The Word is Alive
“The question to ask of pictures from the standpoint of poetics is not just what they mean or what they do but what they want - what claim they make upon us, and how we are to respond.”
W.J.T. Mitchell
There is a great temptation today to look at the world in which we live with the eyes of “otherness” and “supposed holiness” but the gospel beckons us to see reality quite differently. The gospel reminds us that we too are just a human being loved by God who “makes his sun shine on the good and the bad alike.”
The gospel shows us reality as it is. We need to see the entire world, humanity as a whole, reality as it is, through the lens of gospel today. More importantly we have to see ourselves in this reality and we have to recognize that we are one of these people in this reality. We don’t become a difference species by becoming holy, but become fully alive, fully who we are made to be. We are a human being; with all the complexities and joys and hardships that this entails.
The words of Christ to humanity “you are the salt of the earth” are not only an identity for one to live the Christian life, but it is also an invitation for us all to become who we are made to be. Each one of us is made in the image and likeness of God. We are all children of God by nature. Therefore, these words echoed to us today call us to see in one another, the image of God, no matter how far from that one may seem. By seeing this and loving this truth in the other person, we make that person grow into who they are made to be by first loving them as they are and where they are. Love is nourishment for the soul; ours and theirs.
“Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.”
Hebrews 4:12-13
Holiness therefore is not an ordinary thing. It is rather extraordinary, but can only be found in the ordinary. If we don’t find it in the present; the ordinary walk of our life, then we won’t find it anywhere. This is the beautiful holiness of life.
“If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find Him in the chalice.”
Saint John Chrysostom
The word of God is not dead, it is alive. It is not a stagnant word on a piece of parchment. Some story from the past that we remember today. The gospel is a reality that is lived. It is a life that is to be embodied and lived by us all. “The word became flesh and dwelt among us” fully in Christ, thus calling us to see him in every single human being.
All are laid naked in the eyes of God. He sees the secret depths of each heart. God sees each one of us as His child and desires that we become who He has made us to be. He desires that we affirm, live by, and be with Him forever in this love, and finally to share in this love now and forever.
All of our facades and externalities, or, “aprons of leaves” as they are called in Genesis, are cut away in His eyes.
