This paper was presented at the Gospel Study session held in July 2009 in Limonest. It seeks to draw us closer to the Gospel Study as a form of spiritual study. The Holy Spirit is truly the soul of this study: he forms Christ in the Incarnation and in the Eucharist. He breathes life into the written word, which becomes the living Word, like a second Incarnation. As the Spirit dwells in the Scriptures, we are called to allow ourselves to be guided by him in reading, studying and proclaiming this word of grace and life which has been entrusted to us.
Introduction
The Church lives by the Word of God. Throughout history, the Word of God has always been a source of renewal and reform in the life of the Church.
God intended Scripture to be one of the foundational elements of the Church so that, guided by the Holy Spirit, it might fulfil its mission of proclaiming to all nations the power of God’s salvation – the Good News of the Gospel. In the testimony of the Bible, the Church finds the nourishment for its faith and hope, the substance of its thinking, and the guide that directs its actions.
From its very beginnings, the Church has gathered round the Word of Jesus Christ preached by the apostles. This is what we might call the founding experience of the Church at Pentecost. Subsequently, almost as soon as the apostolic age drew to a close, people began to put the words of Jesus and the apostles’ preaching into writing. What then took place – and which was to continue for practically the second half of the first century – was once again driven by the Holy Spirit, who thus brought about a second incarnation of the written Word.
The Holy Spirit dwells in the Word of God. His inspiration is not confined solely to the period when it was written down; it animates the whole life of the Church. The Holy Spirit opens the minds and hearts of believers so that they may understand the Scriptures and interpret them in the way He intended.
The work of the Holy Spirit was very much in evidence during the apostolic and post-apostolic periods, but also in all the efforts of the Church Fathers to inculturate revelation within Greek and Latin culture. This process of understanding and inculturation has continued throughout history: in the Middle Ages, as it spread beyond the borders of the Roman Empire; in the Modern Era, with the evangelisation of the Americas; and later in Africa and Asia.
The Church lives by the Word of God; it is her principal nourishment (Mt 4:4; DV 24). And this Word must be read and meditated upon in the light of the Holy Spirit, for it is He who makes it the living and relevant Word. This is the long-standing experience and the great treasure we find in the rich tradition of the Church. Within this tradition, one original voice stands out: that of Antoine Chevrier, with his spiritual study of Scripture: *The Study of the Gospel*.
I – THE LIFE-GIVING WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
It is the Holy Spirit who forms Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, in Mary’s womb; and it is the Holy Spirit who makes Scripture the living and ever-present Word of God.
1 – The work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh
To reveal and make known his plan of salvation, God chose the path of the Incarnation. The Incarnation embodies this act of God, this gesture of drawing near, of taking on the human condition so that he might be understood and recognised by humankind, who are made in his image. This is why he not only becomes flesh, but also becomes language, and above all becomes the human word, in order to communicate his plan of love and to involve humanity in his work of salvation.
It is through the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit that the life-giving power of the Incarnation unfolds. He forms the Son’s human body; he reveals to us that Jesus is the Son of the Most High, God with us (Lk 1:35; Mt 1:20–23). But the Spirit’s activity is not confined to the moment of the Incarnation alone. He is present throughout the life of Jesus, revealing how the man Jesus is the Son of God, and how he came to fulfil the Father’s will by devoting himself to the mission the Father had entrusted to him.
It is the Spirit who, at the Jordan, bestows the anointing and consecrates Jesus Christ as the Messiah who makes the Kingdom of God present in the world: a Messiah, the Father’s beloved Son, who has also become the Word to whom we, as human beings, must listen: «Then the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said: «This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased» (Mt 3:16–17).
Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God. He carries out his mission under the guidance and power of the Spirit, who establishes the Kingdom at the very heart of human realities, in the hardest and most conflict-ridden depths, and within the most inscrutable problems from which we, like the majority of people, so often turn away (Luke 4:14–30; 7:21–23). This therefore leads to conflict with the spirit of the world, and with the evil spirits that enslave humanity. The account of the temptations and the exorcisms performed by Jesus show us just how active the Holy Spirit remains in this struggle. It reveals to us that, in Jesus, God is committed to liberating us from everything that enslaves humanity. Thus, we are no longer slaves, but children—in other words, free (Luke 4:1–13; 31–37; 11:14–22).
