4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 31, 2010

Jer 1,4-5.17-19
1 Cor 12,31-13, 13
Lk 4, 21-30

My grandmother used to take delight in teaching me some of her mysterious “oraciones” to be recited in times of need and emergencies. For instance, there was this “oracion” to be prayed in case someone might want to harm me. It goes something like this: “egsac egmac egolum, POH!” Accordingly, if I recited this, no weapon could harm me. Another one, I remember, was to be prayed in case I needed extra physical strength to carry or move something that I, otherwise, could not do using my normal capacity.

These formulae apparently belong to the world of “anting-anting” and border on magic and witchcraft. Knowing them supposedly gives one  an advantage over others, they are something like secret weapons.

The church does not allow such practices, of course, because the power  here is attributed to the words themselves. Our doctrine teaches that if ever words acquire power, it is because God is behind the words, it is God who speaks and produces the effect.
This Sunday is National Bible Sunday. We acknowledge the importance of God’s word in our lives. We do not live by bread alone but by every word of God. Would that all our actions have their roots and origin in God’s word. Would that we allow the word to teach us, to mold us and carry us into the bosom of the Father.

How very Christian of us, if we make it a habit to carry in our persons passages from God’s word to guide and inspire us to go on living life, and not merely existing. We could begin with a simple one from the first reading today: “Before I formed you, I knew you…”

Fr. Atilano Corcuera, SVD
Shrine of the Divine Word, CKMS, QC
The Word in Other Words