BRING ALIVE THE WORD OF GOD TO BEAR FRUITS
The gospel of John 1:1-3 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. …..and all things were made through him.” If the word is God who created everything, including us, then it would be appropriate to keep that word in our hearts like Mary.
The fitting place for the word of God should be in the person’s heart, mind, spirit, and soul and not in the “book.” The book is just a container to collect the word of God to be used for future but it lies there dormant. The real container or vessel for God’s words is the human person where it should live and should come alive. The end product of the word of God should always be the human person to whom it was addressed.
Relationship between the human person and human word
To understand better the relationship between the word of God and the human person, it is worth looking at the relationship between the human person and the human word. As human beings, we are gifted with the speech of a word. We communicate with other human beings and sometimes with other living beings in words. We express ourselves and our feelings through words. These words are our extension which goes out into the world.
The Power of Words
We communicate with the outside world through our words, and it is a powerful force given to us by God who created us in his image and likeness. (Gen 1:26-27). Our words have power. It has the power to do good or evil, to break or build, and to make happy or sad. Both ways we can use this tool for the good or detriment of others and ourselves.
Words from others in our daily life
Words do matter to us. Words are used in our relationships in family, office, community, and everywhere. Our relationship depends on our words and the words of others. We love and appreciate a person who uses words of love, affection, concern, care, motivation, courage, praise, thanks etc. Good words are effective for the speedy recovery of those who are sick. Beside them we also need positive words to keep us motivated and healthy
What the word of God says about the human word
There are scriptures from the old and new testaments telling us about the power of the human word. The power of the word is given to us by God and we are responsible for it how we use it. The word of God warns us against the wrong use of our words. James in his letter says “tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire.” (Jam 3:5). The small member of our body, the tongue can cause great damage to others. We should always be careful with our words before we speak because we are accountable for words which can do good or harm to other. There is no doubt why Jesus said, “on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.”(Mt 12:36). It is we who are responsible for others' well-being and destruction.
What the scientific community say about the power of human word
What the word of God has said already in the Scripture about the power of human words, scientific studies now confirm it. Some of the studies show the power of words and their effect on physical and mental well-being. It shows that positive and negative words not only affect us on a deep psychological level, but they have a significant impact on the outcome of our lives. There are other scientific experiment that says our words affect things like water, plants and other living beings.
The Power of the Spoken Word
Human beings have always expressed words in oral and written form. But the oral or spoken word is more effective than the written word. In the spoken word we see the words lively and effective. This form is used very effectively by teachers, preachers, orators, politicians, salespersons and actors to communicate and convince listeners. If the person is a good speaker, it is more effective. The more you master this skill more you are effective.
The Oral Word of God in the Scripture
The oral tradition of the Scripture shows us the powerful impact of the oral word of God in the life of the church. The word of God first existed in the oral form. The written word of God is a record of the oral word of God for the future generation. In case of Jesus we see him speaking to his people orally. At the later stage, his spoken words were put down in writing for the benefit of his future followers.
We see the wonderful thing about the oral word of God in the first four centuries of the church. The believers without the written word of God were more effective and powerful in converting people to the Lord than now with the whole written word of God in the Bible. The written word of God in the Bible came into existence at the end of the fourth century when the Church at the Council of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) declared 73 books as inspired. The early believers had the good news in the oral form in their hearts and minds. Through these spoken words they performed powerfully wonders and miracles to draw more people to the Lord.
How to bring alive the word of God to bear fruits in our life?
If we need miracles to happen in our life, we need to bring alive the word of God from the Bible. This we do it by reading the word of God daily. By reading the Bible daily, we bring the words out from the Bible into our hearts, minds, spirits and souls. By reading the word of God we are shifting it from the written form into the oral form which was the original form of our Lord.
As the liturgy of the word in the Mass is a preparation for the liturgy of the bread, similarly daily reading of the word of God in our personal life will be preparation for rest of the day. The word of God meditated by us remains in our hearts and minds like the early believers which will help us to face any challenges of the day. The reading of the word of God should always be accompanied by prayer as Vat II in Dei Verbum 21 says “we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles.”
Finally, do it as a daily exercise. Repeat some of the scripture passages which are comforting and edifying. When you feel low, the word of God will lift you. More than any human words, God’s word will be strong enough to motivate you. Instead of negative self-talk which keeps you back substitute it with the word of God which will help you to go through your day's journey. Do not allow anyone or anything around you to make you unhappy rather allow the Lord to make you happy for his words are very empowering to keep you happy.