The Incarnation led Jesus to embrace the human condition with all that it entails, including an unjust death. «In his human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross» (Phil 2:7–8). But the work of the Spirit does not cease with Jesus« death on the cross. In faith and trust, on Calvary, Jesus commends his spirit to the Father. The Spirit of the Son exercises his power beyond death, beyond the limits of the flesh. He enters into true life, the life of the Spirit, which we call the resurrection. This is what Paul reminds the Corinthians, who are struggling to believe in the resurrection and in new life in the Spirit: »The first man, Adam, was a living being; the last Adam is a life-giving spiritual being’ (1 Cor 15:45).
The Holy Spirit ensures that Jesus is not a dead man, nor a figure from the past, but that he is the glorified Son, seated at the right hand of the Father, and at the same time present every day until the end of the world. This is the great confession of faith that Paul makes in his letter to the Romans: «Set apart to proclaim the Gospel of God (…) This Gospel concerns his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power through his resurrection from the dead by the Holy Spirit» (Rom 1:1–4; 8:11).
The Holy Spirit reveals to us and enables us to see the humanity of Jesus. At the same time, the Spirit bears witness to us that Jesus is the Son of God, that in his humanity Jesus reveals the Father. He is the Word, the Word of the Father; he became flesh and pitched his tent amongst us (Jn 1:14). The Word illuminates the new humanity. The bond of union, the family bond, is no longer flesh and blood; it is the Spirit and faith: «But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. These were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God» (Jn 1:12–13; 3:5–7).
As we have said, the Spirit makes the risen Jesus Christ present and ensures his continued presence in the world: «I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate who will remain with you for ever. He is the Spirit of truth… I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you…» (Jn 14:16–20). This presence of Jesus through the Spirit is particularly evident and close to us in the Eucharist. Through his action, the Spirit transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Risen Lord and continually offers them to us as the food of life. «Sanctify these offerings by pouring out your Spirit upon them; may they become for us the body and blood of Jesus, the Christ, our Lord » (Eucharistic Prayer II). In the Fourth Gospel, the conclusion of the Eucharistic discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum confirms that the Spirit in Jesus acts as a source of life and transformation; for us, Jesus becomes the bread of life, the food of eternal life: »It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life’ (Jn 6:63).
The Spirit reveals to us that Jesus is the Word who, from the very beginning, was turned towards God, that he is God, and that he has pitched his tent amongst us (John 1:1–2, 14). This is not just any word, but a living word, a word that is a person and that perfectly reveals to us who God is: «No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has made him known to us» (Jn 1:18). This clear, transparent, definitive word that God speaks to all humanity is his Son: «After speaking to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, God, in these last days, has spoken to us through his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he also created the worlds » (Heb 1:1–2).
In broad terms and briefly, we have touched upon the work of the Holy Spirit in the Son, the Word made flesh, the Word of the Father, who reveals to us the love and communion within the Trinitarian family. It is the Spirit who reminds us of Jesus« words and leads us to a true knowledge of the Son through faith: »When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come’ (Jn 16:13).
2 – The work of the Holy Spirit in Scripture
Everything we have just said about the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word made flesh, in the living and personal Word of the Father, is realised in a similar way in Holy Scripture, the written Word. Scripture becomes the Word of God through the action of the Holy Spirit. This same action of the Spirit continues to animate, in a very tangible way, what we might call the entire process of the formation of the Scriptures: they come as a continuation and extension of the Incarnation; its unfolding is the inspiration of the sacred books. But we shall not expand on this theme here.
It is the Holy Spirit who ensures continuity between, on the one hand, the Word—the definitive Word of the Father—and, on the other, the testimony borne to him by the sacred books, the written Word which reveals to us today the full extent of God’s plan for salvation.
The Holy Spirit remains active throughout the entire process of the composition of the books of the Bible. This action and influence continue to be at work even today in the interpretation and reading of the sacred texts; this is confirmed by the Second Vatican Council’s constitution *Dei Verbum*: «Within the words there is a life-giving spirit which inspires them and gives strength to those who approach them with faith» (cf. DV 24). «Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the same Spirit in which it was written» (DV 12). The true subject is not the human being, but the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who exerts a genuine influence on the sacred author, on the reader and on the interpreter. The presence of the Spirit is not confined to the definitive text which we accept as inspired, but is also manifested in the believer who reads and interprets the Word. Author, reader and interpreter are all indwelt and animated by the Spirit.
Regarding the presence of Jesus throughout Scripture, Henri de Lubac expresses this truth—revealed to us by the Spirit—clearly and profoundly: «It is not merely the sacred books that were inspired at a particular moment. Those same sacred books are and remain inspired… The Spirit did not merely dictate Scripture; he has enclosed himself within it. It is brought to life by the miracle of the Holy Spirit.».
