This Sunday is Word of God Sunday. Pope Francis instituted this day in 2019 as a way to encourage all of us to get to know the Bible better and celebrate it. I’m going to start with a very brief history of where we got the Bible? Where did it come from? And then a little reflection on the Bible as an incredible gift.

Starting with the Old Testament. As you know the OT consists of many books written over several hundred years. The Jewish people never definitively defined which books were in their Bible; but in the mid 200’s BC, rabbis were invited to come to the library at Alexandria and translate their Scripture into Greek. This translation is known as the Septuagint. Septa is the Latin word for 70, and the tradition is that there were 72 rabbis who did this translation.

This is our Old Testament. This was the Bible used by most Jewish people at the time of Jesus. It was certainly the Bible used in the early Church, especially as it expanded to the Greek-speaking gentiles. The Church didn’t formally define this as the OT but it’s what they used.

When Jesus ascended into heaven and the Church began, there was no New Testament. Jesus hadn’t told his disciples to write anything. People learned about Jesus by word of mouth from the Apostles or other disciples. Eventually around the middle to the later part of the 1^st century, the 4 gospels were written. There were also apostolic letters and a couple other writings. All the books of the NT were written by an apostle, or a close associate of an apostle. They were read primarily during the Mass. That’s what they were for. So, from the beginning, there is a close connection between the Word and the Eucharist. Pope Francis talks about this in his very fine Apostolic Letter establishing this Sunday as Word of God Sunday. He shows the connection in the Journey to Emmaus when the disciples’ hearts were on fire as Jesus explained the Word to them, and then they recognized Him in the Breaking of the Bread. The Word of God leads to the Eucharist.

So, these early Christians studied the writings and used them at Mass and eventually some of the bishops realized they needed to know which writings were truly the Word of God and which weren’t. There was general agreement, but it wasn’t universal. Some writings were read in some regions but not others. But it took a while. It wasn’t until the late 300’s that groups of bishops came up with the list of books, or the canon of Scripture, and they all produced the same list, but these were small local councils. So, the canon was never formally defined, but the list was generally settled and accepted throughout the church from that time until Martin Luther. Martin Luther threw out 7 books of the OT and wanted to throw out 3 from the New, but his friends wouldn’t go along with that. Now that the canon was being challenged, the Church has to respond. So, at the Council of Trent, in the mid 1500’s, she formally defined the canon, which is the same list she’d been using since those early councils but now it’s definitive.

So, there’s a lot more that could be said, but that’s basically where we got the Bible. Now the gift.  

Our first reading today is describing a Liturgy of the Word for the Jewish people. Many of the people have recently returned from Exile in Babylon. Recall that in 586 B.C., the Babylonians conquered Judah and sent much of the nation into exile. They’ve now returned and Ezra, the Priest, is leading the people in a Liturgy of the Word trying to reconnect them with God and restore the practice of their religion. Pope Francis makes a couple observations about what happens. First, the people come together; they are united in hearing the Word. Second, they are moved by the Word. It’s not just information. It has an effect. They weep because as they hear the Law of God, they realize they haven’t been true to their God.

The gospel is also a Liturgy of the Word. But this one is very unique because Jesus reveals for the first time publicly that the Word is fulfilled in Him. Again we see the Word leads to Jesus, and this is the incredible gift of the Bible. The Word connects us with God. Let me illustrate.

Since at least the time of St. Benedict in the early 500’s, the Church has prayed with Scripture using the method known as lectio divina or divine reading. Many of you are familiar with this, but for those who aren’t here’s a very brief description. There are basically 4 steps to lectio divina prayer.

First, as with all prayer, you start with just a moment of preparation. Put yourself in His presence of God and ask Him to speak to you. I think this is very important. We want to be intentional. We want to hear Him speak to us.  And then here are the 4 steps.

• Reading

Read a passage of Scripture, slowly. Very often, not always, but very often some verse is going to jump out at you, really speak to  you. When that happens, you stop and move to the 2^nd step.

• Meditation

You start to reflect on that verse. You re-read it once or twice. You start to dialog with God about it. What does it mean? Why is it speaking to you? What are you saying here Lord? You continue to meditate as long as it’s fruitful. As long as thoughts are coming to you, you continue. When it ends, you move to the 3^rd step.

• Prayer

This is where you move from the head to the heart. Think of the acronym ACTS – Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication. The verse that you’ve been reflecting on will naturally lead to a response of one of these 4 types: Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication – help me Lord, give me strength to do what you’re asking…  You pray very naturally from the heart. Whatever comes to you in light of the verse that spoke to you, you pray to God. This then may lead to the 4^th step.

• Contemplation

In contemplation, you are simply present with God. There’s no talking, you’re just with Him.

The amazing thing here is that God will speak to you. I’ve been re-reading the Diary of St. Faustina (Divine Mercy image) and she’s constantly describing how she saw Jesus and He spoke to her and she talked with Him, and sometimes she talks with our Lady or an Angel, and I was thinking, wow, that’s so incredible.

Well, we may not be a mystic like St. Faustina, but if we can read, we can hear God speak to us. I can remember when I first started praying like this. About 25 years ago, I would get so excited. I kept seeing things I’d never seen before; I really felt like He was speaking to me. I don’t always pray this way now. Now I will often just go straight to the text that I want to reflect on. But back then, I just start going through the NT. I would read a chapter maybe two. I would stay there at least 15 minutes, although usually it was more. I loved it. Prayer was no longer one-way, me saying prayers, now, He was speaking to me.  

Another way to pray with Scripture particularly when you need some guidance is just flip it open and read. It may sound crazy, but it’s amazing how often it works, at least that’s been my experience. Again, you start with the preparation, and then just open and look.

One time my wife Joni found out that Fr. Stack was leading a pilgrimage to Rome, and she said we should go. I said I’m not sure about the money, but I’ll pray about it. So, I went to the chapel at Ascension with a little NT, did my little prep prayer “speak to me Lord” and flipped it open. I saw the words ‘to Rome’. Then, and this is the only time I’ve done this, I tried again. I said maybe that was a fluke. I tried again and this time I saw the words ‘at Rome’. Okay. I got it. We got a little bigger tax refund than expected and had a fabulous time. Another time I was thinking about bringing my kids to a play. It was a kids play, but I had heard some things, and I wasn’t sure if it was good for kids. So, one Saturday morning, up in the chapel up on the hill, before the 9:30 Mass, I had a Bible and said, “Okay Lord, speak to me”. I opened and my eyes landed on the verse where Jesus says, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he was thrown into the sea.” Okay. We will not be going to that Play. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes I see a passage that doesn’t directly address my question, but it’s like it frees my mind to hear Him deep inside, and so even though I don’t get a direct answer from the text, I know the answer.

There are other ways to pray with Scripture. There’s imagination where you put yourself in a scene. There are the psalms, God’s prayers. Many people find the psalms fruitful. You need to find what works for you. But I really really hope all of you either know what I’m talking about from your own experience, or, if you’ve never really tried praying with Scripture, you give it a try. To hear God speak to you is so amazing. It’s such a gift! God bless you!