Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Have you ever noticed a difference between your experiences of hearing the ‘Word’ and reading the ‘Word’? The reason I pose this question is that these are distinctly different ways encountering the Word of God. Different senses are used for reading than those we rely upon when actually hearing the Word proclaimed. In my own experience, even though I most often read the daily Scriptures in advance, when I hear the proclaimed during the Eucharist it touches me in a completely different way. There seems to be a powerful component in the act of hearing the Word that is not engaged when I am reading the Word.
Today’s Gospel passage relates the second miracle at Cana, the first being when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana. Jesus is approached by a royal official pleading with him to come to his house and save his dying child. Although Jesus does say to the man he feel he must see signs and wonders to believe, he grants the man’s request. The interesting part is that Jesus does not fulfill the man’s request to come to his house, rather Jesus only says, “You may go; your son will live.” This is significant on different levels. It is the ‘Word’ of Jesus that heals the man’s dying son—not Jesus’ physical presence in this case. Also, even though Jesus realizes the faith of the royal official is not a fully mature faith, he heals his son ‘from afar’ and the result is that, not only does the official truly believe, but his entire household comes to believe as well. All Jesus did was ‘say the Word’—in a manner of speaking.
I find one of the most remarkable aspects of this miracle is that it demonstrates the power of the spoken ‘Word’. Just think of how often we intercede for one another in speaking the Word while praying. Can we truly conceive of the power of those prayers? And how much more does it mean when we proclaim the Word of God aloud in our communities? Unfathomable mystery aside, are we aware that proclaiming the Word aloud—in any situation—is the power of God? Is the power of Jesus? How strong is our faith when it comes to ‘saying the Word’ to build up our brothers and sisters, assist in healing one another, interceding from afar, or pleading for God’s assistance? Just as our Christian behavior reveals the presence of Christ in the world, our proclaiming the Word aloud reveals Jesus dwelling in our midst and God’s ever creative presence in our lives.
We do not live in a time when Jesus is here in the flesh and walking the earth. But our faith in Jesus and our relationship with Jesus through our encounter with ‘The Word’ and our daily activities assures us of his intimate involvement in our lives. Our encounters with Scripture on a daily basis opens us to the invitation to grow closer to God; we are can become open to the healing or transformation or comfort or companionship of the Lord of the Universe. We can become increasingly sensitive to the gentle beckoning of Jesus. This day, I pray I consciously seek the ‘hearing’ of the Word as well as ‘proclaiming’ it. I pray I have the certitude, the faith, and the willingness to accept His Word in the dark and unhealed corners of my life. And I pray that the God of Creation continue to offer Godself to me in speech, hearing, mind, and heart each and every day of my life.
-- Gail Lyman