God’s words were expressed in human language; they became like human speech. Just as, in a previous age, the Word of the eternal Father, by taking on «the flesh of human frailty», became like human beings.
The Word became human speech; drawing on the verb «to become incarnate», one might say that it «became speech». For this is truly an incarnation of the Word in speech: He has made Himself present in this vulnerable, ephemeral flesh of words, and it is through this that salvation comes about. Through the humble words of the Holy Scriptures, the Word speaks to us. Through these very words, we have access to the Word, the Word of God.
An Epiclete on the Word
The Spirit breathes life into the written word and places the Book within the broader context of the mystery of the Incarnation and the Church. Consequently, through the Holy Spirit, the Word of God is a liturgical and prophetic reality; it is proclamation before it is a book; it is the Holy Spirit’s testimony to the presence of Jesus Christ as the revelation of the Father, the privileged moment of which is the Eucharist.
The proclamation of the Word of God contained in Scripture is a work of the Holy Spirit: just as in the past he worked to ensure that the Word became a book through inspiration, so now, in the liturgy, he transforms the book into the Word, making it the loving presence of the Father who comes to meet his children to speak to them (DV 21).
Hence the close relationship that is established between the Word and the Eucharist; we must continue to explore this more deeply, as Saint Jerome urges us to do; indeed, we shall find an echo of this in the writings of Antoine Chevrier, as we shall point out later. The Lord’s Body, true food, and His Blood, true drink, are the true blessing reserved for us in this present life: to feed on His Body and drink His Blood, not only in the Eucharist but also through the reading of Holy Scripture. Indeed, the Word of God is true food and true drink, which we obtain through knowledge of the Scriptures.
For the written Word to be the living Word of God, an epiclesis is required: Holy Tradition is the epiclesis of the History of Salvation; it is the theophany of the Holy Spirit, without which history remains incomprehensible and Scripture a dead letter. Just as the Church invokes the Spirit so that the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ may be accomplished, so too does the Church invoke the Spirit and receive his help through Tradition, so that Scripture may come to life again and be the living and effective Word of God at every moment of the Church’s life.
The Word of God is not set in stone within the Bible. It lies in wait and rests within the Bible, but it is not petrified; nor is it an inert, stuffed animal; it is not dead within a printed book. One might say that it «sleeps». It waits for the power of God to awaken it. As we have just said, it needs an epiclesis – an invocation of the Spirit – which gives it life and transforms it. Without this epiclesis, the Word remains asleep; it does not awaken.
The Wisdom of Faith
It is only through faith that we can receive and understand the full extent of the Holy Spirit’s work, which reveals and gives life. To grasp what God has wished to tell us, we must adopt the perspective of faith; for the message of divine revelation is fundamentally linked to our deepest vocation and destiny. We must discover, beneath the words of the text, the truth of our salvation. We can only attain this through the Holy Spirit: «He touches the heart of man, turns it towards God to open the eyes of his soul, and grants everyone the profound joy of consenting to and believing in the truth» (DV 5).
The kind of relationship one can have with the Word of God is clearly determined by a vision of faith. Whenever a believer picks up the Bible and begins to read it with faith, the power and the full capacity for inspiration of the Holy Spirit become a reality. But if one does not read the Bible in the light of the Spirit, it is no longer a reading of faith; it then becomes a reading that loses all its value and significance, a reading that lies on the fringes of the Church’s faith. On the other hand, the wisdom of faith enables us to penetrate to the deepest meaning of the text, to a word truly imbued with revelation. Saint Gregory the Great speaks to us of the necessity of this wisdom, of what we call the understanding of faith: «The Words of God cannot be fathomed at all without this wisdom, for if anyone has not received the Spirit of God, they cannot under any circumstances understand the words of God.».
A believer is, first and foremost, someone who listens. This is what distinguishes the true believer who has received the Lord’s words and commandments: «Hear, O Israel! » God calls us to listen with the ear of the heart. Those who listen in this way acknowledge the presence of the One who speaks to them and who wishes to enter into a relationship with them; they seek within themselves a space so that the Other may dwell within them. From all this emerges the anthropological image that the Bible seeks to construct: that of a person capable of listening (1 Kings 3:9). But this listening is not merely hearing biblical phrases; it is a discernment of the Word of God which the Spirit himself brings about. This requires faith and must take place in the light of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Listening in faith is inextricably linked to prayer. Whether in the liturgy, in a group or individually, the reading of Scripture must always be accompanied by prayer, and this will be our response in the dialogue with the Word that God addresses to us: «Prayer – let us remember – must accompany the reading of Holy Scripture so that a dialogue may be established between God and humankind, for it is to Him that we address ourselves when we pray; it is Him whom we listen to when we read His words» (DV 25). This is why it is necessary for silence to follow the words. The Holy Spirit enables us to know and understand the Word of God by silently uniting with our own spirit (Rom 8:26–27). To arrive at a fully valid interpretation of the words inspired by the Spirit, we must allow ourselves to be guided by him; and for this, it is essential to pray, to pray a great deal, to ask in prayer for the inner light of the Holy Spirit, and then to receive this prayer with docility.
