United by the Word

From Greece to Russia, from Serbia to Bulgaria, from the Middle East to the United States: the topical relevance of the Holy Scriptures in world Christian and monastic communities animated the international conference of Orthodox spirituality “The Word of God in spiritual life” held in the monastery of Bose (Bi) a few days ago, in cooperation with the Patriarchates of Moscow and Constantinople. The rule of listening. “If we forget that our retreat is motivated by the need to listen to the Word the monastery will collapse, as the meaning of the separation of siblings will no longer be recovered”. Fr. Cesare Falletti, prior of the Dominus Tecum monastery of Pra’d Mill, (Cuneo – Italy) thus explained the central role of Scripture in the life of the monk. “The rule of St. Benedict adopted in the West – Falletti underlined – begins with ‘listen’. It invites to rid ourselves of prejudice and to start anew every day, listening to the Word in the liturgy and in the lectio divina”.”The idea of listening – underlined Fr. Christopher Savage, from the Orthodox monastery of New Skete (Cambridge, USA) – is present also in the East. In fact, we refer to the same tradition”. According to Savage, distinguishing between a supposedly “Western” lectio divina, and an “Oriental” prayer of the heart does not correspond to the truth. “I identify the lectio as listening to the Word every day of our lives”. It is “a way to come together. It is necessary to delve into Biblical studies”. “The Fathers of our tradition – Savage concluded – guide us in the interpretation but we have to address the Word as it is listened to in contemporary society”. For contemporary society. The knot of the relationship between the Patristic reading of the Scriptures and the historical-critical methodology was the object of lively debate. “For the Orthodox Church, said John Fotopoulos, Professor at the St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame (Indiana, Usa) – it’s not enough to simply reiterate the interpretation of the Fathers”. As regards the “suspicion” of Orthodox theological academies vis a vis the historical and critical approach adopted in Biblical studies, Fotopoulus warned about the risk of a “patristic fundamentalism”. The same Fathers, in fact, “adopted the hermeneutical methods of their times, seeking to involve the local populations”. “As Westerners – the scholar added – we are used to critical thought and we are accustomed to asking questions on what we’re reading”. This also applies “to Orthodox faithful who read the Bible for their own spiritual nourishment, often editions of the Protestant Church that are available in their mother tongues”. These faithful, Fotopoulus remarks, “cannot be left without serious critical reflections on the Biblical texts explaining the context, literary genres and sources”. Far from being a reason for concern, “the historical-critical method can promote the commitment of the faithful in Scriptural learning and its implementation in every day life”. “The obligation to follow the text – Fotopoulus concluded – is a challenge to all preconceived ideas” and it helps “not to substitute God with exegetes”.Recovered roots. “The 21st century – said Msgr. Kliment, from the eparchy of Mordovia, in central Russia – raises new challenges to our Church. Tradition is undergoing a partial rebirth, but a lot needs to be done in order to bring to everyone the Word of God”. “Mordovia”, the bishop pointed out – “is sadly famous for its forced labour camps and prisons set up under Soviet rule: 21 in as little as 60 sq. km. where large numbers of new martyrs of the Russian church gave their lives”. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill recently visited this and the other distant dioceses “where the church was destroyed and erased from people’s memory”. “The rebuilding of the churches’ facade and the formation of new generations of priests is not enough – Kliment said quoting from the Patriarch’s statements. It is necessary “that the Word is enrooted anew in order to bring Christ close to the people, so that the Bible may not only be a Book in the church but most of all the Book in homes and consciences”. Among the many decisions of the Synod to this regard figures “the creation of a Centre for Biblical Studies tasked with translating the Bible in the languages of minority groups in the Russian Church”.A gushing source. “With faith, love and intelligence – said the monk of Bose Sabino Chialà, in the closing address of the conference – we have been invited to read the Scripture compare to a “source of gushing water”. This means that we do not draw near it to “deplete it, closing it according to our definitions, but to quench our thirst, and then start drinking again and again. Is it a task only for pundits?” “This is the plague of our times – Chialà concluded – to believe that the reading of the Gospel can only be done by the religious and the monks. While instead, those living in the mundane reality, who join the frey, are those who need it the most. Words of St. John Chrysostom, IV century”.