Words have power. Have you ever said something or written something only to think, “I wish I could take that back.” “I can’t find the right words to express what I feel.” “You have completely misunderstood what I meant!”
Words can inspire, but they also can manipulate. They can motivate, but we have to be careful which words we trust. We are assaulted by words every day that want us to buy the up-to-the-minute thing, to agree with a certain politician/influencer, or to feel deficient because we haven’t followed the latest trend. Words can be misinterpreted because they represent complex ideas and emotions. What I say and what you hear might not be the same.
Religion uses words to describe God and the actions of God, but we realize that words are inadequate. God is ineffable – indescribable, inexpressible, beyond words. Words are imperfect, and yet we try. We experience an abundance of words in the Liturgy of the Word.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came to be through him, and without him, nothing came to be. . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory.” Jn. 1:1,3,14
The Greek New Testament uses Logos for Word in the passage above. Much has been written and debated about this concept of Jesus as the Logos of God. Jesus is God and the voice revealing God. I think a helpful description of the word Logos comes from Brian K. Gamel: “Logos eventually came to communicate the idea of “giving an account,” in the sense of explaining a story. Having been identified with language, logos came to mean all that language involves—both the act of sharing information and the thought that produces language.” Lexham Bible Dictionary
“He [Christ] is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church.” Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #7. Jesus is present when the Scriptures are proclaimed. The purpose of the Liturgy of the Word is not so much education as it is formation. We are not just learning about God; we are encountering God. We are listening to Christ speaking to us today. Like the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Word is meant to nourish us with a spiritual experience of Christ’s presence for our sake. We can say we are nourished at the Table of the Word and at the Table of the Eucharist.
We can trust the Word of God proclaimed by the Church to the gathered believers. We study and reflect on this Word in order to grow as disciples of Christ.
“And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?’” Lk. 24:30-32
Consider: In what way can you announce the Good News of Jesus to others? What situations might make it difficult to announce the Good News? What might be done to change or improve difficult situations?