Prayer becomes openness, welcome and worship. Within it, there is room for the worship of the Word, for prayer in faith and on one’s knees. Indeed, our reading of the Bible is an encounter with a text that is like a holy land where God dwells. In the presence of the holiness of the biblical text, the believing reader must «take off their sandals», just as Moses did before the mystery of the burning bush; all that remains is to listen to the One who speaks to them.
The Holy Spirit works in such a way that Scripture is not merely a printed text but a revelation from God. The pre-eminent place and primary role of the Holy Spirit in no way diminish the contribution of the human sciences when it comes to understanding the deeper meaning of the Word of God. Thus, a spiritual understanding of Scripture requires a demanding commitment to the study of biblical sciences, since spiritual understanding must never be separated from exegetical research. Faith does not exempt us from conscientious and serious work. On the contrary, it imperatively demands it; it requires it as a matter of urgency. However, we must not forget that an understanding rooted in faith is necessary to grasp the meaning of the words of Holy Scripture.
It is in the Word of God that the Church finds the proclamation of her identity, the grace of her conversion, her calling to mission, and the supreme rule of faith. That is why this Word, brought to life by the Spirit, is above all a Word to be meditated upon, studied, prayed over and celebrated, which nourishes and shapes the life of the Church.
Antoine Chevrier follows in the rich tradition of so many witnesses to the Gospel who have read and studied the Word of God in the light of the Holy Spirit. Therein lies the source that has inspired, laid the foundations for, and sustained the mission and work of the Prado. It was through his listening to and studying Our Lord that the Prado came into being.
II – THE STUDY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: A SPIRITUAL STUDY
So far, we have sought to highlight the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus, the Word made flesh, the definitive Word of the Father, and then the Holy Spirit’s work in Scripture, the written, living and ever-relevant Word of God. All this reflection amounts to laying the foundations upon which the Gospel Study is based and structured, both in the experience of Antoine Chevrier and in the practice at El Prado, with the same fidelity to the rich tradition of the Church, which reads Holy Scripture in the breath and light of the Spirit.
All the dynamism, all the creative and life-giving activity of the Holy Spirit in the Word and in Scripture are made present and relevant in the Study of the Gospel; we call it the «spiritual study of the Gospel», that is to say, a study carried out in the Holy Spirit.
1 – Spiritual study
The phrase «Study of Our Lord Jesus Christ» is used repeatedly by Father Chevrier. He took it from *The Imitation of Christ*.
In this case, the word «study» does not have an academic or purely intellectual meaning. It refers to a form of study that must, of course, draw on the intellect, but which places greater emphasis on the emotional dimension, on the reasons of the heart, on love. Rather than being an obligation, this study responds to an inner calling; it is a true passion. For Father Chevrier, the word «study» takes on connotations of wholehearted devotion, delight and zeal. In this study, one finds the greatest joy and, consequently, devotes one’s time and care to it. The knowledge of Jesus Christ is Father Chevrier’s passion. It is a study that springs from love, develops in love and culminates in love. The Holy Spirit brings about knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Father Chevrier does not speak of a spiritual study of the Gospel. He usually refers instead to the ’Study of Jesus Christ«, but he draws a close connection between the study of the Gospel, the study of Jesus» words and the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit who unveils the mysteries of God and reveals them to mankind. Father Chevrier affirms this in a Gospel study on the Holy Spirit and supports this assertion with a passage from the Letter to the Ephesians: «As you read my words, you can see how deeply I understand the mystery of Christ. This mystery God did not make known to people in past generations, as he has now revealed it through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets» (Eph 3:4–5).
