The Experience of the Fathers of the Church
The fact that Scriptures grow with us, adapting to our capacity and providing what we need at each stage of our growth, is evident in the writings of several Church Fathers. Understanding this versatile nature of the living Word of God present and active in our life is crucial for a correct approach to Lectio Divina and our expectations from it as we journey in our spiritual growth. This openness allows us to remain receptive to God’s voice through the same texts, as He continually reveals new insights, guiding us deeper into His truth.
It’s important to recognize that our spiritual journey follows a spiral path of growth. While we complete full turns, we never return to the exact starting point; rather, we descend to deeper levels, akin to a spiral staircase where we could seem to remain on the same side but at different heights or depths.
The Church Fathers, guided by the Holy Spirit, emphasized the opening of the mind by the Spirit to encounter Jesus in Scripture at varying depths corresponding to stages of our spiritual development. This foundational experience mirrors the New Testament authors’ encounters with the Old Testament, revealing an expansive field of exploration. The Fathers of the Church extensively explored this fundamental aspect of our faith in their writings. Here are a few examples from their experiences with Scripture:
1. Origen (c. 185-254): Origen, in his work De Principiis (On First Principles), speaks about the multifaceted nature of Scripture and how it can be understood at different levels. He emphasizes that Scripture has a literal, moral, and spiritual sense, catering to the needs of believers at various stages of their spiritual maturity. For instance, in De Principiis Book 4, Chapter 1, he writes: “The Scriptures were composed through the Spirit of God and have both a literal and spiritual meaning. The latter is understood only by those who are more advanced.”
Origen, an early Christian theologian, addresses the concept of the adaptability and depth of Scripture in his Commentary on the Song of Songs. He emphasizes that the Scriptures provide nourishment and guidance appropriate to the spiritual maturity of the believer, offering different levels of meaning. Here is a relevant passage from Origen’s Commentary on the Song of Songs:
Commentary on the Song of Songs, Prologue:
“The Holy Spirit has arranged the Scriptures in such a way that, if we examine them, the simpler folk may derive enjoyment from what is easy to understand, while more advanced students can exercise their intellects on the deeper meaning, so that neither should any be in want, nor those who are more accomplished find it lacking.”
In this passage, Origen articulates the idea that Scripture is designed to be accessible and beneficial to people at various stages of their spiritual journey. The simpler elements provide immediate nourishment for beginners, while the deeper meanings offer rich, intellectual, and spiritual food for the more advanced. This concept is central to Origen’s understanding of how the Scriptures function as a dynamic and living source of divine wisdom, capable of meeting the diverse needs of the Christian community.
2. Saint Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306-373) is known for his profound theological and poetic works. He often emphasized the depth and richness of Scripture, highlighting its ability to meet the needs of believers at various stages of their spiritual journey. While Ephrem might not explicitly state the exact concept in one concise quote, his hymns and writings often reflect this idea. In his Hymns on Paradise, Ephrem presents a view of Scripture that aligns with the notion of it being accessible and nourishing at different levels of understanding. Here is a relevant passage:
Hymns on Paradise, Hymn 1:
“The words of Your Scripture are like a ladder which those who are pure in heart ascend and by means of which the hidden mysteries are revealed to them.” This metaphor of Scripture as a ladder suggests that believers can ascend step by step, deepening their understanding and receiving appropriate nourishment for their spiritual growth at each level.
Another relevant passage is from his commentary on the Diatessaron, where Ephrem speaks about the depth and multi-layered nature of Scripture:
Commentary on the Diatessaron, Prologue:
“Lord, who can grasp all the wealth of just one of your words? What we understand is much less than we leave behind, like thirsty people who drink from a fountain. For your word, Lord, has many shades of meaning, just as those who study it have many different points of view. The Lord has coloured his word with many hues, so that each person who studies it can see in it what he loves. He has hidden many treasures in his word, so that each of us is enriched as we meditate on it.”
In this passage, Ephrem highlights the multifaceted nature of Scripture, indicating that it has many layers of meaning, which can provide nourishment and insight to believers at various stages of their spiritual journey. Each person can find in Scripture what they need for their own spiritual growth, much like a fountain that quenches the thirst of all who drink from it.
These passages from Saint Ephrem illustrate his understanding of the Scriptures as a rich, multi-dimensional source of spiritual nourishment that grows with the believer and adapts to their capacity and needs at each stage of their spiritual development.
3. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-394): Gregory of Nyssa, in his Life of Moses, discusses the idea of spiritual progress and how Scripture guides us through different stages of our spiritual journey. He compares the study of Scripture to the ascent of Moses up Mount Sinai, indicating that understanding deepens as one progresses spiritually. “In the same way as our body progresses from infancy to adulthood, so does the soul, nourished by the Word, grow and mature through its stages.”
