A "Liberating Reading" of the Bible
Carlos Mesters, o.carm.

Faith has its roots in everyday life. Its transforming and freeing power unfolds, where people live it out together. In the Bible people discover themselves and their situation and from it they draw the power for the shaping of their lives. The author, Carlos Mesters O.Carm., clarifies these principal themes of his contribution with concrete examples. A book of the people, above all of the disadvantaged, from which a power to reshape goes forth: this role is attached to the Bible in the Brazilian base communities. The second part of the essay seeks to cast light on the factors that lead to these liberation-theology readings of the Bible. In the relevance of the Bible for the everyday situation, in its function of founding a community, in the social approach of the Bible readings of the base communities, and in the counterweight which these present to the spiritualistic and fundalmentalist tendencies, Carlos Mesters sees the value of the liberation-theology Bible readings, also beyond the Brasilian context. The article was first published in Portugese in the periodical Medellín, N. 88, Vol. XXII, Dec. 1996, pp. 123-138.

Introduction

I will limit myself to what is happening here in Brazil, as I do not know enough about what is happening in other Latin American countries. However, one river is very much like another, and in describing a square meter of water in one river, one gets an idea of the water in the entire river.

The way in which Christians live in the Base Ecclesial Communities is the source of the "liberating reading" of the Bible. This type of reading is a means of absorbing strength and light from the Bible in order to cope with the daily struggles and the paths people follow in their lives. With the help of the Bible, the people discover a new experience of God and a new vision of the transformatory and liberating action of the Word of God in their lives.

I will begin this article by describing some significant events taken from real life and I will then attempt to explain, through observations, the importance of these facts for a popular reading of the Bible.

Part One

First Event: Colombia

It happened during the first meeting of a Bible study course. There were around 25 people in the group. On the wall, the sentence GOD IS LOVE had been written. The priest asked, "Who wrote that?". A lady replied, "I did." The priest then asked, "Why did you write that?" "Because the wall seemed too empty", came the reply. "And why did you write that particular sentence?" the priest wanted to know. The lady replied, "I thought it was beautiful". And the priest asked her, "Where did you get it from?" The lady replied, "I made it up myself! I thought it was how we should live as Christians."

So the priest said, "We´ll open the Bible at the first letter of St. John, Chapter 4, Verse 8." He waited until everyone had found the text and asked the lady to read. She read, "He who does not love, does not know God, for God is love."

It was the first time in her life that she had opened a Bible. She got a shock. She did not expect to find within it the sentence she had written on the wall. She discovered without realising it that the Word of God was already part of her life. She experienced a satisfaction and happiness so great that she hardly slept that night. Over the next few days, the Bible she had received from the priest was filled up with paper bookmarks. And in the evenings she found other sentences she recognised!

This simple story and many others like it demonstrate that the way in which the people in the Base Ecclesial Communities interpret the Bible should be respected. What follows illustrates why.

1. The Bible is accepted by the people as the Word of God. They already have faith before they reach the stage of actually opening the Bible for the first time. This faith in ist entirety is reflected in the Bible. This is what characterises the way we read the Bible in Latin America. Without this faith, the whole reading process and method would be different.

2. A progressive discovery is currently underway that the Word of God is not only found in the Bible but also in everyday life and that the main aim of reading the Bible is not to interpret the book itself but rather to interpret life with the help of the Bible. We are discovering that God speaks to us today through events which occur in our lives.

3. The Bible enters into the lives of the people in a different way: not through authority but through personal and community experience. It is present not as a book which imposes a rigid doctrine but as Good News which reveals the liberating presence of God in the life and struggle of the people. The Bible confirms the path that the people are following and in this way strengthens their hope.

4. The Bible used to be distant, but now it is close! What was once mysterious and inaccessible began to form part of the daily life of the poor. Not only God´s word, but God himself was brought closer. It is difficult for one of us to really evaluate what this change has meant for the poor.

Second Event: Nuevo Iguazú, Rio de Janeiro

It was a Bible meeting for blacks only. It began with everyone listening to the personal story of two elderly blacks: a story of much suffering and discrimination. Then, together in silence, they attempted to remember the history of blacks in Brazil. The resulting overall view was a time line of long slavery and its subsequent oppression. They then asked for an account of the history of the people in the Bible. The result was a description of stories, side by side, distant from each other in time, but close in content: two stories of oppression and the struggle for liberty. That was the first part.

