The Living Word of God

"No two persons ever read the same book."
Edmund Wilson


I'd go one step further than Edmund Wilson and say "No person ever reads the same book twice."  I'd like to reflect on the reading of Holy Scripture.  Some have suggested that the reading of Holy Scripture is like the reading of an old musty book that was written for ancient times and has long since lost its relevance.  My experience has been exactly the opposite.  When I read holy scripture I find, time and time again that the words jump off the page at me and speak to my heart and spirit.  Interestingly enough I also find new meanings in those words every time I read them.  I cannot count the times that while reading scripture I have been stopped dead in my tracks because of the sudden recognition that God's Spirit is speaking to me.  At those moments, as far as I am concerned, those words may as well have been written at the beginning of time just for me.  (What an egocentric thought...)  The exciting thing is that these are not dead words but rather words that are brought to life by God's Spirit.

"For the world of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."  (Hebrews 4:12)