The Word of God: Life, Salvation, and Healing
In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen. May the blessing of the Father who calls us and His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ who saves us, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies and transforms us be with us all, that we may hear His word and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Amen.
Introduction
Beloved brothers and sisters,
In the readings of Thursday of the Second Week of the Holy Fifty Days, we repeatedly encounter one recurring word in different forms: “Word.”
The Word of God. The Word of Salvation. The Word of the Cross. The Word of Grace. The Word of the Kingdom. The Word of the Gospel…
What do these words mean? How do we live by them? Do they reach our hearts, or do we only hear them with our ears without being changed?
1. The Word of God: Not Ink on Paper, but Spirit and Life
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NKJV)
St. Athanasius the Apostolic wrote:
“The Word of God is not merely teaching—it is a revelation of God Himself, by which He addresses humanity to give them life.” (Festal Letters, Letter 4)
2. The Word of the Lord: The Voice of the Incarnate God
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.” (Hebrews 1:1–2)
St. John Chrysostom says:
“The Son is not just the spoken Word of God, but the acting Word. What He declared in the flesh, He fulfilled in love, in the Cross, and in the Resurrection.”
3. The Word of Salvation: Not Theory, but Liberating Power
“To you the word of this salvation has been sent.” (Acts 13:26)
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)
A story from the Paradise of the Fathers:
A thief once entered the cell of a holy monk and found him reading the Gospel. The monk calmly said,
“Take what you want, my son—but let me finish reading this Word; it is my life.”
The thief was shocked and asked, “What book is this?”
The monk read aloud:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life.” (John 5:24)
The thief began to weep and said,
“Can I start over?”
That night marked the beginning of his repentance and transformation.
4. The Word of the Cross: From Curse to Blessing
“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)
St. Cyril of Alexandria says:
“The Cross is the throne of the King. Upon it He sat to judge Satan and set humanity free.”
5. The Word of Grace: A Free Gift from God
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
St. Augustine wrote:
“The grace of God goes before every good work, accompanies it, and completes it.”
6. The Word of the Kingdom: Sown in the Heart
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.” (Matthew 13:19)
St. Irenaeus said:
“The Kingdom does not begin outwardly—it begins inwardly, from the Word planted deep in the heart.”
7. The Word of Life: Daily Food for the Soul
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
St. Basil the Great said:
“Just as the body cannot live without food, neither can the soul live without the Word.”
A story from the Desert Fathers:
A humble monk once said:
“Twenty years ago, my spiritual father told me: ‘Be humble and give God the right to defend you.’ I’ve lived on that one word ever since.”
A fellow brother asked him:
“How can you live by one word if you don’t even read the Scriptures?”
The elder replied:
“When one word enters the heart, it enriches more than a hundred memorized pages.”
Conclusion: A Practical Call
Do I live by the Word? Do I read it and do it?
“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me.” (2 Timothy 1:13)
“Holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ.” (Philippians 2:16)
Let us pray that God would sow His Word deep in our hearts, that we may bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.
May the Lord bless us, transform our hearts and minds, that our homes may stand on the Rock, our hands serve in the harvest, and our hearts long for Heaven. Amen.