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Fr. Riccardo addresses the topic Praying With Scripture in this second session of a series of talks titled Catholicism for Cradle Catholics. The handouts referenced in this podcast may be downloaded here. Or they can be viewed below. 

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The entire document is available at the Vatican website:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_

const_19651118_dei‐verbum_en.html

Excerpts for Fr. Riccardo’s presentation:

DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION

DEI VERBUM

SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS POPE PAUL VI ON

NOVEMBER 18, 1965

CHAPTER I

REVELATION ITSELF

2. In His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the

hidden purpose of His will (see Eph. 1:9) by which through Christ, the Word made flesh,

man might in the Holy Spirit have access to the Father and come to share in the divine

nature (see Eph. 2:18; 2 Peter 1:4). Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God

(see Col. 1;15, 1 Tim. 1:17) out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends

(see Ex. 33:11; John 15:14-15) and lives among them (see Bar. 3:38), so that He may

invite and take them into fellowship with Himself. This plan of revelation is realized by

deeds and words having in inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history of

salvation manifest and confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the

words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them. By this revelation

then, the deepest truth about God and the salvation of man shines out for our sake in

Christ, who is both the mediator and the fullness of all revelation. (2)

CHAPTER VI

SACRED SCRIPTURE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH

21. The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body

of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to

the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body. She

has always maintained them, and continues to do so, together with sacred tradition, as the

supreme rule of faith, since, as inspired by God and committed once and for all to

writing, they impart the word of God Himself without change, and make the voice of the

Holy Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and Apostles. Therefore, like the

Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated

by Sacred Scripture. For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His

children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of

God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith

for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and everlasting source of spiritual life.

Consequently these words are perfectly applicable to Sacred Scripture: "For the word of

God is living and active" (Heb. 4:12) and "it has power to build you up and give you your

heritage among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32; see 1 Thess. 2:13).

25. Therefore, all the clergy must hold fast to the Sacred Scriptures through diligent

sacred reading and careful study, especially the priests of Christ and others, such as

deacons and catechists who are legitimately active in the ministry of the word. This is to

be done so that none of them will become "an empty preacher of the word of God

outwardly, who is not a listener to it inwardly" (4) since they must share the abundant

wealth of the divine word with the faithful committed to them, especially in the sacred

liturgy. The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful,

especially Religious, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the "excellent

knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of

Christ."(5) Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text

itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional

reading, or through instructions suitable for the purpose and other aids which, in our time,

with approval and active support of the shepherds of the Church, are commendably

spread everywhere. And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of

Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for "we speak to Him when we

pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying." (6)