CLEANSING THROUGH THE WORD

Fr. Matthew Naickomparambil V.C.

If our life is to be sanctified, we should listen to the Word and be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Word reveals to us all spheres of life in which we need purification. Life will be purified by listening to the Word. 

 Photo - Fr James Manjackal M.S.F.S - preaching the Word of God

Although rains fall very heavily on the ground for quite a while, the water does not stay on the ground for too long. It disappears in so many ways. But the water collected in some low areas or in reservoirs might stay there for quite some time. The Word of God is very similar to this phenomenon. In the humble hearts, in the hearts that seek God, in the hearts where the Word is received with love and reverence and obeyed accordingly, it stays longer. It will also bring about abundant fruit. 

Just like the water collected in the reservoirs becomes useful to many people, those who study the Word of God with interest and industry and give it to others at appropriate times will be a great blessing to the Mother Church and also to the world at large.

Out of the believers heart shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). Let this Word be fulfilled. Proclamation of the Word, attending a retreat, a life according to the Scripture constitutes the holy water, the living water. The Word of God is capable of making significant changes in ones life. 

Here are the things the Word can do for you: 

1.You will be cleansed (Jn 15:3). 

2. You get the strength to free yourself from the state of sin. 

3. You will be born from above (Jn 3:3, 5). 

4.You get the spiritual inclination to live in the Word of God. 

5. Through good communions you will be led to the heights, as you gradually enter deeper spiritual levels. 

6. Just like material things get cleansed and purified in the powerful currents, in the flow of the Word the impurities of the heart will be washed away. 

7. Those who listen to the Word will be blessed with a number of graces. These include sincere repentance, humility, freedom from selfishness, compassionate love, fidelity and loyalty to the good God and self control. 

Divine blessings of this solemn nature can come only from Jesus, the Word made flesh. The person who recognizes this fact will have the discretion to separate the chaff from the grain to know the perverse tendencies and wrong objectives and reject them outright. It is because we were hankering after the love of worldly men and material gains, misconstruing them as our real objectives, that we conveniently and without qualms ignominiously pushed Jesus and the Ways of His Cross into the back seat. 

As an obvious result of our indiscretion, we became slaves to the fear of men's assessment and evaluation about us, with no worries about what God would think of us if we did not do his will. This way we foolishly relinquished the peace and joy that God would give us if we carried out his behest. 

Thus, because of our recalcitrance, we and our dear ones lost the life in the Holy Spirit and we unwittingly treaded the worldly paths. As we abandoned the life in the Holy Spirit, we could hardly make any gains in the fields of transformation of the sinners and the salvation of the gentiles. But by throwing yesterdays iniquities and their consequent impurities to the wind, the Word of God is raising us to a new life. 

Behold, the time has arrived. Let us listen to the Word, seek the advice of Jesus, and live according to the will of God. Let us make our life an appropriate one for the servants of God, filled with the graces of the Holy Spirit, guided by God himself. Let our life be Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, (for the Greater Glory of God). 

PRAYER

Jesus, fill me with thy Word. 

Remove the darkness in me through your Word. 

Cleanse all my impurities. 

Let your Word be my guiding light in my path. 

Holy Spirit, enlighten my wisdom so that I can grasp the meaning of the Word and live in accordance with it.