Antoine Chevrier experienced that the Spirit is present in the Gospel, in the words of Jesus Christ. Scripture is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who makes it the word of the living and ever-present Christ, a letter written to us in our hearts. That is why the disciple and the apostle must study the Gospel in order to know Jesus Christ and to love him: «The spirit of Jesus Christ is found above all in the word of Our Lord. The study of the Holy Gospel, the words and deeds of Jesus Christ—this is the sum total of our study; this is what we must seek to know and understand» (Yves Musset: *The Christ of Father Chevrier*, p. 40). For this very reason, it must be a continual and constant endeavour so that we may be initiated into and grow in this knowledge, in the understanding of the faith.
As we have already noted, the Scriptures are the work of the Spirit. In our study of the Gospel, we welcome the Spirit’s witness and entrust ourselves to him to guide our entire lives as disciples and apostles of Jesus Christ. The study of the Scriptures, is carried out in the light and through the working of the Holy Spirit (it is a «spiritual» study) in such a way that our search is not centred on a message or a book, but on the person of the Word who reveals himself in the words and deeds recounted to us in the Scriptures: «When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you» (Jn 16:13–14). The spiritual study of the Gospel conforms us to Christ.
A true disciple of Jesus is someone who has been taken hold of by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads them to knowledge of and full communion with Jesus Christ, until the disciple comes to think and act like Jesus Christ, until they are one with him. «The disciple of Jesus Christ is a person who is filled with the spirit of his Master, who thinks as his Master does, who follows him in everything and everywhere… This spirit is poured out in the Holy Gospel» (VD 510). To cultivate this grace, this spiritual study, is to open our whole life to the Holy Spirit who forms Jesus Christ within us, just as, through the Incarnation, he formed Jesus within Mary. The action and presence of the Spirit are neither spectacular nor visible; they are simple and discreet. We find him hidden within history and in the written word. This is why Father Chevrier directs us to the Scriptures; the Spirit is always present there to communicate himself to those who listen to or read them, united with the faith of the Church. Moved by the Spirit, the disciple gains a deeper understanding of the Scriptures. In this way, he allows himself to be renewed in his actions by the very same Spirit who leads him to knowledge of and communion with Christ himself.
This spiritual study of Scripture is always carried out within the faith of the Church. Indeed, without the Spirit, we cannot conform to Jesus Christ, any more than there can be an apostolic witness. The Holy Spirit is the soul, the source of a new incarnation of the Word in our minds through the inspired Scriptures, which reveal and make present the One sent by the Father within the community of believers. This study of the Scriptures underpins the witness to Christ who died and rose again; it leads us to discern all things, to see all things and to interpret all things in the light of him: «We do not speak of these things in the language taught by human wisdom, but in that taught by the Spirit (…) for it is spiritually that one judges them. The spiritual person judges all things and is not judged by anyone. For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ» (1 Cor 2:13–16).
To possess the Spirit or to allow ourselves to be filled by him, the path lies through the person of the Word as contemplated in the Scriptures. The diligent reading and study of the Scriptures are fundamental to the life of the disciple and the apostle; they cannot be merely occasional. It is not, therefore, a matter of turning to the Gospel from time to time, but of allowing the Spirit’s hand to immerse us in the deep waters of the Gospel.
«First of all, one must read and reread the Holy Gospel, let it sink in, study it, learn it by heart, examine every word and every action, in order to grasp its meaning and allow it to permeate one’s own thoughts and actions. It is through daily prayer that we must undertake this study and bring Jesus Christ into our lives» (VD 227). As Father Chevrier reminds us and bears witness to, there is a strong interplay between the study of the Gospel and prayer; the two call upon and enrich one another. Another fruit of this interaction is the conversion that arises from an encounter with Jesus Christ, when one allows oneself to be led by the Spirit. He is the soul of this study, which leads us into struggle and confrontation with our own spirit and with the spirit of the world: «Who are those who have the Spirit of God? They are those who have prayed much and asked for it at length. They are those who have studied the Holy Gospel at length—the words and deeds of Our Lord—and who have laboured long to reform within themselves that which is opposed to the spirit of Our Lord» (VD 227).
The spiritual study of the Gospel leads us to a knowledge of Jesus Christ and to a personal encounter with him, and it is this that enables us to enter into a dialogue with Jesus as our contemporary. Moreover, this experience of encounter is the very heart of mission. Through the study of the Gospel, and just as the Spirit led Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth, the Spirit urges us to reach out to the poor, to make their lives our own, and to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to them. That is why, we repeat once more, the study of the Scriptures is the study of the person of Jesus Christ; not a quest to accumulate information about Jesus, but a quest for communion so that we may become one with Christ. This is reflected in the experience of the new knowledge of Jesus Christ that the Apostle Paul came to discover: «I live, yet it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. For the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me» (Gal 2:20).