In The Life of Moses, Gregory of Nyssa uses the journey of Moses as an allegory for the spiritual journey of the soul, emphasizing continuous growth and deeper understanding. Here is a specific passage that reflects this concept:
The Life of Moses, Book 2, Section 232-233:
“In the contemplation of God we must ever keep in mind that no matter how great the height we reach, what we attain will always be but the fringe of his being. Hence the Word says: ‘You shall see my back, but my face you shall not be seen’ (Exod. 33:23). All the true lovers of wisdom will acknowledge that the more they increase in the knowledge of truth, the more they will recognize that the essence of truth is beyond their reach.”
While this passage doesn’t explicitly discuss Scripture in terms of adaptability to different stages of spiritual growth, it does convey the idea of continuous spiritual ascent and the deepening understanding of divine truths, which is consistent with Gregory’s view on the role of Scripture in spiritual development. Gregory of Nyssa’s overall teaching includes the notion that spiritual progress involves an ever-deepening understanding of divine mysteries, facilitated by Scripture, which speaks to individuals at different levels of their spiritual journey.
4. St. Ambrose (c. 340-397) often emphasized the depth and adaptability of Scripture. He believed that the Scriptures are designed to meet the spiritual needs of believers at various stages of their spiritual growth. One of his key works where he discusses this idea is in his commentary on the Psalms.
Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 1, 9:
“The divine Scriptures are, in truth, a feast and a spiritual banquet. They feed the simple, they fill the more advanced, and they satisfy the perfect.”
In this passage, Ambrose highlights the adaptability of Scripture to different levels of spiritual maturity, showing that it provides nourishment and satisfaction to all believers, regardless of their stage in the spiritual journey.
5. St. Jerome (c. 347-420), known for his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), also speaks about the adaptability and depth of Scripture. Jerome’s letters and commentaries often reflect this view.
Letter 53, To Paulinus, Section 10:
“The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever touching the bottom.”
This famous metaphor by Jerome illustrates the dual nature of Scripture: it is accessible to those who are new to the faith while also providing profound depths for more mature believers to explore. St. Jerome convey the idea that Scripture is designed to meet the needs of believers at various stages of spiritual development, providing nourishment and insight that grows with them.
6. John Chrysostom (c. 349-407): John Chrysostom, in his homilies, often speaks of the Scriptures as a source of nourishment that adapts to the needs of the faithful. In his Homily 9 on Colossians, he says: “Scripture speaks in such a way that it can be understood by those who are simple and ignorant, and yet it can also provide profound teachings for those who are wise and learned.”
7. Augustine of Hippo (354-430): St. Augustine in his conversion journey initially struggled with the Old Testament. When he visited Milan, and listened to St. Ambrose’s commentaries of the Old Testament, he marvelled. It was a momentus event in his life, it opened new avenues for him and eased to way for him to enter in the Scriptures. In his work Against the Epistle of Manichaeus Called Fundamental (Contra Epistolam Manichaei Quam Vacant Fundamenti), commonly known as Against the Fundamental Epistle of Manichaeus St. Augustine argues against the Manichaean belief that the Church had corrupted the Scriptures. He affirms the authority of the Church in preserving and transmitting the Scriptures. Here is the specific quote: Against the Fundamental Epistle of Manichaeus, Chapter 5, Section 6: “I would not believe in the Gospel myself if the authority of the Catholic Church did not influence me to do so.” In this passage, Augustine expresses his belief that his faith in the Gospel (Scriptures) is inseparable from the authority and guidance of the Catholic Church. This reflects Augustine’s understanding of the Church as the guardian and interpreter of Scripture, whose authority he acknowledges as essential for his own belief in the Gospel message.
Augustine, in his Confessions and other works, often talks about the depth of Scripture and how it can provide nourishment for believers at various levels of understanding. In Confessions Book 12, Chapter 27, he states: “The richness of the Holy Scriptures is such that it grows with the child, it grows with the man, and it is ever beyond their power to exhaust.”
8. Pope Gregory the Great (c. 540-604) also discusses the adaptability of Scripture to the spiritual growth and varying capacities of believers. In his Moralia in Job (Morals on the Book of Job), he emphasizes how Scripture can provide guidance and nourishment suited to different stages of spiritual maturity. Here is a relevant passage from Moralia in Job:
Moralia in Job, Preface, 4:
“Holy Scripture, by the manner of its speech, transcends every science, because in one and the same sentence, while it describes a fact, it reveals a mystery. Thus, it adapts itself to both beginners and the advanced, to the more ignorant and the more educated. It is, so to speak, a kind of river, both shallow and deep, in which both a lamb may walk and an elephant swim.”
