which betray its meaning. This principle also applies to the proclamation of the Word of God: if it loses touch with reality, with human hopes and sufferings, if an incomprehensible language is used, uncommunicative or anachronistic, it is ineffective. In every age, the Church is called to re -propose the Word of God in a language capable of being embodied in history and reaching hearts. As Pope Francis reminds us, “Whenever we make the effort to return to the source and to recover the original freshness of the Gospel, new avenues arise, new paths of creativity open up, with different forms of expression, more eloquent signs and words with new meaning for today’s world”. [2] Equally reductive, on the other hand, is a reading of Scripture that neglects its divine origin and ends up understanding it as a mere human teaching, as something to be studied simply from a technical point of view or as a text "only of the past”. [3] Rather, especially when proclaimed in the context of the liturgy, Scripture is intended to speak to today's believers, to touch their present lives with their problems, to enlighten the steps to be taken and the decisions to be made. This becomes possible only when believers read and interpret the sacred texts under the guidance of the same Spirit who inspired them (cf. DV, 12). In this regard, the Scripture serves to nurture the life and charity of believers, as Saint Augustine recalls: “Whoever … thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures … but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this twofold love of God and our neighbour, does not yet understand them as he ought”. [4] The divine origin of the Scripture also recalls that the Gospel, entrusted to the witness of the baptized, despite embracing all the dimensions of life and reality, transcends them: it cannot be reduced to a mere philanthropic or social message, but is the joyful proclamation of the full and eternal life that God has given to us in Jesus. Dear brothers and sisters, let us thank the Lord because, in his goodness, he ensures our lives do not lack the essential nourishment of his Word, and let us pray that our words, and even more so our lives, do not obscure the love of God that is narrated in them. Summary of the Holy Father's words Dear brothers and sisters, in our continuing catechesis on the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, we reflect on the divine and human authorship of Scripture. God is the principal author of Scripture and he chooses to reveal himself by using human language. Indeed, the various authors of Scripture are not passive instruments, but are divinely inspired to communicate the word of God by utilizing literary forms and creative methods that incorporate images and examples of their time. While Scripture is a text rooted in historical truth, it also contains a limitless spiritual depth that speaks to people of all times and places, communicating above all God’s love and God’s desire to save us. Let us thank God for his word that nourishes our lives, illumines our paths and reminds us of the promise of eternal life. Picture of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from ShopMercy: https://shopmercy.org/pope-leo-xiv-prayer-card.html From the General Audience of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on February 4, 2026 https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/audiences/2026/documents/20260204-udienza-generale.html Crest of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV: https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html
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