Reflection on Sunday Readings –
May 5, 2013 (Sixth Sunday of Easter)
Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29; Psalm 67;
Revelation 21: 10-14, 22-23; John 14: 23-29
What Are Words For?
It’s important that I reveal that being born in the mid-sixties makes me a child of the 70’s and a product of the 80’s. With that said, I begin today remembering an old band that I once listened to in college called Missing Persons and a song called “Words”. Dale Bozzio, the band’s lead singer, painted a vivid picture of one of our biggest challenges then, and now, when she sang, “My lips are moving and the sound's coming out. The words are audible but I have my doubts that you realize what has been said. You look at me as if you're in a daze. It's like the feeling at the end of the page, when you realize you don't know what you just read.” Then, the refrain simply asks, “What are words for, when no one listens anymore?” In today’s Gospel, the word “WORD” is mentioned three times in just two verses. Let’s listen again as “Jesus answered and said to his disciples, Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. (John 14: 23-24)
So… What are words for? Words communicate a message, or can paint a vivid image. Words can cut one down to size, or go right to heart. Words can proclaim a Truth, and also state an oath. Could we survive without words? Maybe, but it’s fair to say that God’s people have been given words, and the ability to share them, so that they can send and decipher messages meant to convey a specific meaning. What is THE WORD for? God’s Word in the Scriptures, utilizes this human gift of language, as His divinely inspired message comes into the hearts and lives of His creation through the written word. It’s The Word that tells our story of coming to know God’s love in the breath of creation, or the promise of the rainbow. That same Word guides us through the desert, and into the Promise Land. As John’s Gospel begins, he witnesses that it was “The Word [that] was God… and the Word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1: 1, 14) It was The Word that the apostles wished to share with the Gentiles, as they struggled in today’s first reading to understand how to communicate to them, attempting to remove all barriers from their knowing Jesus Christ!
The Gospel this week makes a case that the Word of God which is revealed in the entirety of Sacred Scripture can be seen as a blueprint for living in every time and in every situation. Also, these are not words spoken from one person to another; rather from God Himself to His Children. In Sacred Scripture there are answers to moral dilemmas, and spiritual questions. There is a way to lasting happiness, fulfilling joy, and deep peace. There are true examples of sacrifice, service, and selflessness. Sacred Scripture, The Word of God, can give us all hope, courage and fortitude!
What are words for? They can communicate a promise, or a vow, or a covenant. In the sharing of our own Sacraments, the words of Baptism promise everlasting life. The words of Reconciliation convey the ultimate forgiveness. The words of consecration of the Holy Eucharist nourishes our mind, body, soul, and our community. The words of Matrimony and Holy Orders shares our very selves in a covenantal relationship with one another. The healing words of the Anointing of the Sick gives us comfort and assurance of Christ care. And finally the word of the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation seals us with a giftedness that empowers us to share more than just words in return.
Our faith and our actions begin to speak louder than words, for as Christ shares in today’s Gospel, “The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name… will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14:26) So words are for communicating, conveying emotion, making promises, and offering motivation and hope. God’s Word does all of this, and then some, for today’s Good News tells us that whoever loves, knows God’s Word, and that Christ and his Father will dwell with them forever. But as St. Paul wrote in his very popular Letter to the Corinthians, “If I speak in human and [even] angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal,” (1 Corinthians 13:1)
“My lips are moving and no sound's coming out.
The words are audible but I have my doubts that you realize what has been said.
You look at me as if you're in a daze.
It's like the feeling at the end of the page, when you realize you don't know what you just read.”
Who would have guessed that an Eighties Pop Hit would sneak the Truth into our midst, stressing the need that we all have to listen! For the Word of God promises peace, love, understanding (cf. Elvis Costello), and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, an Advocate for our success in making this part of God’s story real, and efficacious for generations to come!
So… What are words for? Words communicate a message, or can paint a vivid image. Words can cut one down to size, or go right to heart. Words can proclaim a Truth, and also state an oath. Could we survive without words? Maybe, but it’s fair to say that God’s people have been given words, and the ability to share them, so that they can send and decipher messages meant to convey a specific meaning. What is THE WORD for? God’s Word in the Scriptures, utilizes this human gift of language, as His divinely inspired message comes into the hearts and lives of His creation through the written word. It’s The Word that tells our story of coming to know God’s love in the breath of creation, or the promise of the rainbow. That same Word guides us through the desert, and into the Promise Land. As John’s Gospel begins, he witnesses that it was “The Word [that] was God… and the Word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1: 1, 14) It was The Word that the apostles wished to share with the Gentiles, as they struggled in today’s first reading to understand how to communicate to them, attempting to remove all barriers from their knowing Jesus Christ!
The Gospel this week makes a case that the Word of God which is revealed in the entirety of Sacred Scripture can be seen as a blueprint for living in every time and in every situation. Also, these are not words spoken from one person to another; rather from God Himself to His Children. In Sacred Scripture there are answers to moral dilemmas, and spiritual questions. There is a way to lasting happiness, fulfilling joy, and deep peace. There are true examples of sacrifice, service, and selflessness. Sacred Scripture, The Word of God, can give us all hope, courage and fortitude!
What are words for? They can communicate a promise, or a vow, or a covenant. In the sharing of our own Sacraments, the words of Baptism promise everlasting life. The words of Reconciliation convey the ultimate forgiveness. The words of consecration of the Holy Eucharist nourishes our mind, body, soul, and our community. The words of Matrimony and Holy Orders shares our very selves in a covenantal relationship with one another. The healing words of the Anointing of the Sick gives us comfort and assurance of Christ care. And finally the word of the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation seals us with a giftedness that empowers us to share more than just words in return.
Our faith and our actions begin to speak louder than words, for as Christ shares in today’s Gospel, “The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name… will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14:26) So words are for communicating, conveying emotion, making promises, and offering motivation and hope. God’s Word does all of this, and then some, for today’s Good News tells us that whoever loves, knows God’s Word, and that Christ and his Father will dwell with them forever. But as St. Paul wrote in his very popular Letter to the Corinthians, “If I speak in human and [even] angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal,” (1 Corinthians 13:1)
“My lips are moving and no sound's coming out.
The words are audible but I have my doubts that you realize what has been said.
You look at me as if you're in a daze.
It's like the feeling at the end of the page, when you realize you don't know what you just read.”
- From the Song "What Are Words For" by Missing Persons
Who would have guessed that an Eighties Pop Hit would sneak the Truth into our midst, stressing the need that we all have to listen! For the Word of God promises peace, love, understanding (cf. Elvis Costello), and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, an Advocate for our success in making this part of God’s story real, and efficacious for generations to come!
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