Main Points
Word of God, Sacred Scripture, Lectio Divina, Sunday of the Word, and Homily.
Description
Aperuit Illis, a 2019 motu proprio by Pope Francis, institutes the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as the Sunday of the Word of God, drawing from Luke 24:45 where the risen Christ "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures," to foster deeper appreciation, study, and dissemination of sacred Scripture within the Church. Its main themes include the inexhaustible riches of God's Word, its unbreakable bond with the Eucharist, the need for solemn liturgical practices like enthroning the Bible and improved homilies, and practical encouragements such as training lectors, distributing Bibles, and practicing lectio divina for daily spiritual life. Theologically, it underscores Scripture's centrality to Christian identity—"ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ"—reviving Vatican II's Dei Verbum and Benedict XVI's Verbum Domini, while highlighting the Word's performative, sacramental power to unite believers, promote ecumenism, and inspire merciful love in a world prone to individualism.