In the second part, they decided to reflect more deeply on the captivity of the people of the Bible. They wanted to know how to face the captivity in which they found themselves today, in the twentieth century, here in Brazil. It was a study full of many beautiful discoveries. The group strongly identified with the Servant of Yahweh of whom the prophet Isaias spoke and with his mission. They began to look at their own situation with different eyes.

Observations made on this event

1. On reading the Bible, the people of the Communities involve their own history and uppermost in their minds are the problems which arise from the hard reality of their lives. The Bible is a mirror, "symbol" (cf Heb 11,19), of the way they themselves live today. A strong bond is thus established between the Bible and everyday life which, at times, seems little more than a superficial link. This is in fact a prayerful reading of faith very similar to the reading which was performed by the Church Fathers.

2. In order to establish this strong link between the Bible and everyday life it is important: a) to bear in mind the real problems which arise from everyday life and the reality suffered today, rather than artificial problems which have nothing to do with the lives of the people; b) to understand that the ground covered today is the same as that covered in the past; c) to have a global vision of the Bible which may be related to the specific situation of the readers. Reading the Bible in this way results in a mutual understanding of the Bible and everyday life. The meaning and importance of the Bible are discovered and enriched in the light of what is lived and suffered in everyday life and vice-versa.

3. From this new-found bond between the Bible and everyday life, the poor made the biggest discovery of all: "If God was with that people in the past, then He is also with us in our own struggle for freedom today. He listens to our cries!

Third Event: Cabedelo, Paralba

This last Bible meeting began with a song. Then the story of the disciples on their way to Emmaus was read up to where it says: "We were hoping!" (Lk 24, 13-24). There was a pause in order to reply to the following question: the cross killed the hope of the disciples; what is the cross today which is killing the hope of the people?

The reading was continued and we listened to how Jesus interpreted the Scriptures for the disciples (Lk 24, 25-27). The group was then divided into groups of three. One person in each group played the role of Christ for the other two. They had to tell each other of experiences of when their brother or sister, through God´s Word, became Christ for him or her and made their hearts burst with love.

After ten minutes, to the sound of a hymn, the group came together again to listen to how the disciples arrived in Emmaus and recognised Jesus in the breaking of bread (Lk 24, 28-32). At this point the whole group went into the hall and they celebrated the Eucharist, the breaking of bread.

Finally, after Communion, they read of how the disciples returned to Jerusalem, where the forces of death from which the cross had emerged and killed Jesus still resided. But the two disciples had already gained victory over the power of death by their faith in the resurrection (Lk 24, 33-35).

Observations made on this event

1. This event clearly demonstrates that in order to make a good interpretation of the Bible, it is very important to create a prayerful atmosphere of faith and fraternity through songs, prayers and worship. In other words, unless the text is studied in the context of the Holy Spirit, the meaning it has for us today will not be revealed. Therefore, the meaning of the Bible is not only an idea or message which points out and promotes the Truth; it is also a "feeling", a consolation, a comfort which is "felt" within the heart.

2. Not long after this event, a new way of looking at and interpreting the Bible emerges. The Bible is no longer seen as a rather strange book belonging only to the clergy, but as our book, "written for us until the end of time" (1 Cor 10,11).

3. The interpreting of a comprehensive activity which involves not only the intellectual contribution of scripture study, should also, and most importantly, include the process of participation by the Community: group work and study, personal and community readings, acting and other dramatical activities, worship, prayer, recreation etc. Above all, interpretation is a community activity in which everyone participates, each in his own way according to his ability and exegetical capacity.

Conclusion

There are many other stories. These three are enough to demonstrate that the winds of change are blowing and illustrate where we are at this moment in time. The current situation, demonstrated by these events, evolved over a number of years when the first seeds of change were planted in the renewal of the 1940s and 1950s. It is important to remember that what we are talking about refers only to the Base Ecclesial Communities, which are a minority. The majority of people have a different way of looking at the Bible, less liberating and more fundamentalist.

In order to clarify the route the faith journey has followed over the last few years, it may be useful to present what has been discussed so far in a more systematic way. We will look at two aspects in particular: the internal force of the process of popular interpretation and its novelty.

