Page 138 - spiritual_accompaniment_montreal_archdiocese

HOMILIES

We make the experience that by reading the Bible very slowly in this way, passage after
passage, our heart opens and is touched by God whose Word speaks to us. It is the Word that
enlightens us, pacifies us, strengthens us. It is God who pacifies us, enlightens us and guides
us through his Word. Reading the Bible is worth the effort.

In life, we sometimes know what we are looking for and we look for it. In this case, when
opening the Bible, we go right away to what we are looking for.

But at other times in life, we are searching for something that we cannot easily put into words.
Maybe it is the meaning in your life that you are looking for, but you do not know where to
look for it. Today, getting through the ordeal of the pandemic is the big question, but we do
not know exactly what this means for us.

Think, for example, of needing something for your home, without knowing exactly what it
is. You do not know exactly how it might help you as you walk down the aisles of the store.
Suddenly, you see something and think, “Ah, that’s what I was looking for!”
Perhaps you look for an interesting book, something that will capture your attention. You do
not yet know the title, you do not yet know the author, but you browse through the books in
the library or the bookstore or even the internet. Then comes the moment when you see the
right title: “Ah, that’s what I was looking for!”

It is the same with the Word of God. Sometimes we know what we are looking for but at other
times, we are groping, looking somewhat vaguely, usually not quite sure what exactly we are
looking for. But God knows what we need. He knows what we need. At some point, you will
come across a word and say, “Ah, this is what I was looking for! Thank you, Lord.”

We cannot open the Bible and read it slowly and ruminate over it and slowly reread it several
times for a while without God giving us an answer, without God speaking to us. God speaks to
us through his Word.

When reading the Bible, we are not reading as if were reading a mere history book, a book
about nothing more than historical events. We are not reading to find out what happened two
or three thousand years ago.

When we read the Bible, be attentive to hearing God is speaking to us, reaching us today, in
our time. God uses the Word of God, Holy Scripture, to meet us in our daily life. It certainly is
a text written a long time ago, but it speaks to us today, in the situations in which we live right
now.

(cont’d)

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 138