“Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.” It’s more than simply a poetic phrase. This brief psalm refrain offers us deep insights into the mystery that is the Word of God. Picture being led by a lamp through complete darkness—how crucial that light is, how dependent we are upon it! It is guiding, it is protecting, it is powerful. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that, in the Gospel, Luke mentions proclaiming the Good News in the same breath as curing diseases—not once, but twice! I find that we often fall into the temptation of placing greater value on physical miracles than those that we can’t observe with our senses. “The apostles cured diseases everywhere, oh and they proclaimed the Good News as well.” Do not underestimate the power of the Word of God! Proclaiming the Good News is essential to the healing of the sick. It’s easy to assume that Luke is referring to the physically sick, or those suffering from bodily diseases. We must not forget that our Lord always forgave sins before curing their physical ailments. Why? Because the Word is life-giving! It is healing. It is alive and working in our lives.
This is the beauty of the Eucharist—it gives us both bodily and spiritual nourishment. Just as the apostles were sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal the sick, we too are given access to the Kingdom of God through the reading of Scripture, the Word, and the healing power of the Eucharist.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh. He is God, He is perfect, therefore, we have no need, nor do we have any reason to add to, remove from, or change anything about Him. Rather, dwell with the Word made flesh. Let Him, the Word, be your shield—take refuge in Him. “Add nothing to his words, lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver.” Often times we like to take possession of the Word, and alter it to our satisfaction. No. Let the Word guide you, let it be the lamp for your feet, follow it to its source—a love beyond imagination.
We don’t have to look far to find a litany of saints who have changed lives and saved souls by their proclamation of the Good News: starting with St. Peter on Pentecost, St. Paul, John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, the North American Jesuit Martyrs, and countless others. We have also seen the effects of those who have taken the Word and distorted it by fitting it into their own subjective scope—the result is heresy, division in the Church, and much, much, worse.
The Word is Truth, who is ultimately a person, Jesus Christ. Seek truth. Seek Jesus Christ, and with the guidance of the Church, let the Word be the lamp for your feet as you walk with Him!
