I have just finished reading Scott Hahn’s book “Covenant and Communion – The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI”.
I really appreciated how he brought to light the Pope’s teaching that the Scriptures are to be read and interpreted both scientifically and through the eyes of a historical faith.
But for me one of the more significant teachings of the Pope that Scott Hahn highlighted was that the Word of God is not only informative, but it is also performative and transformative. That is, it is not only a dead letter, but it really achieves what it sets out to achieve. For example, when God said “Let there be light”, He was not simply stating a fact, but His very words spoken transformed the formless void and the heavens and earth came into being. And just as Jesus, who is the True Word of God, transformed water into wine, so too by His words the bread and wine are transformed into His Body and Blood.
The summit of the Pope’s teaching then is that the goal of the Word of God is not only to inform us about where we came from and how we relate to God, but it’s goal is to transform all of creation. And this transformation begins with the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, in the Gospel. And truly the Gospel is not just a message about a Messiah that died for our sins and rose again for our justification. Certainly it is that, but it is also so much more. The Gospel is the Word that transforms those who hear it; and through this Word God conforms us more and more to our Lord Jesus Christ. So it is that by the Word of the Gospel, and the Gospel of the Word, that God completes the work that He began when He first spoke the universe into existence.
If you are interested, the book can be found at Amazon at the link below:
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