2 The Study of Our Lord Jesus Christ
We have already pointed out that this expression is not Father Chevrier’s own. He took it from *The Imitation of Christ* whilst he was a theology student. It subsequently appeared and was repeated in his writings.
In Father Chevrier’s time, as is the case in Europe today, religious ignorance and a lack of understanding of Jesus Christ had become widespread, particularly amongst the working class, which was then emerging from the early days of the Industrial Revolution. This had a profound impact on Antoine Chevrier’s life and shaped the way he carried out his ministry. For him, knowing Jesus Christ was everything. Consequently, what is essential in the life of a Christian, in the life of a priest, is to study Jesus Christ in order to come to know him.
But this study is not an intellectual, academic or investigative endeavour. Its aim is not to provide information, but to gain knowledge of a person: that Christ may take shape in those who seek him through the knowledge of the faith. This quest is not centred on a doctrine or a book, but on Jesus Christ, who reveals himself in the words and deeds recorded in Scripture. This study also has to do with love, for love evokes presence; it evokes communion with the person one loves.
For Chevrier, this study had its origins in the contemplation of Jesus Christ. His whole life was shaped by the experience of grace he had at Christmas 1856, that is to say, his contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation. This was the source of his constant zeal to ensure that the One sent by the Father might be known to all. This was to become his great task: to know Jesus Christ so that he might make him known. «Are we not here for this, and for this alone: to know Jesus Christ and his Father, and to make him known to others…» (Letter 181)
Prior to the Christmas grace of 1856, there is no mention of a «Study of the Gospel» in Father Chevrier’s writings. The Study of Jesus Christ therefore has a mystical and apostolic origin: the grace of Christmas. Without the special light found in the mystery of the Incarnation, one could not explain his marvellous and surprising way of commenting on the Prologue of Saint John: ‘The Word became flesh’.
The Study of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist
«To study Jesus Christ in his earthly life, in his Eucharistic life, will be the focus of all my study» (1st Rule, 1857).
It is significant that Father Chevrier’s first Gospel Study is preceded by a study on the Eucharist. This is how Jesus Christ unites himself to us, and we to him. This shows us that the study and knowledge of Jesus Christ are realised not only in the Gospels (in the Scriptures), but also in sacramental life.
Like Antoine Chevrier, we too are called to study, to come to know, and to seek Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, both in the celebration of the Mass and in adoration before the tabernacle. «The tabernacle is the place where the disciple of Christ is invited to faith, to adoration, and to a loving heart-to-heart» (Yves Musset: Le Christ du Père Chevrier, p. 79). This contemplation and this space for study are very much in keeping with the spirituality of Father Chevrier, which has its source in the mystery of the Incarnation: the Eucharist is like «an extension of the divine Incarnation. In the Incarnation, he transforms himself into us. In the Eucharist, he transforms us into himself» (Ms 7.1).
This study by Father Chevrier on the Eucharist emphasises union with Jesus Christ and love, which brings us back once again to one of the most distinctive features of Father Chevrier’s spirituality: the imitation of Christ, our model. «We become the brothers of Jesus Christ, since we are united to him by the same thoughts and his blood flows within us through the Holy Eucharist» (Ms 11,2). «We are his outward life and he is our inward life» (Ms 9,4j). In faith we eat and drink the Word made flesh at the table of the Word and in the breaking of bread. In our daily lives, we must be mindful of the circular relationship that is established between our study of the Gospel and the celebration of the Eucharist.
The «Rule of Life» of 1857 focused primarily on imitating Jesus Christ, whom Father Chevrier regarded as the model to be followed. It was shaped by the theology and spirituality of his time. However, we must learn to look beyond certain phrases or expressions and seek to understand what Father Chevrier had in mind beyond them. When he speaks of imitating and taking Jesus as a model, he is not referring to copying a model from the outside. That is why, in the same «Rules», he expresses himself in the form of a prayer: «Grant that I may be so like you, so conformed to you, that I may be one with you, that I may be truly and worthily your representative on earth… » The true meaning of the word ‘imitation’ is communion, union with Christ. Jesus Christ is the model because he is within us, because he dwells in us, and because it is he himself who moulds us in his image. Knowledge of Christ has the effect of uniting us with and identifying us with Christ himself, of transforming us into Christ. Behind the imitation of Jesus Christ lies a sacramental dimension. The living and active presence of Christ, together with his brothers, leads everything towards the Father within each of us and through us.
