God calls us through his Word

Through God’s Word, all things came into being. There may be times when we do not fully understand the need to listen to God’s Word, feeling that it is an act whose sole purpose is to receive guidance on how to proceed. Admittedly, this is an important aspect. However, the Word of God is active and powerful. In the Gospel, Jesus heals through his Word. Through it, God acts in our lives. Faith is necessary for listening to the Word of God, and it enables us to believe that when we listen to the Word of God, when we read Holy Scripture, it works in our lives. It is not simply a matter of engaging in intellectual reflection on a text: through this Word, life is touched and transformed. I can bear witness that my life could not have been what it is without the influence of the Word of God.

Consecrated to the Living Word

The ‘Paroliens’ (members of the Movement of the Incarnation) are called to be experts in living out the Word of God. The one who most perfectly fulfilled the will of God the Father is Christ himself: ‘I have come, O Father, to do your will’ (Heb 10:7). Just as Christ became incarnate, God allows there to be among us people who live as examples, as lights in the world, as leaven in the dough: these are the Saints. ‘You shine as beacons of light, you who carry the Word of Life’ (Phil 2:15b–16a). Through their lives, the Church wishes to set an example that highlights the fact that people have followed Christ and done the will of God. Jesus loves us so much that He calls us to be like His mother, to have the face of the Virgin Mary. Did He not say: ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice ’ (Lk 9:21)? When I accept the Word of God, when I live it out, when I say ‘yes’ to God, Jesus comes to dwell within me. On this subject, Pope Benedict XVI says in *Verbum Domini*:

‘Christ comes to dwell in our lives. Every Christian who believes, as Saint Ambrose reminds us, conceives and, in a certain sense, brings forth the Word of God within themselves: whilst there is only one Mother of Christ according to the flesh, according to faith, Christ is the fruit of all. So what happened to Mary can happen to each one of us every day, as we listen to the Word of God and celebrate the sacraments. ’ The person of the Word lives out their calling by following the example of the Virgin Mary. Mary is the model for listening to the Word of God. God invites us to allow ourselves to be influenced by his Word and to live it out as Mary did. How do we respond to him?

God calls you out of love

God calls us out of love, and when we respond to his invitation, we are happy. Sometimes we want to lead our lives without taking God’s will into account, as if to say: ‘Lord, I love my life more than you do’. God wants our happiness more than we do ourselves. That is why He calls us to Himself. I am happier today than I was a long time ago when I was not involved with the Church. Responding to God’s call takes nothing away from you. Didn’t Pope Benedict XVI say: ‘Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away and gives everything!’? God is calling you to a vocation for your own good. He does not force you into it. But when He calls you, you will not be happy until you have agreed to follow Him. Moreover, you must respond out of love. Do I truly love God? The Lord calls us to live out His Word, every day, always and everywhere. A true follower of the Word is not someone who makes a lot of noise or is constantly on the go, but one who, even in silence and in the shadows, lives out the Word of God.

Henri Bayemi