Meditating On God's Word

 Reflection on Today's Readings, 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, June 13th, 2021
Texts: Ezek.17:22-24; Ps. 92: 1-2. 12-15; 2 Cor. 5:6-10; Mark 4.26-34
The word of God needs to be dug deeper to make it personal and fruitful. We gather together to hear the word of God and He speaks to us. During Bible studies, we study the word of God together and we hear Him speaking to us. Public reading and hearing of God's word during liturgy are good. Studying God's word together is also good. Apart from all the avenues that offer us opportunity to read, hear, and study God's word as a group,  we have to read, hear and meditate on God's word privately, going to Jesus as an individual to seek the understanding of His word. In today's gospel reading, it is said, "With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything."
The word of God does not become personal and fruitful until we have studied it privately. In a group, the mystery of the kingdom of God is spoken to us as a parable. During meditation on the word, Christ enlightens us to understand the parable. During meditation we come to acknowledge the word as life and power. When we study the word of God privately, we come to know that God is the driving force of history, He gives life and kills. God reveals Himself to us during meditation as Lord.
Today's gospel reading reminds us that it is by hearing God's, listening to it and meditating on it in the inner recess of our hearts that the word of God becomes meaningful and take flesh in our lives. Hearing and listening to the word are not enough, we have to meditate on it to make it meaningful and personal. It is a common saying that we are what we thiink. It is in meditation that we ask Jesus questions that matter: Jesus, what are you telling me by this Your word? What do You want me to do? Etc. Then we conclude with prayer by asking Him for grace to live according to His word. When the word of God becomes our thought, we are moved to act according to it. As we act according to the word of God, it becomes incarnate in our lives and we become godly, godlike.
It is when we meditate the word of God that we come to encounter his love for sinners and His power to bestow life on them, if they abandon their evil ways. It is said, "And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.” In this word, Ezekiel was giving hope to the people that God would forgive them their sin and make them blossom once again. God never abandons His people; He is always ready to forgive them when they repent.
When we read, study and meditate on the word of God, we come to know that though we are on a journey, not yet at home, our Lord is ever with us. St. Paul puts this way: "We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him." We are at home with the Lord on our journey because we please Him, we do His will, and His favour abides with us always. The point, here, is that we are to live as before the Lord always; we should always live as if we are at home with the Lord on our journey. It is in such a way that we make Him present in our lives.

Lord our God, thank You for the gift of Your word, as we read it, hear it and listen to it, help us to make it meaningful and personal by meditating on it daily. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke