The Prophetic Word

The Prophetic Word 

The Instrumentum Laboris of the Synod on the Word of God talks about the "Expression of God as a Hymn with many voices" (IL 9). Through this articulation, the Instrumentum Laboris alludes to the way that there are a few levels of importance to the expression "the Word of God" (e.g. the Word of God as the Second Person of the Trinity, the Word of God as the made world, or the Word of God as the Incarnate Word, and so forth.). The Lineamenta for the Synod had talked before of an "ensemble of implications" of the Word of God. Despite the fact that not in the very same sense, I figure we can utilize this same symbolism for the arrangement of reflection days that have been sorted out by USG-UISG and SEDOS on the event of the continuous Synod on the Word of God. Amid these three reflection days, we wish to analyze the different measurements of a personal prophetic Word of God – to be specific, the Word of God as imaginative, prophetic and liberating. A week ago, we thought about the blessed life and the innovative measurement of the Word of God. Today, we wish to ponder the blessed life and the prophetic measurement of the Word of God. In reacting to the demand to offer a reflection on the sanctified life and the prophetic measurement of the Word of God, I figured I would put forth three inquiries – in particular: (1) In what sense is the Word of God prophetic? (2) In what way does the Word of God upgrade the prophetic character of the blessed life? (3) What has been the experience of my own assemblage in such manner? These three inquiries shape the three sections of this short reflection. 

 The Prophetic Word. 

The main inquiry, at that point, is in what sense is the Word of God prophetic? I trust three components should be considered. 

The Word of God as a Call to Action: 

The principal component is the character of the Word of God as an invitation to take action. As we probably are aware, the Word of God isn't a sit without moving word. It is a dynamic and dynamic word. It achieves what it says. In Genesis, we hear God saying: "Let there be light", and there was light. In section 55 of Isaiah, we read: For similarly as from the sky the rain and snow descend and don't return there till they have watered the earth, making it ripe and productive, offering seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, so should my oath be that goes forward from my mouth; It might not come back to me void, but rather might do my will, accomplishing the end for which I sent it (Is 55:10-11). As we probably are aware, prophetic writing in the book of scriptures is loaded with cases of how singular prophets or the entire country of Israel is invigorated to activity by hearing the Word of God or perusing the Torah. The Word of God is dynamic and dynamic. In the expressions of Pope Benedict XVI, it is "performative". In spite of the fact that not precisely in reference to the Word of God, we read the accompanying in his encyclical Spe Salvi: So now we can state: Christianity was not just "uplifting news" – the correspondence of an up to this point obscure substance. In our dialect, we would state: the Christian message was "enlightening" as well as "performative". That implies: the Gospel isn't only a correspondence of things that can be known – it is one that gets things going and is extraordinary (SS 2). 

The Word of God as a Call to Conversion: 

The second component is the character of the Word of God as a call to transformation. By and by, prophetic writing in the book of scriptures contains numerous cases of the Word of God as a call to change. In part 8 of the book of the prophet Nehemiah, we find out about the perusing of the Book of the Law "from sunrise till early afternoon, within the sight of the men, ladies and those youngsters mature enough to comprehend" which incited the general population to apologize from their wrongdoings and look for God (cf. Neh 8:3ff). Maybe the most emotional case is the book of the prophet Hosea. The book opens with these words: "In the start of the LORD'S talking ... the LORD said to Hosea: 'Go, take a whore spouse and mistress' kids, for the land offers itself to harlotry, getting some distance from the LORD'" (Hos 1:2). In section 6, the prophet says: In their burden, they should search for me: "Come, let us come back to the LORD, For it is he who has leased, yet he will mend us; he has struck us, yet he will tie our injuries. He will resuscitate us following two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his quality" (Hos 6: 1-2). As such, the Word of God isn't just "performative" (achieving what it says), it is likewise "transformative". As the Holy Father says in Spe Salvi, the Word of God is "groundbreaking" (on the same page.). It requires a change – change of the distinct individual as well as of the bigger society or of the whole country, as we find in the book of the prophet Hosea. Frequently, keeping in mind the end goal to realize this change, God approaches the prophet to go, figuratively speaking, "against the current". He requests that the prophet challenge the smugness of his counterparts. A valor like that of Hosea is frequently what is required in prophets sent to a world needing change. 

