Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Pope Benedict echoes St. Jerome: Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ

In today's Office of Readings we go to a commentary on Isaiah by St Jerome. He recognized most eloquently that "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ" saying:

Interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: Search the Scriptures, and Seek and you shall find. Christ will not say to me what he said to the Jews: You erred, not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God. For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of Gods, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

Echoing these words from St. Jerome, Pope Benedict XVI encourages us to read Scripture prayerfully---the ancient tradition of "lectio divina," as this article notes:

September 16, 2005

Pope says sacred reading of Scripture could help spiritual life

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

ROME (CNS) -- The ancient tradition of "lectio divina" or sacred reading of Scripture should be promoted as a way to enrich the spiritual life of the church, Pope Benedict XVI said in an address to biblical experts.

"The church must always renew and rejuvenate herself" through "the Word of God, which never gets old or expires," he said.

The pope urged a renewal of this ancient tradition, saying he was convinced it would "bring a new spiritual springtime to the church if promoted effectively.

"The pope's message came in a Sept. 16 address at his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo to some 500 biblical experts, scholars and pastoral leaders attending an international conference in Rome.

The Catholic Biblical Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity sponsored the congress commemorating the 40th anniversary of "Dei Verbum," the Second Vatican Council's document on Scripture and revelation.

Pope Benedict reminded his audience that he was "a young theologian" who took part in the "lively discussions" at the time that resulted in "Dei Verbum."

"The church and the word of God are inseparably linked," he said.

more...

posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 6:00 PM