The study of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is linked to the study of Jesus Christ in his earthly life, as revealed to us in the Scriptures through the work of the Holy Spirit. The study of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures.
The study of Our Lord Jesus Christ is carried out above all in the Scriptures, in the Gospels, since it is there that we encounter Jesus Christ. As we have already emphasised, this most valuable discipline, this study, is «spiritual»: «The spirit of Jesus Christ is found above all in the word of Our Lord. The study of the Holy Gospel, the words and deeds of Jesus Christ—this is the whole of our study; this is what we must seek to know and understand…» (Ms 10,24a). This is why this study must be given preference over other studies which, whilst also necessary, are of lesser importance. «No study, no science should be preferred to this one. It is the most necessary, the most useful, the most important, especially for those who wish to become priests, his disciples, because this knowledge alone can make priests» (VD 113).
It is this study, carried out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that brings about true knowledge of Jesus Christ and shapes a person in the image of Jesus Christ: «I have asked Our Lord, and I continue to ask Him every day, that you may be filled with His Spirit, that the study of Jesus Christ may be dear to your hearts, and that your every desire may be to model your life on that of the Master» (Letter 80).
In *The True Disciple* there is a very beautiful phrase that expresses what the study of the Gospel is, and what it ought to be for us: «Filled with the Holy Spirit… to study the Gospel in order to model our lives on that of Jesus Christ » (cf. VD 225). We study the Gospel, not in order to find out what Jesus Christ did, nor to learn his teaching and thereby see what we ourselves ought to do. If we approach the Gospel merely to discover what Jesus did and to follow in his footsteps, our relationship with Christ would remain characterised by mere human will, and he would be nothing more to us than a figure from the past. The study to which Father Chevrier invites us lies at a much deeper level. He wants Jesus Christ to take root within us, to dwell in us, to remain in our hearts through faith, and for the Spirit to form the whole Christ within us. We cannot be content merely to imitate a few of Jesus« attitudes and actions.
This study is a genuine process of research and systematic inquiry that we must undertake with perseverance every day, as it is our primary task – the one that enables us to develop who we are and our identity. To this end, this study requires us to set aside our own minds and our own wills in order to welcome and make ourselves available to the Spirit of God and to whatever He wishes to reveal to us. Research and investigation into the Scriptures require us to step outside ourselves and enter into that which is unknown to human thought; it also requires us to allow ourselves to be guided, even without understanding, just as Mary did (Luke 1:29–34). We undertake this study of the Gospel with the attitude of the poor and in the condition of the needy who seek to receive life, true wisdom, and who make themselves available to welcome God’s gift. Indeed, in the Gospel study, we do not seek to understand everything, but we wish to give ourselves to the person of the Word. This is precisely why this study cannot be something occasional or one-off that we do only when we have the time. On the contrary, it is a very important part of our ministry, something as daily as eating. This study reveals the depth of our attachment to, and our love for, Jesus Christ; but it also reveals the depth of our dedication to the mission, which is Christ’s mission, not our own…
The study of the Gospel requires the same perseverance and diligence as prayer; indeed, the two are closely linked. «First of all, one must read and reread the Holy Gospel, let it sink in, study it, learn it by heart, examine every word and every action, in order to grasp its meaning and allow it to permeate one’s thoughts and actions. It is in daily prayer that this study must be carried out and that Jesus Christ must be brought into one’s life» (VD 227). Prayer and the Study of the Gospel are mutually enriching. This is why Father Chevrier combines the necessity of study to know Jesus Christ with the necessity of prayer. He himself prays and enters into a relationship with the Master whom he desires to know. The prayer «O Word, O Christ!» comes at the end of the Gospel Study on the titles of Jesus Christ (VD 108). This was the experience of Antoine Chevrier, but also that of many members of the Prado community. It is undoubtedly a call to us all, showing us how to approach the Study of the Gospel. «We must not turn prayer into a matter of empty words or mysticism. The life and words of Jesus Christ must be its essential foundation… Even in prayer, knowledge of Our Lord must come first and foremost… The basis of prayer is the study of Our Lord Jesus Christ» (Ms 9,2d).
The knowledge of Jesus Christ of which Antoine Chevrier speaks is that which springs from faith. In the Scriptures, God himself comes to meet us to communicate with us and enter into a dialogue of love. The Gospel Study is therefore, above all, an experience of faith: it begins with faith, develops through faith and strengthens faith. We must be mindful of this dimension, which places us in a posture of listening and of trust in the word addressed to us. Father Chevrier himself serves as our guide in this type of Gospel Study, which aims to nourish and strengthen faith. He concludes his Gospel Study on the divinity of Jesus Christ with this statement, which should always be at the forefront of our own Gospel Study: «Let us not forget the great act of faith in Jesus Christ, the Word and Son of God» (VD 82).