The Word of God as Response to the Cry of the Poor: 

The third component is the character of the Word of God as a reaction to the cry of poor people. Prophetic writing teems with portrayals of the abuse and abuse of poor people and voiceless by the rich and effective. Prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Amos portray the circumstance of poor people and what God expects to do for their benefit. For instance, Amos records the contemplations of the capable plotting against the poor in the accompanying words: When will New Moon be over so we can offer our corn, and Sabbath, so we can showcase our wheat? At that point, we can influence the bushel-to to quantify littler and the shekel-weight greater, by falsely messing with the scales. We can purchase up to the frail for silver and the poor for a couple of shoes, and even get a cost for the sweepings of the wheat" (Amos 8:5-6). 

In many examples the poor cry of the Lord since they consider him to be their exclusive shelter. The individuals who ought to ensure them have turned into their persecutors (Is 3:15). The poor find in the Word of God a reaction to their cry. They are comforted and reaffirmed by entries like Psalm 10:17-18: "God, you tune in to the mourns of poor people, you give them boldness, you concede them a hearing, to give judgment for the stranded and abused, with the goal that natural people may strike fear no more". 

Then again, the oppressors who swing to God to demonstrate their purity get words like those of Isaiah 58:6-11: 

Isn't this the kind of quick that satisfies me: to break treacherous shackles, to fix the thongs of the burden, to release the abused free, and to break all burdens? Is it not imparting your nourishment to the hungry, and protecting the destitute poor; on the off chance that you see somebody lacking garments, to dress him, and not to get some distance from your own particular kinfolk? 

For sure, for poor people, the change of the oppressor is the most certain sign that God has heard their cry. In the tale of the prophet Elijah, God's reaction to the cry of the poor is intervened by the prophet's guard of the poor against the effects of this world (1 Kg 18-19). 

To total up, at that point, the Word of God is prophetic seeing that it is experienced as an invitation to take action (the Word of God as performative), a call to change (the Word of God as transformative), and a reaction to the cry of poor people (the Word of God as liberative). 

 The Prophetic character of Consecrated Life. 

The second inquiry is how does the Word of God improve the prophetic character of the blessed life? Give me a chance to start by citing the post-synodal archive, Vita Consecrata: 

The prophetic character of the sanctified life .... takes the state of an extraordinary type of partaking in Christ's prophetic office... There is a prophetic measurement which has a place with the blessed life accordingly, coming about because of the radical idea of the accompanying of Christ and of the ensuing commitment to the mission normal for the sanctified life. The sign esteem, which the Second Vatican Council recognizes in the sanctified life, is communicated in the prophetic observer to the power which God and the realities of the Gospel have in the Christian life. In view of this pre-greatness, nothing can precede individual love of Christ and of the poor in whom he lives (VC 84). 

At the end of the day, there are two components which give the blessed life its prophetic character – the radical after of Christ and devotion to mission, or individual love of Christ and love of poor people. Today, this prophetic character of the sanctified life is being improved in the endeavor of religious assemblages to rediscover the centrality of the Word of God in their life and mission.

The Word of God in Scriptures. 

First, the Word of God in Scriptures. Renewal of the religious life today generally comes in the form of putting the Word of God at the center of their spirituality and community life. Such practices as the daily reading of Scriptures and a regular Bible sharing are becoming more and more common in religious communities. The Lectio Divina, recommended by several recent documents of the Church, is being re-learned and practiced by religious communities. Indeed, familiarity with Sacred Scriptures is a powerful and indispensable way of nourishing the following of Jesus and love for the Lord. Listening to the Word of God in Scriptures fosters a personal relationship with Christ, and thus enhances the first element of the prophetic character of the consecrated life, namely, a personal love of Christ. 

The Word of God in frontier situations.

 Second, the Word of God in frontier situations. As we know, the Word of God is not “locked up in writing”. Many Synod Fathers have referred to this statement in the Instrumentum Laboris. As mentioned earlier, the Instrumentum Laboris speaks of the Word of God as “a hymn with many voices”. The Word of God is not limited to the biblical word. In his intervention at the Synod, Fr. Wilhelm Steckling, the superior general of the OMI, emphasized the Word of God as found in the “extra-biblical word” – in creation, in history, in the cultures of nations, in the lives of people, especially those in frontier situations. Listening to the Word of God in the Bible is like a schoolroom task which allows us to learn the grammar of God’s Word so that we may recognize the Word of God revealed outside and beyond the Bible. Knowing Christ in the Bible is like getting to know him face to face so that we may recognize him as he passes by among the people in frontier situations. Vatican II’s document, Dei Verbum, begins with the phrase “Dei Verbum audiences et proclamations”. The Church proclaims the Word of God but also listens to it – listens to it as it is revealed in Sacred Scriptures, but also, to use the words of Gaudium et Spes, in “the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men [and women] of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted” (GS 1). It is particularly through consecrated men and women that the Church does this, especially those consecrated men and women who are engaged in mission at the frontiers of our faith and the margins of society. In frontier situations, they endeavor to listen to the Word of God revealed in the lives of ordinary people, in the aspirations of the poor and marginalized, in the searching of faith-seekers, in the cultural and religious traditions of people of other faiths. This enhances the second element of the prophetic character of consecrated life, namely, dedication to mission or love of the poor. 

