‘Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life’

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

THAT’S from the Gospel of St. John (6,63) and is used often as a Responsorial Psalm in many Masses. It reminds us that God’s words, though also written by men and using human elements with all their limitations, have a transformative power that gives spiritual nourishment and guidance to us. In the end, we are reminded that God’s words are what would actually give us the real life meant for us.

We need to understand that God’s words should take precedence over any human reasoning, philosophy or ideology. And that’s because God’s words are obviously divinely inspired, originating from a higher power and not limited by human understanding. They have a timeless and universal scope that will always be relevant across eras and cultures. They are actually infallible and contain wisdom that is beyond human comprehension.

In contrast, human philosophies and ideologies are limited by human perspective, shaped by individual or cultural biases. They are imperfect, prone to errors and flaws. And they usually are relevant only to specific contexts or times. God’s words offer, on the other hand, a broader, deeper and more enduring truth, transcending human wisdom.

Let’s remember that God’s words as spoken to us by Christ are no ordinary words that would just come and go. His words are eternal, effective and ever relevant to everything that happens in our life. His words will always shed light and give meaning to every event, situation and predicament we can have in this life.

The Letter to the Hebrews says as much: “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (4,12)

The Letter to the Hebrews continues by saying: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (4,13)

We have to realize that we need to be guided by God’s words rather than by our own thoughts, reasoning and estimations of things alone. No matter how brilliant and clever we are, we can only go so far in understanding things in this world, many of which are very mysterious to us.

We have to develop a fondness for the words of God. This we can do as long as we exert due effort and continually ask, with humility, for the grace of God. Without these requirements, we can easily be swept away by the many alluring ideologies in the world.

It’s when we listen and live by God’s words that we attain our human and Christian maturity. And as St. Paul would say, we would then be like infants no longer, “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of the people in their deceitful scheming.” (Eph 4,14)

It’s important that we spend time developing a liking and an intimacy with the words of God. We have to read and meditate on them daily, and use them as the spirit behind all events, activities and concerns that we have during the day.

Let us promote a culture of gospel-reading and meditation every day. A few minutes with the gospel daily can go a long way in putting our life on the right path. We should not miss the great treasure we have in the gospel. We can use the new technologies to promote this culture.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com