Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4:4

There is a crisis of faith in the Church today. Many Christians have only a shallow knowledge of the scriptures; they rarely read them; reflect on them, and have difficulty applying them to their daily lives at home, and in the workplace.

The once-a-week homily we hear on Sundays in Church is not enough. People need to imbibe the scriptures the way they imbibe food and drink for the body. If you went too long without physical food you would suffer malnourishment, and if you did not eat at all you would die of starvation. And if you did not keep drinking water you would become dehydrated and eventually die of thirst.

The Lord has given us His word and He doesn’t want it to return to Him void. The words of scripture will not return void to the Lord if you read them constantly; if you meditate on them daily; if they are in your heart and on your lips; and if they are given flesh by putting them into practice. This is truly eating and digesting the word of God so that it becomes part of you just as physical food becomes part of you when you eat and digest it.

There is a hunger and thirst for the Lord’s word in the land and many are dying of spiritual malnutrition and dehydration as a result. What can be done to prevent this famine from spreading. Simply, feed on His word. It does not cost you anything, except a little time and a little effort on your part. Make room for this word- the good news of the Gospel, in your mind and in your heart.

The Lord’s word is “spirit and Life” (John 6:63). Feed on this word every day by reading the scriptures, and letting them become part of you. By doing this, you will be renewed in mind, and heart.

Fr. Hugh Duffy

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