The Need to Proclaim the Word of God

The Word of God is a priceless gift, a treasure. Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God as being like a treasure discovered in a field. One sells everything to buy that field (Mt 13:44–46). And Pope Benedict XVI, in his post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation *Verbum Domini*, affirms that the Church is

founded on the Word of God; she is born of it and lives by it. Whoever accepts the Word of God is a child of God: ‘But to all who did receive him, he gave the right to become children of God’ (Jn 1:12), and to receive him means to allow oneself to be transformed by him, to obey his Word; when people accept the Word of God, they form a family (Lk 8:19–21). The first Christian community lived as a true family. The disciples shared everything according to each person’s needs.

Those who accept the Word of God even experience physical healing. Through his Word, Jesus performed many miracles. Obedience to the Word purifies (1 Pet 1:22); as in the case of ‘Word of God’ retreats, even before the sacrament of reconciliation is mentioned, people already feel the desire to go to confession. When we listen to the Word of God, it is like a light that reveals all the areas of darkness. As Psalm 119:105 says: ‘Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light on my path.’ This is the true light that people need. God answers our prayers through his Word. We have the example of the ten lepers who asked Jesus—who was in the habit of performing miracles—for healing. Instead of healing them straight away, he gave them a word: ‘Go and show yourselves to the priest’. Whilst the lepers were putting Jesus’ word into practice—as they went to the priest—they were healed. By putting Jesus’ word into practice, Jesus answered their prayer.

The Word of God gives life. Those who live in obedience to God ‘are born of God’ (Jn 1:13). St Augustine says on this subject: ‘Through the Word you were created, but it is necessary that you be recreated by the Word’. The Word of God imparts life; it enables God to dwell within our lives. Saint Ambrose says: ‘Every Christian who believes, in a certain sense, conceives and brings forth the Word of God within themselves’. The creative power of the Word of God saves lives. For example, today, because of the Church’s struggle to protect life, many children are saved from abortion.

The Word of God enables us to resist temptation. In the wilderness, Jesus used the Word to combat the devil and his various temptations (Mt 4:1–10). The Word of God casts out demons. St Norbert would sometimes read the Word over the head of a possessed person to deliver them. There have also been testimonies from people who say they have been relieved of nightmares by reading the Word of God. The Word of God comforts us when we are in difficulty. The Word of God gives peace and joy. We often experience in gatherings just how much joy people find in listening to the Word of God; the psalmist’s verse thus becomes a reality: ‘Your word is like honey in my mouth’ (Ps 119:103). The Word of God enlightens us when we have decisions to make. If I make a decision in accordance with the Word of God, I am sure I will not go wrong.

The Word of God is a burst of love where there is hatred. It creates evangelisers (Jer 20:7–9); the Word of God gives eternal life: ‘You have the words of eternal life’ (Jn 6:48). Saint Jerome, although a monk, was not very interested in the Word of God. What interested him most were worldly readings. One day, in a dream, God appeared to him and asked him who he was; he believed himself to be a Christian, but God told him that he was not, because he was neglecting His Word. As soon as he awoke, he devoted himself to reading and studying the Holy Bible, and he would say: ‘Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ’. The saints were people who accepted and lived by the Word of God. It is the Word of God that can do the greatest good for today’s society. It is the Word that can help the rich to share with the poor. It is the Word that can help the politician to govern well, and the judge to adjudicate cases fairly; it is the Word that can help us to act with professional integrity even when we are not being watched. It is the Word that can help my partner, my children and my family to be happy; even today, it is the Word of God that can save the world from its downward spiral. I know many people who today lead balanced and happy lives because they have accepted the Word of God into their lives; young people who have been completely transformed. They used to masturbate and commit all manner of impurity, but today they live in chastity and purity. The real famine in our society is a famine of the Word of God. ‘The days are coming when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of the Word of God’ (Amos 8:11–12). That is why we must respond to Jesus’ call to share his Word, to help others to receive the Word of God.

Henri Bayemi