THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE

XXVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Hebrews 4:12-13

Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, after acknowledging our sinfulness, we sit to hear the word of God. During this part of the mass, our attention is concentrated on the lectern (ambo), where the word of God is proclaimed. Special honour is given to the proclamation of the Gospel in the liturgy of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. We recognise publicly that the Word is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. At the beginning of his gospel, John makes it clear that Jesus is the Word incarnate. Through Him, the world was created. He is the life and the light of men (Jn 1:4). In the book of Genesis, we learn that God created everything through his word. And the Holy Scriptures, as they present to us the history of salvation, give witness to the continuous presence and action of the Word. The prophets are the great spokesmen for this Word, challenging, denouncing, calling to repentance and conversion. At the same time, this word reveals God’s plan of salvation while showing the way to faithfulness and fulfilment. Through the word, God commits Himself to carry out the Promise of sending the Messiah to redeem humanity, leading it to the fullness of peace and life.

In the letter to the Hebrews, we are given a short passage on the role of the Word of God. When the word is proclaimed, it becomes “alive and active”, and God speaks to us. It confronts and challenges us, bringing to the open our “secret emotions and thoughts”. It may be painful since “it cuts like any double-edged sword but more finely”. However, that pain is the pre-announcement of healing, bringing wholeness to our lives. We are reminded that “we must give account of ourselves” before God. The word of God is never proclaimed in vain, and we cannot behave as if we did not hear it. We will be answerable before God. Let us open our hearts and be docile to the work of the Spirit so that we listen and act accordingly to the Word of God.