The Grammar of Lent
Word
Starting with Life…
There is a very close relationship between the way we communicate and the way we love: some people choose silence over words, others use a violent tone of voice, while still others select their words with care.
If we pay attention to how we communicate in the most important relationships in our life, we will be able to see the way in which we manifest love in those relationships.
Words can be bridges we build to help us draw closer to others, or they can be walls we raise to distance ourselves from them. Whenever we speak, we always communicate something of ourselves: we give a part of ourselves to others; we reveal or conceal ourselves.
Listening to the Word…
God has chosen to reveal himself to us through human words. He creates through words: God said… In the Book of Exodus, he gives Israel ten “words” to guide the life and story of every person.
His words reached the point of taking flesh in the Son of God: Jesus is not only the One who has words of eternal life; he is God’s definitive Word.
When God speaks, we should listen. It was not by chance that the Word was incarnated in Mary, who never stopped listening to the words of God.
Where can we find the term “word” in the Bible?
Proverbs 23:19
Listen, my child, and be wise,
and guide your heart in the way.
Matthew 7:26
Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
For reflection:
• How do you use words in general?
• How much time do you spend listening to the Word of God?