Second Part

1. Three factors

Many factors contributed to this type of reading of the Bible in Brazil. We will examine three of the most important in order to gain an overall picture.

a) The work of YCW: a new way of looking at God´s revelation

The See, Judge, Act method clearly brings with it a new way of considering and experiencing the revealing action of God in history. Before attempting to understand what God is saying, one must first look at the situation of the people and their problems. Then, with the help of biblical texts, we try to judge this situation. This means that God´s voice does not come from the Bible itself, but rather from the events illustrated in the Bible. It is these events which show us a new way to behave and worship ... the see-judge-act method.

b) The Second Vatican Council and Dei Verbum

The Dei Verbum document confirms for the Church this new method of seeing the revealing action of God. God talks through events and people. We ourselves discover what he is saying with the help of the Bible, the written Word of God. The way of life of the people of Israel in the past is shown to us in the Bible as a standard (canon).

c) The military coup and the crisis of ultra-modernism

The people were in a state of abandon. In 1964 the military coup revealed that the work aimed at raising popular consciousness done up to then was far from complete. So-called "modernism" suffered a shock. The need for more thorough and patient work with the people was evident, with greater respect being paid to their culture and customs. The Church was the only place where they could still work freely, where they were not victims of political repression. Therefore, from the 1960s, work began at the ground level and Base Ecclesial Communities grew up all over the place. The people began to read the Bible.

However, the most important element of all, which has never been considered as a factor on its own, in spite of playing a part in all the other factors, is the action of the Holy Spirit. He sets this truth in motion and guides it. Let us listen what the Spirit says to the Churches!

2. Three stages

Over the years, three viewpoints came to prominence, one after the other. They could be considered as three different aims, present in the way people use the Bible:

a) Knowing the Bible: instruction

The renewal of exegesis, the three encyclicals written by Leo XIII, Benedict XV and Pious XII on the interpretation of the Bible, the work of explaining the scriptures, and liturgical renewal all brought the Bible closer to the people. Here in Brazil, somebody claimed that what helped to encourage a greater interest by Catholics in the Bible was the missionary vigour of the Pentecostal churches. The desire to get to know the Bible therefore inspired many people to read it more frequently.

b) Creating community: worship

As people began to read or listen to the Word, it bore fruit. The first fruit was that of bringing people together and creating communities. Popular Bible study weeks, the distribution of the Bible in the vernacular, celebrations of the Word, scarcity of the clergy, courses, meetings, training, numerous Bible groups and circles, and "Bible month" all produced a great passion for community based on the Word of God.

c) Serving the people: transformation

A further step was taken, most notably after 1968. The knowledge gained from the Bible and the main concerns of the community, provided the basis for a common goal: service to the people and the defence of life. As the poor had neither the money nor the time to read books on the Bible, they began to read the Bible from the only resource they had: their lives of faith, lived in community, their lives of suffering as oppressed people. Reading the Bible in this way they came upon the obvious: a history of oppression which mirrored what they themselves are suffering now; a story of people fighting for the same things for which they struggle today: land, justice, sharing, fraternity, life.

3. The internal force

These three stages are like three aspects or aims of a particular type of interpretation of the Bible. Between them there is an internal force which marks the process of popular interpretation: knowing the Bible leads to living together in community; living together in community leads to serving the people which, in turn, leads to the desire for a deeper knowledge of the original context of the Bible, and so on. It is a never ending circle. Each of these three aspects spring from the other, involve the other and lead to the other.

community

God speaks today

reality . . . . . . . . . . . . Bible

It is not so important to establish from which of the three stages the process of interpretation begins. This depends on the situation, history, culture and interests of the community or group. What is important is the understanding that one stage will always remain incomplete with the other two.

Generally, in all communities there are people who identify themselves with one of the three stages: 1) people who want to know the Bible and who are more interested in study; 2) people who place more emphasis on community and its internal functions; 3) people whose main concern is serving others and making their contribution in political and popular movements.

All this produces tensions between the different groups and interests. These tensions are healthy and productive. For example, in some places, the more intense political practices of recent years now demand a deeper knowledge of biblical text and a more intense living of the spirit of liberation in community. In other places communal life has reached its peak and demands action more closely linked with the popular movements. In other words, the tensions help to create an equilibrium which favours the interpretation of the Bible and prevents it from becoming unilateral.

Sometimes, however, these tensions are negative and lead to one of the three aspects becoming isolated or excluding the other two. The road to popular interpretation is often tense and full of conflict with the risk of becoming blinkered or retreating.

4. Dangers of isolation

When a community achieves the aim of one of these aspects (knowing, living together or serving), some if its members, out of loyalty to the Word, wish to advance and move forward, whilst others, in the name of the same loyalty, reject the new "openness". It is a moment of crisis and also of grace. The group in favour of moving forward does not always win.

