Samarenyo

 

Over the years the Philippine Bible Society has cooperated in producing at least one book of the New Testament in at least 55 minority languages in our country in cooperation with several mission groups such as the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Besides the Philippine Bible Society, the Claretian Publications and the Society of St. Paul have published English Bibles and bibles translated to some major Philippine languages.

 

In our Basic Bible Seminars we enthrone the Bible so that the families will do the same in their homes. Those who have attended the BBS have already enthroned the Bible at home. However, I am not sure whether they continue the practice of bible sharing at home which they learned in the seminar. But it is certain that what was never done before, i.e. Catholic families doing bible sharing, is now happening at present after the promulgation of Dei Verbum.

 

Bible classes are given to school children by the catechists. The youth in our High Schools are given biblical courses if catechism is taught in their school. During long vacations the youth have assemblies, where they can hear something of the Word of God. Our lay leaders have an ongoing biblical formation given by our diocesan biblical director. In our diocese, we have a daily biblical study broadcast through our diocesan radio. The diocesan biblical director, who is also an exegete, has also a biblical program aired by the Television of the Aemilianum Institute of the Clerics Regular of Somasca. Two Sunday Masses are aired on our radio so that people even beyond my diocese can listen to God’s Word proclaimed in two homilies. The Bishop’s Sunday Mass at the cathedral is one of the two Masses heard on the radio. There is no doubt that the use of social communication is valuable for evangelization. That is why, one of our diocesan commissions is called Commission on Media for Evangelization comprising of three instrumentalities: the radio, the television and the print media. We have the “Good News Sorsogon Foundation, Inc.” with Board of Trustees, who oversee the management and administration of these instruments of social communication for the spreading of the Word of God.

 

 

 

  1. The Word of God in Ecumenical Dialogue

Proclaiming the Word in today’s world requires a coherency with one’s witness of life. Is this noticeable in the lives of today’s Christians? How can it be fostered? In ecumenical dialogue, how have the particular Churches taken up the principles contained in Dei Verbum? Does Sacred enter into ecumenical discussion with Sister Churches? What role do they attribute to the Word of God? What are their points of encounter with the Word of God? Is collaboration possible with the United Bible Societies (UBS)? Are there conflicting situations in the use of the Bible?

 

In the Philippines where the majority of the people are baptized Catholics, we see little of  the coherency with one’s life witness as a good Christian. On the other hand, I have found among several Protestant friends, who are leaders of their various churches, a better manifestation of the Christian life. I do not blame the Catholic Church. It is simply a common phenomenon that the minority is usually “better” than the majority. To my surprise and delight I have made many friends among the leaders of the other Christian churches, who are really good Christians. Yes, through the Word of God, our common heritage, ecumenical dialogue is being fostered and done, following the principles of Dei Verbum. It is this document that has fostered a very close relationship between the Catholic Church and the main Protestant Churches in the Philippines.

 

On February 14, 1967, the Chairman of the Bible Committee of the Episcopal Commission for the Promotion of Christian Unity of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Mario Baltazar, OP, approached the Philippine Bible Society (then a purely non-Catholic organization) to request permission to use existing Bible Society language Bibles. Knowing the inadequacy of these old texts for the young and modern people, the Bible Society authorities counter-proposed a cooperative venture to produce Bibles in contemporary or popular languages that could be used by both Protestants and Catholics, hence INTERCONFESSIONAL. Further talks led ultimately to the organization in May 1968 of five major language Bible translation projects in Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilokano and Tagalog. Subsequently three other NT projects (Pampango, Pangasinan and Samarenyo) also commenced.

 

Thus, in response to the need to prepare new translation, PBS formed translation committees consisting of carefully selected translators and Bible scholars from the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches. Together they worked, guided by the “Guiding Principles for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible” agreed upon by the United Bible Societies and the Pontifical Commission for the Promotion of Christian Unity. Since then, Protestants and Catholics in the Philippines have come together in the pursuit of the Bible Cause. Among the 18 members of the Board of Trustees of the PBS are five representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, of whom two are bishops. Several Catholics have already been elected as Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Philippine Bible Society.  I am the present Vice-Chairman and Vice-President of the Philippine Bible Society.

 

In view of the cooperation of the Sister Churches in the bible cause frequent ecumenical discussion with them is happening and has become very fruitful. The important points of encounter with the Word of God is its power to change the hearts of people, to effect national renewal and transformation in our infamously “corrupt” Christian country in Asia and the world! The Catholic and other Sister Churches are one in our mission to make our country really Christian by listening to God’s Word and by changing our lives according to the Gospel values. Our common dream is the transformation of the Philippines through the power of God’s Word.

 

The Philippine Bible Society has become a prominent member of the United Bible Societies. The present General Secretary of the PBS, a lady, sits as member of the global board of the UBS. The PBS has made history at the UBS by being the first National Bible Society to become ecumenical by including Catholics in their Board. The other National Bible Societies have followed suit.

 

As far as our country is concerned there are no conflicting situations in the use of the Bible, since we respect each others’ confession of faith. We never quarrel about Sacred Scripture. There is a standing respect for the “confessional” interpretation. But in the practical application of Sacred Scripture to life situation we fully agree with each other and are glad to listen to each other. Several times I have given homilies to my Protestant friends, who approve of what I say. During the recent retreat (July 2007) held for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, sponsored by the Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate, one of the speakers was a Protestant Bishop, whose conference on the Bible was a great inspiration for us Catholic bishops. That was the first time that a Protestant Bishop spoke to Catholic Bishops in the context of a holy retreat.

 

 

  1. The Word of God in Dialogue with the Jewish People

 

      Is priority given to dialogue with the Jewish people? What points of encounter on

            the Bible might  prove  beneficial? Are  biblical texts used to ferment attitudes of       

           anti-Semitism?

