Word I

Left by itself, the word "word" looks awfully strange. Each time I look at it again, I wonder if I spelled it correctly. None-the-less, how often do you consider the power or strength of words. A deeper question might be, if your words, your everyday language, were to become a person, a being, what would that person or being act, look, sound or be like? 

A few weeks ago, as I was in the midst of praying a Litany of the Holy Spirit, it crossed my mind, "Do I really mean these words that I am praying... reading... saying?" What do they mean? 

Words can be nouns - names of people, places or things. Words can be verbs, often indicating action of some sort. Words can be the pieces by which we hinge together ideas, feelings, emotion, and conversation. 

Many of us are familiar with the text of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. 

         "What's in a name? That which we call a rose
         By any other word would smell as sweet."

The language of word becomes more powerful in the following quote from the same literary work.

         "By a name
         I know not how to tell thee who I am.
         My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself
         Because it is an enemy to thee.
         Had I it written, I would tear the word."

This morning, as I was reading from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I discovered the following enlightening explanation of Sacred Scripture (Article 3.I, numbers 101-104):

101

In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words: "Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men."⁶³

102

Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely:⁶⁴ (emphasis-mine)

You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time.⁶⁵

103

For this reason, the Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord's Body. She never ceases to present to the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one table of God's Word and Christ's Body.⁶⁶ (emphasis-mine)

104

In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, "but as what it really is, the word of God."⁶⁷ "In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them."⁶⁸ 

Is that not powerful? Is that not a great explanation of Word? If you have not picked up the Catechism to further educate yourself about Catholicism, I would highly suggest it. You might find some incredible and aww-inspiring truths. Though, I admit that I myself have not done so until just recently.