RBWords

     One of my "operational" principles is: I am never anywhere that no one knows me!  I've tried to maintain that principle even before cell phones with the photos that can go around the world in seconds.  (I'm almost afraid to say "viral" nowadays!)  The main reason is this.  God knows me and will hold me accountable.  I will still make mistakes and commit sins because I'm human, but I know that I cannot hide.  Each day, when I write this reflection, the "word of God" challenges me to live what I preach.  It is relentless.  It knows all my usernames and passwords.  It can hack into anything I might try to secure!

     St. Jerome famously wrote, "Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ."  Yet, more than fifty years after the Second Vatican Council's wonderful document on the importance of the word of God in our lives, there is still a vast disconnect between that word and the daily lives, opinions and actions of Christians, especially Catholics.  In some cases, scripture is used only to buttress existing political, religious or social prejudices instead of challenging them.  In others, it may be the lack of emphasis on scripture when learning the fundamentals of our faith.  And, in many cases, much to my sorrow, poor preaching has contributed to the ignorance.  For so many, the word of God is only the big white coffee table Bible sitting in the living room.  However, that word of God knows us more intimately than we know ourselves and cannot be confined to that coffee table existence.  It cannot be "domesticated" to fit our fancies and opinions.  It knows us wherever we may be.  Getting better acquainted with it is the best way to know Christ.  AMEN