In this passage, Gregory the Great illustrates the idea that Scripture is accessible and beneficial to people at all levels of understanding and spiritual development. It provides simple truths for those who are just beginning their journey of faith, while also offering deeper, more complex insights for those who are more spiritually advanced. This metaphor of Scripture as a river that is both shallow and deep conveys the concept of its adaptability and capacity to nourish believers throughout their spiritual growth.
Pope Gregory the Great discusses the concept of the Scriptures adapting to the spiritual growth and capacities of the reader in his Homilies on the Book of Ezekiel. He emphasizes how the Scriptures provide nourishment and guidance appropriate to each stage of spiritual development, using imagery that reflects this adaptable nature. Here is a relevant passage from Gregory’s Homilies on the Book of Ezekiel:
Homilies on Ezekiel, 1.7.8:
“Scripture is like a river again, broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.”
In this homily, Gregory uses the metaphor of a river to describe the adaptability and depth of Scripture. The idea is that Scripture is accessible to both beginners (the lambs) who can wade in its shallower parts, and to the more advanced (the elephants) who can swim in its deeper parts. This analogy emphasizes that the Scriptures are designed to provide spiritual nourishment and insight to people at various stages of their spiritual journey, accommodating different levels of understanding and maturity.
This passage from Gregory the Great’s commentary on Ezekiel highlights the multifaceted nature of Scripture and its ability to grow with us, adapting to our capacity and feeding us what we need at each stage of our spiritual growth.
Commenting Ezekiel’s vision 1:19, “when the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose.” Pope Gregory the Great says:
“The Living advance when the saints know how to read in Holy Scripture what should be their moral conduct. The Living rise from the earth when the saints let themselves be enraptured by contemplation. Moreover, the more a saint progresses in Sacred Scripture, the more Scripture itself progresses [unusquisque Sanctorum quanto ipse in Scriptura sacra profecerit, tanto haec eadem Scriptura sacra proficit apud ipsum]. That is why it is correct to say: ‘when the Living advanced, the wheels also advanced; and when the Living rose from the earth, the wheels simultaneously rose.’ Divine revelations grow with the one who reads them: the more one directs their gaze upward, the deeper the meaning. The wheels do not rise if the Living do not rise. If the soul of the reader does not ascend, the divine words, incomprehended, remain, so to speak, at ground level. When the divine text appears cold to the reader, when the language of Sacred Scripture does not stir their soul and shed light on their understanding, the wheel is inactive and on the ground, because the Living do not rise. But when the Living advance, that is, when they seek guidance for their moral progress and, taking a step in their heart, discover how to take the step of good works, then the wheels also advance: you find progress in the sacred text as you yourselves become better through its influence. […] You come to feel that the words of Scripture are words from heaven, if you allow yourself to be inflamed by the grace of contemplation and to be enraptured even by the realities from above. The admirable and unspeakable power of the sacred text is revealed when the heart of the reader is filled with love from above. […]
Indeed, where the spirit of the reader tends [spiritus legentis], there also the divine texts rise, because if you seek something lofty in them, these sacred texts grow with you, they ascend with you to the heights [tecum crescunt, tecum in altiora ascendunt]. If the spirit of the reader […] seeks historical facts and their moral lesson in the texts, that moral significance of history immediately presents itself. Does he seek the typological sense? The figurative language is quickly grasped. Does he seek an object of contemplation? Immediately the wheels seem to take wings and be carried away in the air […]. The wheels follow the spirit, grow in intelligibility [per intellectum] according to the disposition [juxta sensum] of the reader’s mind.” (Homilies on the Prophet Ezekiel, Homily 7)
9. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, a Christian theologian and philosopher from the late 5th to early 6th century, also addresses the concept of Scripture adapting to the spiritual growth and varying capacities of believers. In his works, particularly in the Mystical Theology and the Divine Names, he emphasizes the idea of divine revelation being accessible at different levels of understanding, corresponding to the spiritual maturity of individuals.
Here are a few relevant passages:
1. Mystical Theology, Chapter 1:
“We must not then dare to speak, or indeed to form any conception of the hidden…But rather we should pass upward from particular to universal conceptions, until we come to a notion free from all particulars, and we reach that which is beyond all and is one. For this is the way the divine realities are revealed to us.” In this passage, Pseudo-Dionysius speaks about the progressive understanding of divine truths, suggesting that spiritual growth involves moving from a basic understanding to deeper, more abstract conceptions of God.
2. Divine Names, Chapter 1, Section 4:
“The Sacred Scriptures teach us that our understanding of the divine Names should be carried on according to our own nature and capacities, drawing us upward towards the divine by means of each individual one of them, as far as we are able to follow.” Here, he explicitly mentions that the understanding of divine names (and thus, by extension, divine truths) should be according to our capacities, highlighting the adaptability of Scripture to our level of spiritual development.