1. All pastoral movements are based on and use the Bible. In the name of the Bible the fundamentalists reject interpretation and refuse to open up to reality. In some places the Bible groups which shut themselves off or adhere to the literal meaning of the Bible become the most conservative groups in the parish. Even an exegete run the risk of being isolated in the study of biblical text, however progressive he or she may be.

2. Many movements shut themselves away in community, mysticism, charismatic ideas and reject any political "opening up". They persist in serving the (many) poor, although not in the spirit of transformation or freedom.

3. Although less frequent, isolation in a different sense may also occur. The community reaches a more committed level of service and a clearer political consciousness; one can see how the communal, personal or devotional activities may be manipulated with relative ease by the dominant ideology and it may be concluded that these things do not contribute so much to the transformation. For this reason the risk of isolation still exists in social and political matters, in serving the people.

Although understandable, cases of isolation like these are tragic, as none of the three aspects can really be achieved. In order to avoid this danger it is important to maintain an atmosphere of dialogue, since wherever the human word is circulated with freedom and without censure, the Word of God will generate freedom.

Third Part

Change and the importance of popular interpretation

Within the interpretation made by the poor of the Bible there is a very important change in the life of the churches. Classic change which brings back some of the basic values of the common Tradition. Below are seven points which, in one way or another, signpost this route.

1. The aim of interpretation is no longer the search for information on the past, but is rather the clarification of the present in the light of the presence of God-with us, God the Liberator. In other words, interpreting everyday life with the help of the Bible. A new vision of the revelation, described and defined by Dei Verbum is rediscovered by reading the Bible.

2. The subject of interpretation is no longer the study of scripture itself. Interpreting is a community activity in which everyone participates, and includes scripture study which plays a special role in the overall interpretation. For this reason, it is important to bear in mind not only the faith of the community, but that it also forms an effective part of a living community and searches for the meaning recognised by this community. This effective belonging to a living community is critical for the functioning of scientific scripture study which, is then of greater service to the people.

3. The social strata from where the interpretation originates is among the poor, outcast and marginalised. This therefore changes the viewpoint. Often, because an interpreter lacks a more critical social conscience, he falls victim to ideological preconceptions and without even realising it, uses the Bible to legitimise the dehumanising system of oppression.

4. The type of reading which links the Bible to everyday life is ecumenical and liberating. It is important to understand that ecumenical reading does not mean that Catholics and Protestants discuss their differences in order to arrive at a common conclusion, although this may be a consequence. The most ecumenical thing we possess is the life that God gave us. Here in Latin America, the lives of many of the population are in danger, and their lives are therefore not longer free. Ecumenical reading is the interpretation of the Bible in defence of life. People of different Christian denominations unite not in the defence of their institutions and confessions, but rather in the defence and service of the life of the people. Nowadays, because of the current situation in which the Latin Americans live, a reading in defence of life must, of necessity, be liberating. For this very reason it is conflictive and has become a sign of contradiction.

5. Here we see the difference in European exegesis. The biggest problem here is that faith is at risk because of secularisation. It is, however, life itself which is in serious danger of being eliminated and dehumanised. And what is worse, the Bible itself is at risk of being used to legitimate this situation in the name of God. As in the times of the kings of Judah and Israel, Tradition is being used to legitimise idols. Popular interpretation discovers, reveals and denounces such manipulation.

6. The method and dynamic used by the poor in their meetings are very simple. They are not used to employing discursive language, consisting of arguments and reasoning. They prefer to recount events and use comparisons ... a type of language which functions by associating ideas and whose main concern is not making things known, but discovering.

7. The function and limits of the Bible now appear more clearly. The limits are these: the Bible is not an end in itself, but should be used in the interpretation of life; it does not function on its own and does not open our eyes for us, since what opens the eyes is the sharing of bread, the gesture of community. The Bible is like the heart: if it remains outside the body of the community and the life of the people it dies and people die!

