Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement on September 30, 2019, on the Holy Father’s Apostolic letter reflecting on the Word of God.
The full statement follows:
“We welcome Pope Francis’ Apostolic letter motu proprio, Aperuit Illis, reflecting on the Word of God. The Holy Father reminds us that the Word of God is ‘performative’ and that Christians should linger over and study the Word of God as revealed in Sacred Scripture.
“It is my hope that the words of the Holy Father will encourage all the faithful to know the Lord better through prayerful reading and study of the Scriptures. Pope Francis emphasizes that through the Word of God and the sacrifice of the Mass we grow closer to Jesus and each other as the Body of Christ.
“The Holy Father has now designated the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as the Sunday of the Word of God. By naming a special Sunday to commemorate the ‘unbreakable bond between sacred Scripture and the Eucharist,’ the Holy Father allows us to remember that it is through the Word of God that we encounter its author and learn of the ‘merciful love of the Father who calls his children to live in love.’”