3. Divine Names, Chapter 7, Section 2:
“The sacred writers do not intend that we should rest satisfied with the images and symbols alone, but that we should use them as aids for our ascent to the contemplation of the truths which are beyond them.” This passage emphasizes that Scripture uses images and symbols that are accessible to all but encourages believers to move beyond them as they grow spiritually, pointing to the adaptability and depth of Scripture.
Pseudo-Dionysius’ writings thus reflect the notion that Scripture and divine revelation are presented in a way that meets the spiritual needs of individuals at various stages of their growth, providing a foundation for deeper understanding as they mature.
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite uses the imagery of a mountain to describe the spiritual ascent and the understanding of divine truths, including those found in Scripture. He often discusses how the journey towards God involves moving from the base to the peak of a mountain, symbolizing the deepening understanding and experience of the divine. Here is a relevant passage from his work:
Pseudo-Dionysius, The Mystical Theology, Chapter 1:
“And so, in the divine Word, we are bidden to leave behind both sense perception and intellectual activities, and all that belongs to the sensible and the intelligible, and to go upward to the peak of the divine ascent as far as we can go, towards union with Him who is beyond all being and knowledge.”
This passage illustrates the idea of ascending a mountain, where one leaves behind the basic and intermediate stages of understanding (sense perception and intellectual activities) to reach the peak, representing the ultimate union with God and the highest understanding of divine truths. This metaphor indicates that as believers progress spiritually, their understanding of Scripture and divine realities deepens, culminating in the profound mystery of union with God.
In this way, Pseudo-Dionysius conveys that Scripture, much like a mountain, offers different levels of understanding and experience, with the peak representing the ultimate, most intimate knowledge of God, which is beyond ordinary comprehension.
10. The Venerable Bede (c. 673-735), an English Benedictine monk, offers an analogy comparing reading the Scriptures to drawing water from a well. He encourages readers not to be disheartened if they cannot grasp all the meanings and depths of Scripture, as its richness is inexhaustible. Here is a passage that reflects this idea:
Bede’s Homilies on the Gospels, Homily 1.7:
“Just as a man who draws water from a well does not worry if he cannot empty the well, so too a person who studies the divine Scriptures should not be saddened if he cannot grasp the full depth of the mysteries they contain. For the more one draws and learns from them, the more one discovers their inestimable wealth.”
This analogy by Bede reassures believers that it is normal and expected not to comprehend the entirety of the Scriptures at once. The Scriptures are meant to be a continual source of spiritual nourishment and wisdom, providing ever-deepening insights throughout a person’s life.
How Does the Scriptures Grow With us?
Let us try to understand what it means to say that “the Scriptures grow with us”. What really happens when we encounter the Scriptures? When we practise Lectio Divina, when we read the Scriptures in prayer while seeking the Lord’s will, we meet Him, the Risen Lord, the Living Word of God present among us (“I will be with you until the end of times” (Mt. 28:20) “And the word of God increased” (Acts 6:7; see 13:49). In this sense, we need to keep in mind the distinction between the Scriptures and the Living Word of God, Jesus, the Risen Lord.
The Scriptures are a sacrament of the Word of God. The Word of God, Jesus, desires to meet us, speak to us, and give us His words that are Spirit and Eternal Life—words that bring healing, light, liberation, and transformation.
A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace. When the Word of God is proclaimed in the Liturgy of the Word during Mass, it is Jesus who is present, who speaks to each one of us in our hearts as we hear the voice of the reader.
When we read the Scriptures, a similar dynamic occurs: the text serves as the visible sign of the invisible grace, which is the Living Word of God. This is why we pray while reading the Scriptures, so the reading becomes a meeting, a listening process, a grace, a reception of the Living Word in our soul. We invoke the Holy Spirit so that the Word of God can breathe life through the text, making it alive.
Who is in control of this process? Jesus Himself, through the Holy Spirit, who deeply penetrates us and touches us. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to meet Jesus, hear His voice, and receive His word, allowing it to transform us. In this sense, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, provides us with our daily bread, suitable for us at our specific stage in the spiritual journey.
The sacramental process is always active, triggering healing, growth, and transformation within us. Therefore, if we get the same text we have already prayed upon before, the Living Word is capable to still speak in a new and deeper way. Its goal is to facilitate our transformative process. In this sense, we can say that the Scriptures grow with us.
Of course, by this expression, we do not mean that the text itself is growing, but rather that through the sacramental process and the communication established by the Holy Spirit between the Risen Lord, the Living Word of God, and us, what is given to us is adapted to our growth—even if we are reading and praying over the same Sacred Text. In fact, each word of the Scriptures is inspired by God, and can be used by God, as a multifaceted diamond, to illuminate and provide the specific guidance we need today for our spiritual growth and transformation.
Videos
– Spiritual Exegesis, Spiritual Life and Lectio Divina
– Lectio Divina and the Spiritual Senses of the Scriptures
– The Four Senses of the Scripture
School of Mary 