 

In the Philippines the presence of the Jewish people is minimal. There is only one Jewish synagogue in Manila. I have never encountered a Jew here in our country.

 

  1. The Word of God in Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue

 

Describe any existing experiences of dialogue based on the Christian Scriptures with those who possess their own sacred books. How can those who do not believe in the divine inspiration of Sacred Scripture come in contact with the Word of God? Does a Word of God exist even for those who do not believe in God? Is the Bible also approached in its character as a “Great Code”, which contains a richness for all? Describe any experiences of intercultural dialogue which uses the Bible as reference point. What procedures can be followed to support Christian communities in dealing with the sects?

 

My concrete experience of dialogue based on Christian Scriptures with those who possess their own sacred books happened during the 4th Asian-Oceanian Regional Biblical Congress held in Tagaytay City, Philippines, on February 14-18, 2005. Having the theme “God’s Word: Living Hope and Lasting Peace”, one of the aims of the congress was to share different traditions of peace in the light of Asian sacred scriptures prevailing in Asia amidst political and cultural conflicts. So we invited leaders of four religions that have sacred writings to talk to us about the main tenets of their religion and their concepts of harmony and peace as found in their scriptures. We engaged in some dialogue with them after their sharing. We listened to a Buddhist monk, a Hindu professor, a Muslim scholar, and a Sikh religious leader. To our surprise their concepts of peace and hope are not far from our own Christian ideas. So there is much to agree about in these Asian sacred scriptures, although we maintain that our Bible is the inspired Word of God. However the four speakers are equally convinced that their sacred writings are also inspired! So we concluded that it would be good to know better the sacred writings of other religions not for intellectual curiosity, like a course on comparative religion, but for life with the aim of promoting dialogue among us so that peace and harmony would exist in vast Asia. Christians are a very tiny minority in this continent.

 

There is a Bishops-Ulama Conference in the Island of Mindanao whose members are Catholic and Protestant Bishops and Muslim Imams. This group engages in intercultural dialogue, using both the Bible and Koran as a reference point, in order to achieve peace and to stop the ongoing conflict between some Muslims and Christians in Mindanao. Through this ongoing intercultural and interreligious dialogue there is hope that the conflict will soon end.

 

The sects are rather problematic even in the Philippines. Their mission seems to be centered on this: proselytizing the Catholics by means of the Word of God by attacking particular Catholic doctrines. I am personally tired of answering their classic objections to the Catholic faith: the devotion to Mary, the Mother of God; the veneration of images and some sacraments. To support Christians in dealing with the sects, it is sometimes necessary to engage in “apologetics”. There is a group called “Catholic Faith Defenders” whose mission is to give clear explanation of Catholic doctrines as based in Sacred Scripture and Tradition for the benefit of Catholics who are bombarded by militant non-Catholic groups, called “born again” Christians. Because of its expediency, our biblical commission is giving some recognition to the modern apologists, who have saved several Catholics from joining the sects.

 

POSTSCRIPT:

 

I suggest that some kind of historical account should be included at the introduction of the Instrumentum Laboris, which will briefly narrate the situation of the Word of God in the Catholic Church in the wake of the Reformation started by Martin Luther’s “Scriptura Sola”. Indeed, somehow overreacting to Luther’s “Scriptura Sola”, the Catholic Church answered with the “Babylonian captivity of the Bible”. Some historical facts can be cited. For example, in the Middle Ages the controversy with the Reformation, started by Luther, and its interpretation of Scripture led to many decisions that reflected a defensive position. For example, Pope Paul IV (1559) and Pope Pius IV (1564 demanded permission of a bishop or inquisitor for reading the Bible in the vernacular.

 

It was a step forward when Pope Benedict XIV (1757) allowed the use of translations; these needed either the approval of the Holy See or the addition of comments by the Fathers of the Church or other reliable authors.

 

From Pope Leo XIII on the situation started to improve, for the study and reading of the Bible was encouraged. Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical “Providentissimus Deus” (1893) and Pope Benedict XV’s “Spiritus Paraclitus” (1920) provided the way for the rightful place of the Bible in the Church by admonishing also the laity to read and study the Bible. Of course Pope Pius XII’s “Divino Afflante Spiritu” (1943) is a landmark encyclical, a forerunner of Vatican II’s Dei Verbum.

 

A mention of the “biblical movement” which simultaneously emanated from below should be made, such as a new awareness of the church among the laity, inspired by the writings of the theologian Romano Guardini, and the program of the Catholic Youth Movement, which was to “reform one’s life in Christ”. The youth accepted out of hand the Gospel text and tried to make one’s own the scenes, situations, and people portrayed there and apply it all to one’s own life. Also the Liturgical Movement with its stress on biblical homilies, such as in Germany (Katholische Bibelwerk in Stuttgart – 1933), in Switzerland (Schweizer Katholische Bibelwerk – 1935), in Austria (Klosterneuburger Bibelapostolat – 1951) was a great factor of the biblical impetus among Catholics in the years preceding the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council. The Catholic Bible Society was established in Canada in 1940, followed by the Catholic Bible Association in America (USA).

 

All these led to the full recognition of the importance of the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church asserted at the Dei Verbum of Vatican II. May the Word of God continue to run throughout the whole world at a faster pace!

 

By:

 

         

          Most Rev. Arturo M. Bastes, SVD

          Bishop of Sorsogon

          Chairman, Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate-Catholic Bishops’

                            Conference of the Philippines

          Moderator, Executive Committee of the Catholic Biblical Federation

 

September 30, 2007, Feast of St. Jerome

Sorsogon City, Philippines