1. Formation on VERBUM DOMINI School of Apostles Pansol, Manila James McTavish, FMVD Iwao Ikegami, FMVD Sat, Dec 11, 2010

2.  1965

3.  Through divine revelation, God chose to show forth and communicate Himself (DV 6)  “We speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying.” St Ambrose, DV 25

4. “VERBUM DOMINI“ THE WORD OF THE LORD abides for ever. This word is the Gospel which was preached to you ” (1 Pet 1:25; cf. Is 40:8 ).(VD1) a rediscovery of God’s word in the life of the Church. (VD1)

6. "VERBUM DOMINI" Introduction PART ONE : VERBUM DEI Chapter one: God Who Speaks Chapter two: Our Response to the God Who Speaks Chapter three: The Interpretation of Sacred Scripture in the Church PART TWO : VERBUM IN ECCLESIA Chapter one: The Word Of God And The Church Chapter two: The Liturgy, Privileged Setting For The Word Of God Chapter three: The Word Of God In The Life Of The Church PART THREE : VERBUM MUNDO Chapter one: The Church's Mission: To Proclaim The Word Of God To The World Chapter two: The Word Of God And Commitment In The World Chapter three: The Word Of God And Culture Chapter four: The Word Of God And Interreligious Dialogue Conclusion

7. God in dialogue “The novelty of biblical revelation consists in the fact that God becomes known through the dialogue which he desires to have with us.” (VD6)

8.  When we say “Word of God” what are we referring to?

10. “The Lord made his word short, he abbreviated it” (Is 10:23; Rom 9:28) … The Son himself is the Word, the Logos: the eternal word became small – small enough to fit into a manger. He became a child, so that the word could be grasped by us. Now the word is not simply audible; not only does it have a voice, now the word has a face, one which we can see: that of Jesus of Nazareth (VD 12)

12.  God speaks and we...listen!  We are called to respond  Not only by words but a dialogue of life

13. Sin as a refusal to hear the Word of God

14. “A Virgin ever attentive to God’s word, she lives completely attuned to that word; she treasures in her heart the events of her Son, piecing them together as if in a single mosaic” (VD27)

16. The Church receives the WORD (VD 50*)

17.  “only those who first place themselves in an attitude of listening to the word can go on to become its heralds”  What is needed?  The thing that disappears when you say its name....  SILENCE  SILENCE (VD 66)

18. “The word, in fact, can only be spoken and heard in silence, outward and inward. Ours is not an age which fosters recollection; at times one has the impression that people are afraid of detaching themselves, even for a moment, from the mass media... Rediscovering the centrality of God’s word in the life of the Church also means rediscovering a sense of recollection and inner repose... Only in silence can the word of God find a home in us” (VD 66)

19. Saint Jerome, in his great love for the word of God, often wondered: “ How could one live without the knowledge of Scripture, by which we come to know Christ himself, who is the life of believers? ” He knew well that the Bible is the means “ by which God speaks daily to believers ”. His advice to the Roman matron Leta about raising her daughter was this: “ Be sure that she studies a passage of Scripture each day… Prayer should follow reading, and reading follow prayer… so that in the place of jewellery and silk, she may love the divine books ”.

20.  The Biblical formation of Christians - Laity trained to understand, live and proclaim the Word of God (VD 75) The laity need to be trained to discern God’s will through a familiarity with his word, read and studied in the Church (VD 84)  “the Christian laity, who live out their specific vocation to holiness by a life in the Spirit expressed “ in a particular way by their engagement in temporal matters and by their participation in earthly activities.” The laity need to be trained to discern God’s will through a familiarity with his word, read and studied in the Church (VD 84)

21. THE CHURCH’S MISSION: TO PROCLAIM THE WORD OF GOD TO THE WORLD

22.  Revival of “missionary consciousness” of the People of God (VD 92)  The entire people of God is a people which has been sent (VD 94)  The witness of life (VD 97-98)  Practical charity (VD 103) “translate the word we have heard into gestures of love”

23. “Our own time, then, must be increasingly marked by a new hearing of God’s word and a new evangelization.” (VD 121)

25. May the Holy Spirit awaken a hunger and thirst for the word of God

26. Our personal and communal relationship with God depends on our growing familiarity with the word of God VD 124

27.  May every day of our lives thus be shaped by a renewed encounter with Christ, the Word of the Father made flesh (VD124)  May our love for the Word made flesh make our joy complete (cf. 1 Jn 1, 4)