Scripture tells us that Jesus is the “Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1-14). Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God. There is “spirit and power” in the name of Jesus, the Word of God. For this reason, in today’s first reading, Saint Paul tells us that he “did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.” He “resolved to know nothing. . . except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” And that, his message and proclamation “were not with persuasive words of wisdom” attributable to him, but of “spirit and power” that come from the Word of God. Thus, our faith does not “rest on human wisdom but on the power of God” that comes from the Word of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Pope Francis encouraged us to ask ourselves this important and essential question: “How do I receive the Word of God?” In other words, “how do I receive Jesus Christ?” He is the Incarnate Word of God who continues to dwell among us in our hearts. In today’s Gospel, we hear that the people in the synagogue received Jesus, the Word of God, with amazement at the “gracious words that came from his mouth.” Then, as Jesus challenged them saying, “no prophet is accepted in his own native place”; and, also, that Elijah was not sent to Israel “but only to a widow in Zarephath”; and, finally, that none of the lepers in Israel were cleansed in the time of Elisha “but only Naaman the Syrian.” How quickly did the people in the synagogue become “filled with fury” and “drove him out of town, and led him to the brow of the hill. . . to hurl him headlong.” But the Word of God “passed through the midst of them and went away.”
So, once again, back to Pope Francis’ question for us to ask ourselves: “How do I receive the Word of God?” How do I receive Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God? Do we receive Jesus with affection and humility? Do we allow his preaching, teachings, and actions to challenge us so that the Word of God can help us become the best version of ourselves? Or do we reject Jesus, like the people in the synagogue in today’s Gospel did, and turn away from the Word of God when it becomes too challenging for us to accept or live by in our lives? The Word of God can cause us “fear and much trembling,” no doubt about it. However, what other options do we have on our journey to heaven? Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He tells us to “[enter] through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).
Therefore, in our spiritual and prayer life, let us ask ourselves, “How do I receive the Word of God?” And, let us pray for the grace to receive the Incarnate Word of God with awe and wonder at the “gracious words that [come] from this mouth” and be transformed so that we can be the people God created us to be.
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