Part Four

1. Feminist reading

Feminist reading questions and makes readings which have been "masculine" for centuries relevant to women. It cannot be rejected as a passing phenomenon nor as one of the many largely inconsequential curiosities of scripture study. It is one of the most important characteristics which are emerging from popular Bible reading, and is more widely reaching than it may seem at first glance. In Brazil it is even more important to the overwhelming majority of women who actively participate in Bible groups and sustain the struggle of the people in many places

2. The advance of fundamentalism

In a two week meeting organised by CESEP in Goiania January 1991, there were more than 600 participants who came from the ECBs of almost all the states of Brazil: a lot of young people! In the three days dedicated to Bible study, the line of interpretation was obviously liberating. In the conversations with the participants, however, a different interpretative attitude appeared several times, in which fundamentalism was mixed in with liberation theology: especially among the young! How can this phenomenon be explained? Where does it come from? Is it from contact with the conservative wing, with the charismatics, the believers? Is it also possible that it comes from the deficiencies of the liberating attitude to the Bible? Could it be that it comes from something even deeper that is changing the human subconscious? The danger of fundamentalism exists not only in the Christian churches but also in other religions: Jewish, Moslem, Buddhist ... even secularised forms of fundamentalism exist.

3. The search for Spirituality and our method of interpretation

In every nook and cranny we hear or feel the desire for greater deepening, for feeling, for spirituality. The Bible, in fact, may be an answer to this desire, since the Word of God has two fundamental dimensions. On the one hand, it brings light. In this sense it may contribute to the clarification of ideas, unmasking false ideologies and communicating a more critical conscience. On the other hand, it brings strength. In this sense it can encourage people, communicate courage, bring happiness, as creating strength produces new things, stimulates the people and makes this happen, makes people love each other. Unfortunately, in the practice of pastoral care, these two aspects of the Word are separate. On the one hand we have the charismatic movements; on the other, the liberation movements. The charismatics spend much time in prayer, but often lack critical vision and tend towards a fundamentalist, moralising, spiritualist and individualist interpretation of the Bible. For this reason, their prayer often lacks a real basis in biblical text and reality. The liberation movements, in their turn, possess a great critical conscience, but at times lack perseverance and faith when facing human situations which, in a scientific analysis of reality, do not contribute anything to the transformation of society. Sometimes they have a certain difficulty in comprehending the value of long hours spent in prayer with no immediate result.

4. The culture of Latin American peoples and the Old Testament

According to the myth of Tucumán explained by the amazonian Indians, of the origin of evil in the word, the guilty party is not woman, but man. Someone asked, "Why don´t we use our own myths instead of the Hebrew´s myths?" there was no answer. The same question was asked in a Bible study course in Bolivia in May 1991. The participants, all Aymaras, asked, "Why use only the Bible? Our stories are much more interesting, less sexist and we know them better!" The Asian religions, which are older than our own, have been asking the same questions for several years. What is the value of our history and our culture? Can they not be of as much value as our Old Testament, where the promises God made to our ancestors are hidden and where our law exists as "our teacher to bring us closer to Jesus Christ? (Gal 3,24). The Gospel was not written in order to condemn the Old Testament but to complete it and explain all its meaning (Mt 5,17). The Old Testament of the people of Israel is the inspired canon or standard which helps us to see and reveal this deeper dimension of our culture and history, of our Old Testament.

5. The need to create Bible study centres in Latin America

The progress of the Communities is increasing and deepening. Bit by bit, from the heart of this popular practice, a "new" attitude of interpretation, which is in fact not so much new, but ancient, is emerging. There is a need for this to be legitimised as much from the Tradition of the Churches as from exegetic investigation. The reading originated by the poor and because of the situation of the poor makes its own demands. As it moves forward, the desire for greater scientific explanation increases. There are many Bible facilitators who like to have some knowledge of the biblical languages; they like to have a better knowledge of the economic, political, social and ideological context in which the Bible was written; they would like to bring to the Bible the questions which today cause anxiety among the people in living their faith. In addition to this, the number of clergy is very small. The greatest and most urgent scarcity is that of biblical facilitators who can answer the increasing demand for Bible study training and face the new problem which is being created because of the immense growth of fundamentalism (the most dangerous "ism" in existence). Furthermore, the practice of Bible reading of the type performed in the Base Ecclesial Communities in Latin America has already had certain repercussions in the Universal Church, as it is promoting discussion, reactions and support in many places. This was clearly seen at the CBF World Meeting held in Bogotá in July 1990 and in the world meeting of the Lutheran Church, which took place in Curitiba in January 1990. Much interest has been shown on other continents in the Bible reading which is being carried out here in Latin America. For all these reasons it is important to begin thinking seriously about the creation of a centre of investigation and biblical training which springs from the real problems we have here in our communities.