In both ways, then – that is, listening to God’s Word in Scriptures and listening to God’s Word in frontier situations, the Word of God enhances the prophetic character of consecrated life.

 The Word of God in Society of the Divine Word. 

And now to the third question, namely, what has been the experience of my own congregation in this regard? Let me begin by saying that Vatican II, through its decree, Perfectae Caritatis, called for the renewal of religious congregations in the light of three principles – namely, the Gospel, the charism of the founder and the changed conditions of our time (PC 2). In our case, we tried to respond to this call for aggiornamento by going back to our founder’s charism, as expressed in the very name of our congregation – “Society of the p.5 VD 5 Divine Word”. In several general chapters, we sought concrete ways of making the Word of God the center of our life and mission. In one general chapter, we made the biblical pastoral ministry a priority for our congregation. More recently, we have begun to consider the bible a “characteristic dimension” of our life and mission. This means that we seek to imbue any and all of our activities (whether parishes, schools, or frontier mission) with the biblical dimension. To bring this about, coordinators of the biblical pastoral ministry are appointed at all levels of our congregation – generalate level, continental, province, and local levels.

 I believe I can speak of two moments in this effort to instill a biblical dimension to our life and mission.

The Word for Others.

 The first moment was the enthusiasm in carrying out all kinds of biblical initiatives in our missionary activities – creating bible centers, forming bible study groups, giving basic bible seminars, undertaking correspondence courses on the Bible, etc. All of this effort was directed to the people, ad extra, in our missionary activities. This was the moment of emphasizing the “Word for Others.” In general, our confreres were very good at this – addressing the Word to others. Here, the Word of God was something we do, a work we needed to accomplish. There was very little about the “Word to us”, the Word addressed to ourselves, making the Word of God the center of our lives. Here, many confreres were rather timid or hesitant, or even uninterested.

The Word for Us.

 This situation has, however, gradually changed. We have gradually realized that the Word we proclaim to others will sound empty if it is not a Word that is listened to by us. Thus, in 2005, we declared a “Bible Year” for the whole congregation. We called it “A Year of Divine Word Missionaries Reading the Bible”. Everyone was encouraged to read the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles throughout the year. In addition, 13 passages from Luke and Acts were chosen to be the subject of a monthly Lectio diving in all of our communities throughout the whole congregation. 

A special booklet was produced as an aid to this effort, containing the reflections on the 13 passages contributed by selected confreres from all over the world. The possibility of reading the whole bible throughout the year was also offered and a scheme was developed for doing so.

 The response to this initiative was extremely good. About 95% of all confreres and all local communities faithfully carried out the program laid out in the booklet. And more importantly, as a result of this exercise, confreres now continue to read the Bible regularly, communities continue to gather for Lectio divine, even provincial councils begin their meetings with a form of bible sharing. In a particular community, regular Lectio Divina has led to members going out and initiating a new apostolate among the beggars, street vendors, and cart-pushers in the city. In other words, the effort to pay particular attention to the “Word for Us” is giving confreres renewed zeal and creativity in continuing their various activities, or starting new ones, in the biblical pastoral ministry – a renewed commitment, in other words, in the mission of bring the “Word to Others”.

Conclusion

 It is now time to conclude, and I wish to do so by referring to Jer 20:7-9. Here, the prophet Jeremiah complains about God seducing him into becoming a prophet. 

You seduced me, O LORD, and I let myself be seduced; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out; violence and outrage is my message; The word of the LORD has brought me derision and reproach all the day. I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it. 

A similar imagery appears in Luke’s story about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. As the risen Lord disappeared from their sight, the disciples said to each other: “Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” (Lk 24:32). The real prophet is the one in whom the Word of God burns as a fire within him or her. It is my hope that the ongoing Synod on the Word of God will bring about consecrated men and women – indeed, an entire Church – whose hearts burn with the Word of God.