Pope Benedict has issued the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini [The Word of the Lord], the most important Church document devoted to Sacred Scripture since the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), which was promulgated in 1965.

via Catholic Culture : Latest Headlines : Pope Benedict issues major document on Sacred Scripture (link to full text).

Full text is over 200 pages. The ending is included here on AirMaria since it relates to Mary, Mother of God and so Mother of Joy:

“ Mater Verbi et Mater laetitiae ”

124. This close relationship between God’s
word and joy is evident in the Mother of God.
Let us recall the words of Saint Elizabeth: “ Blessed
is she who believed that there would be a fulfi
lment of what was spoken to her by the Lord ”
(Lk 1:45). Mary is blessed because she has faith,
because she believed, and in this faith she received
the Word of God into her womb in order
to give him to the world. The joy born of the
Word can now expand to all those who, by faith,
let themselves be changed by God’s word. The
Gospel of Luke presents this mystery of hearing
and joy in two texts. Jesus says: “ My mother and
my brothers are those who hear the word of God
and do it ” (8:21). And in reply to a woman from
the crowd who blesses the womb that bore him
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and the breasts that nursed him, Jesus reveals the
secret of true joy: “ Blessed rather are those who
hear the word of God and obey it! ” (11:28). Jesus
points out Mary’s true grandeur, making it possible
for each of us to attain that blessedness which
is born of the word received and put into practice.
I remind all Christians that our personal and
communal relationship with God depends on our
growing familiarity with the word of God. Finally,
I turn to every man and woman, including those
who have fallen away from the Church, who have
left the faith or who have never heard the proclamation
of salvation. To everyone the Lord says:
“ Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in to him and eat with him, and he with me ”
(Rev 3:20).
May every day of our lives thus be shaped
by a renewed encounter with Christ, the Word
of the Father made fl esh: he stands at the beginning
and the end, and “ in him all things hold
together ” (Col 1:17). Let us be silent in order to
hear the Lord’s word and to meditate upon it, so
that by the working of the Holy Spirit it may remain
in our hearts and speak to us all the days of
our lives. In this way the Church will always be
renewed and rejuvenated, thanks to the word of
the Lord which remains for ever (cf. 1 Pet 1:25;
Is 40:8). Thus we too will enter into the great
nuptial dialogue which concludes sacred Scripture:
“ The Spirit and the bride say: ‘Come’.
And let everyone who hears say: ‘Come!’ ” The
194
one who testifi es to these things, says: ‘Surely I
am coming soon!’. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! ”.
(Rev 22:17, 20).
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on 30 September,
the Memorial of Saint Jerome, in the year
2010, the sixth of my Pontificate.

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Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jan 06, 2023, on the basic principles we use to discern whether private revelation from an alleged apparition is acceptable.

Pope Benedict XVI Verbum Domini quotes from John of the Cross, since God had given us his son, he has no more to say – https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20100930_verbum-domini.html – Paragraph 14

We should not seek extra visions outside of the Church

Private revelation is just a means to help the people live what has already been revealed

Should we reject all private revelation, no

Mark Miravalle on his book Private Revelation unless it is approved by the Church – http://www.queenship.org/product/Private-Revelation-3105.html

We can ascent if we follow the norms of the Church, which will be discussed in later homilies. ONy after the faithful go to an alleged site of an apparition does the church start a formal investigation

Example of Fatima, many years before approval

CDF in 1978, the local bishop is the primary judge but can appeal to the Vatican – https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19780225_norme-apparizioni_en.html

Positive Criteria:

Needs to be some solid, physical evidence, seers must be sincere, sane, obedient, and able to lead a normal life afterward

Must be free of error,

Do they foster virtue

Negative Criteria:

Manafest factual or doctrinal error, or prophecies that did not come true

Money-making motives, sinful acts, insanity, or instability

Must be overall cohesive evidence that it is valid.

How to decern those apparitions not fully approved?

Saints say the most important is obedience

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque – Autobiography – Satan has no power over the obedient –  https://tanbooks.com/products/books/discounts-sales/5-books/the-autobiography-of-saint-margaret-mary/

St Faustina – Satan cannot imitate obedience – Diary par 939

Playlist on this series on Private Revelation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NapQHzx7uV0&list=PLejh_e0-LN4y42myKti-7trU4m_CAZLn1 

Ave Maria!

Mass: Wkdays before Epiphany – Jan 6 (Mk 1) – Wkdy
Readings:  – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/010623.cfm
1st: 1jo 5:5-13
Resp: psa 147:12-15, 19-20
Gsp: mar 1:7-11

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1318

Also on Facebook: https://fb.watch/hV87Ot7CoN/
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/NapQHzx7uV0

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Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Dec 14, 2024, on Elijah’s prophetic return, John the Baptist’s mission, and the importance of interpreting Scripture with the Church’s guidance and the Holy Spirit.

Father explains the connection between the prophetic roles of Elijah and John the Baptist in today’s readings, emphasizing their fulfillment in both the Old and New Testaments. He references Malachi 4:5–6, showing the prophecy that Elijah will return to prepare for the Lord’s day, which is reiterated in Sirach 48:10. This expectation is echoed in the Gospel, where Jesus explains that Elijah has come mystically in the person of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:11-12). Furthermore, the angel Gabriel affirms John’s mission to Zechariah, citing Luke 1:17.

Father highlights the importance of interpreting Scripture with the guidance of the Church and the Holy Spirit, as described by St. Jerome and St. Gregory the Great, quoted in Verbum Domini, paragraph 16. He reflects on the Eucharistic preface’s teaching about the two Advents of Christ and reminds us to read Scripture within the Church’s tradition, aligning with Verbum Domini, paragraph 18.

Father concludes by urging listeners to pray for the reconciliation of families, an important sign of the Messiah’s coming, as described in Malachi 4:6 and mirrored in the prophecy about John the Baptist.

For Further Reading:
Malachi 4:5–6 NAB – Elijah’s return prophecy – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/malachi/4?5
Sirach 48:10 NAB – Elijah’s mission foretold – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/48?10
Matthew 17:11-12 NAB – Jesus on Elijah’s return – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/17?11
Luke 1:17 NAB – Gabriel on John’s mission – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?17
Verbum Domini, para 16 CCC – Holy Spirit’s role in Scripture – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/16.htm
Verbum Domini, para 18 CCC – Scripture within Church tradition – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/18.htm
Catholic Answers – God’s Love for You – https://www.catholic.com/tract/gods-love-for-you
Catechism – Elijah and typology of John – Text: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/719.htm

00:00 – Introduction to Elijah and John
00:21 – Scriptural Basis in Malachi
00:45 – Two Advents of the Messiah
02:13 – John the Baptist as Elijah’s Return
03:28 – Understanding Scripture with the Holy Spirit
05:56 – Prophecy and Its Interpretation
10:10 – Importance of Returning to God
12:15 – Preparing Hearts for the Lord

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. John of the Cross – Mem – http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=65
Readings: Saturday in the 2nd Week in Advent – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121424.cfm
1st: sir 48:1-4, 9-11
Resp: psa 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Gsp: mat 17:10-13

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1215&r=1258

Also on Facebook:
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/alglAfnM_YI

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