Seek, and you shall find” “

The churches of the German-speaking area – Austria, Switzerland, Germany – are celebrating the Year of the Bible in 2003. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna and president of the Austrian Episcopal Conference, has rightly emphasized that even in today’s secularized culture the Bible is omnipresent – in culture, art, literature, in the means of social communication, in politics, in everyday language. The Bible in the words of the cardinal is truly the “book of truth”. But we need to turn it to account. The aim of the Year of the Bible is, he said, precisely that of turning Holy Scripture to account for the key decisions in the life of believers – but not only of them, also of the large numbers of people seeking credible answers to their existential questions: Whence do I come? Whither am I going? What meaning does my life have? It’s not by chance that the official motto of the Year of the Bible is: “Seek, and you shall find”. The ecumenical initiative has had an enormous response in the parishes and among teachers of religion. A traveling exhibition on the Bible has been arranged: it not only offers useful information on Holy Scripture, but also helps to understand the world in which the word of God was transcribed. It comprises such aspects as the typical plants of ancient Palestine, and offers visitors the chance to savour the typical fare enjoyed by the prophets of Israel and the apostles of Jesus Christ. In this way the young and the not so young are given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the biblical world through all the senses. The task of the churches is not only to revive the interest of believers in Holy Scripture but also to bring home to public opinion the cultural force of the Bible. “We would like people to rediscover their spiritual roots which clearly in our country are sunk deep in biblical terrain”, says the lay theologian Anton Kalkbrenner, director of the Austrian Catholic Biblical Mission. Viennese auxiliary bishop Helmut Krätzl – in charge of the biblical ministry within the bishops’ conference – expects a strong impetus for the life of the churches in Austria from the Year of the Bible. In his view, it offers a chance for a profound examination of conscience: “Are our sermons truly inspired by the word of God? Are our liturgy and doctrine truly imbued with the salvific word of Holy Scripture?” According to Krätzl, the Christian message, the liturgy and theology need to be more explicitly nourished by the Bible. Holy Scripture must be the “foundation, strength and soul” of all ecclesial activities. At the same time both Cardinal Schönborn and Bishop Krätzl stress the need to rediscover the old Testament. It is absolutely essential to contemplate Holy Scripture as a whole. Placing the two Testaments in a fruitful dialogue between each other means holding out the hand of friendship to the Jews as the “elder brothers” of Christians.