Knowledge of and the study of Our Lord Jesus Christ must encompass the entirety of Scripture because, as we have already mentioned, all Scripture speaks of Jesus Christ and all is imbued with the Word of the Father. «The whole» does not mean encyclopaedic knowledge, nor an accumulation of information about the texts or the books of the Bible. «The whole» refers to the fundamental core from which we understand and explain the mystery of Christ, the Word made flesh. The centre of the Scriptures is the Word, who comes in the flesh to save mankind. In the light of this, people, through their intellect and their freedom, can understand all the questions and mysteries that concern their existence.
The Scriptures are what the Lord has given us and placed in our hands so that we may come to know him and live our lives in accordance with the Covenant. In this communication and revelation, the Word made flesh becomes the most explicit word at our disposal, a word of revelation communicated through the Scriptures, in which the Holy Spirit dwells. Consequently, if we wish to know Jesus Christ, we must know and study the Scriptures. This is what Saint Jerome reminds us: «To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ». But let us remain very mindful that this is a study enlightened and guided by the Spirit; it is this which enables us, through the book, to enter into a relationship with the Word made flesh, the Son of God, the living Word of the Father. «Verbo» is the name of the Son of God. This word means ‘Word’. God sent his Verbo, that is to say, his Word, who took on our humanity to instruct us and make known to us the law and the will of the Father…He is for us like a living letter in which we must read the will of the Most High… How attentively must we read this letter sent from heaven!” (Ms 5,27).
CONCLUSION
Gospel study is part of the Church’s tradition of reading the Scriptures in the light of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit presents them to us today as a living and relevant word, and presents Jesus Christ to us as our contemporary.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the Incarnation of the Word, and his work in the Scriptures as the living word of God, continues in the study of the Gospel, through which we come to know Jesus Christ and enter into communion with him.
It is always the Holy Spirit who inspires and guides our study of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We must undertake this study both in the Eucharist and in the Scriptures. Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, we invoke the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
In the same way, in our Gospel study, we must make an epiclesis – an invocation to the Holy Spirit – so that the word of Scripture may become a revelation and the presence of the living Word, the risen Jesus Christ, the Son of God, true nourishment just like the Eucharistic bread.
We must always approach Gospel study in prayer and faith. Its purpose is to lead us to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. In other words, we study the Gospel to establish a genuine dialogue with the Lord, a personal relationship with Jesus, and this will, in a sense, be the driving force that energises our lives, our mission, and the incarnation and commitment we are able to live out in the midst of the world. To this end, a knowledge of the Scriptures that remains merely superficial is insufficient. This is what the Fourth Gospel shows us in a dialogue between Jesus and the Jews who scrutinised the Scriptures and believed they knew them. The revelation of the Spirit and faith are necessary. «The Father’s word does not remain in you, since you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that through them you will gain eternal life: it is they that bear witness to me. And yet you refuse to come to me to have eternal life» (Jn 5:38–40; cf. 5:46–47).
At the heart of the Gospel Study lies the person of Jesus Christ. I embark on this Study with the intention of conforming myself to him, of following him with complete trust and without reservation until I become one with him. Consequently, the aim of my Gospel Study is not what I ought to do, nor is it to seek out what I need; my aim is to allow myself to be remade by God’s living and active Word; it is to walk guided by the Spirit, who alone has the power to bestow true life and to nourish both our existence and our witness. By communing with and thus centring our lives on the person of Jesus Christ, we will be led to view everything through him. For the believer, for the apostle, more than the Gospel, more than justice, more than freedom, more than love… what truly exists is Jesus Christ, who is our justice, our freedom and our love. Centred on him, we will also live out our mission and our ministry based on the radical nature of the Gospel.
Placing Jesus Christ at the centre of our lives means giving ourselves completely and stripping ourselves of everything in a spirit of radical poverty, in the image of the poverty of the One sent by the Father, who does nothing of his own accord, who says nothing of his own accord, and who at every moment fulfils the will of the One who sent him. This is what «knowing Jesus Christ» consists of: it is allowing the Son to penetrate and fill our very being, so that we become one with him. Just as happened to Paul, we will be able to experience that he is our life, that he himself lives within us, that the life of the Son of God, eternal life, flows through us (Gal 2:19–20; Jn 17:3).
Xosé Xulio RODRIGUEZ