Word of God

Ancient Greeks considered "Word" as power and wisdom. In the light of such insight, humankind ought to embrace the word of God, pondering it with humility and adoration. Blessed is the one who listens to the word of God  and allows it to bear fruit. The Prophet Isaiah provides a profound analogy for the word of God. He says, it is like a double-edged sword, which penetrates the  finest marrow of a bone. Thus says the Lord: "Yes as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that comes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out My will and succeeding in what it was sent to do."

The declaration of Isaiah about the word of God alludes to the Bible's creation account. In the beginning, there was nothing. God said:, "Let there be light," and there was light...God spoke, and the whole creation came about by the power and wisdom of His word. Hence, the whole of creation speaks loudly and clearly of the power and wisdom of God. St Paul, writing to the Romans, verifies the fact, "Ever since the creation of the World His eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things He has made." (Rom 1:20) At the proper time, God spoke His word to prophets, who then instructed the people to live a righteous life. The prophet Jeremiah professes, "Your words were found and I ate them, and Your name, O Lord God of hosts" (Jer.15:16)

While confronting the devil in the desert, Jesus reminds us once again of the power and wisdom of the word of God. "Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Fallen humanity continues to pursue with all of its might the bread that will perish, while ignoring the true food that will last for all eternity the word of God. Jesus could easily decipher the disposition of the people of this world, as He compares them in the "Parable of the sower and the seeds" to the edge of the path, patches and thorns." The concerns and worries of this world do not allow the word of God to bear the desired fruit in the people. Yes, there are many in the world who give first place to the word of God, and they bear fruit in the hundred fold, in this life and the next.

St. John, in his gospel summarizes the mystery of the word of God, "In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the word was God." It is through the power of this word that all of creation came about. This same word instructed the prophets, and finally it became flesh and dwelth among men. Jesus is the living word of God - the power and wisdom. This wisdom has baffled human minds. Instead of humbly seeking divine guidance to understand the word of God, humankind continues to defy the will of God spelled out in the Holy Scripture. Laws are passed prohibiting the use of the word of God, and the uttering of the name of Jesus. But the disciples of Jesus should take courage and say, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."-
(Fr. Peter Fernandes, sfx)