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The message of the Synod of Bishops is now available. You can find an English copy of the final document (not official, since the official one is in Latin) here. The document is entitled "The Word of God In The Life and Mission of the Church". This is a copy of the one found at ScriptureSynod.COM.

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The 32nd Sunday in OT A this year coincides with the Feast of the Dedication of John Lateran. It is described in the Catholic encyclopedia as "the oldest, and ranks first among the four great "patriarchal" basilicas of Rome." It was a gift of Constantine to Pope Miltiades (around 311 but not after) and was the site of a Roman Synod against the Donatists (313). It was the resident of the popes and the cathedral of Rome. At present it is the seat of the Bishop of Rome. On its wall one reads its particular mark of distinction: "Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater, et caput " The mother and head of all the churches in the city and the world..

The episode of the cleansing of the Temple -- as found in the Synoptics -- appears as one of the first things Jesus does upon his entrance into Jerusalem. Matthew and Luke, following Mark present the cleansing as the beginning of the end of the Jerusalem which in 70 AD will be utterly destroyed by the Romans (click on the image above for the Synoptic version of the episode). Jesus, the Son of Man, has come to bring judgment upon the leaders of Judaism and the Temple, symbol of a religious piety that has been emptied of its true meaning. In John's gospel, the evangelist transposes the episode at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, in the Book of Signs. Here, the disciples' mention of the resurrection (v. 22) connects the episode to Jesus' Hour and his glorification.

Zenit (ZE081015) has just published the questions that have emerged from the discussions at the Synod on the Word of God. The questions will be discussed in small work groups and from these discussions will emerge the recommendations of the Synod. Note how some of the questions are programmatic in that they look toward "follow-up activities" after the Synod. Note too that the questions have particular relevance not only for lay formation but also for ecumenism, inter-faith dialogue, priestly formation and ministry and the theological disciplines.

This year, the Feast of All Souls coincides with the 31st Sunday of OT A. Christianity is about life and having it to the full. The selection from John 6:37-40, part of the Bread of Life discourse in John founds our hope that those among us who shared in the table of the Lord's Body and Blood and who have preceded us will never be lost. The first reading from Wisdom underlines the truth that even if the just man may appear dead to the foolish, they are in fact in the presence of God. Read this article and use the following as your guide.

John 6:37-40 is part of what Raymond Brown calls the sapiential theme of the Bread of Life discourse. This part goes from verse 35-50. 1

John 6:35-50 can be outlined as follows:

The Synod on the Word of God is underway.  It started on October 5 and will continue until the 26th of the month.  The attendance for the Synod is quite impressive.  H2O News provides the following figures:

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The episode of the two greatest commandments is reported to us by Matthew in a context of a disputation in which the hidden intentions of Jesus' interlocutors are laid bare. Little do the Pharisees know that as they test Jesus, they are being judged. In the question of the scribe we find an academic question: how does one come up with a framework that brings together all 613 precepts of the Law in a simplified way? The expected answer was the Shema. Jesus gives the expected answer but adds a second one, the one that the Pharisees have been neglecting. Read this article and use the following for your guide.

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Introduction

The episode about the two greatest commandments appears in all Synoptic gospels in different contexts. In Mark and Matthew, it appears within a a series of disputations with the power groups of Jerusalem. In Luke, it appears in the context of Jesus' journey towards Jerusalem and introduces the parable about the Good Samaritan. Matthew follows the outline of Mark in presenting the episode. The Pharisees are out to "test" Jesus. In Matthew's gospel, this has been happening since the time Jesus heals a man with a withered hand in a synagogue (Matthew 12:14). The resolve then was to "destroy" Jesus (12:14). Since then, Matthew presents the question about a sign (16:1-4) and the question about divorce (19:1-12) as specific examples by which the Pharisees carry out their plan. After Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and the commotion he causes in the Temple, he is approached first by chief priests and elders who ask him about his authority, then by students and Pharisees and Herodians (22:15-22), Sadducees (22:23-33) and finally by the Pharisees themselves.

Maybe I should now apply for a sabbatical in 2009. The Pontifical Biblical Institute will be celebrating its centenary that year and I think some of the activities will be interesting. I received a letter announcing the event just this morning when I went to my parents' place in Antipolo. R. P. Stephen Pisano, S. J. who was my professor in Textual Criticism is now the Rector of the Institute and the one in charge of Alumni Affairs signed the letter. He writes:

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