Daily Catholic Lectio. Mon, 1 December ‘25. God’s Words and Our Words

Daily Catholic Lectio

Mon, 1 December ‘25

First Week of Advent, Monday

Isaiah 4:2–6. Matthew 8:5–11

God’s Words and Our Words

Advent always leads us back to a simple, profound truth: God speaks. And when God speaks, His word creates, heals, restores, and protects. Today’s readings invite us to contemplate the relationship between God’s words and our words—how His word shapes the world, and how our words are meant to echo His.

1. God’s Word Creates What It Says

Isaiah offers a vision of hope to a people weary from exile. Into their darkness, a word goes forth—a promise of restoration, shelter, and glory: “The branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious.” For Isaiah, God’s word is never merely sound. It is act. In Hebrew, dabar means both word and deed. What God speaks, God does. This is the heart of the Incarnation itself.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1:14). The eternal Word takes on a human voice, a human face, a human story. God’s Word becomes visible.

Advent invites us into this mystery: The Word draws near. The Word becomes touchable. The Word becomes life. But it also asks us to examine our own words—spoken, written, promised. Do our words become flesh? Do they take shape in action? Or do they remain empty breath?

2. When We Receive God’s Word, We Move Toward God

Isaiah’s listeners respond with a beautiful cry: “Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

God speaks, and people begin to move—towards Him, towards one another, towards hope.

Every time we hear Scripture with an open heart, something similar happens. God’s word draws us out of complacency, away from fear, and into His light. The more we receive His word, the more we resemble the One who speaks it.

3. Our Words Reveal What We Believe

In the Gospel, the centurion offers one of Scripture’s most luminous sentences: “Only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” He understands authority. He understands command. He understands that words shape reality. If human words—“Go, come, do this”— carry power, how much more the word of Christ, who is Himself the Word? The centurion knows that just one word from Jesus carries healing. And so it does.

Christ speaks—and healing happens. God’s word becomes a healing act. Our words, too, can become healing acts—when spoken with faith, integrity, and compassion.

4. Words Meant to Bring Peace

Psalm 122 gives us a powerful mission for the day: “Peace be within you!” This blessing is not poetry. It is a vocation. Every word we speak today—on the phone, in our homes, in our work—can become an instrument of peace. Many conflicts begin with words. Many wounds are carried in words. But many healings also begin with a single gentle sentence. Advent is a time to purify our vocabulary.

To speak less, with more meaning. To speak truth, with tenderness. To speak faith, with hope. To speak blessings, not burdens.

5. Living the Word: Three Invitations

(a) Receive God’s word with reverence. Scripture is not information; it is power. Read it daily. Let it act.

(b) Use words responsibly. Avoid empty promises. Let every word aim toward action.

(c) Speak words that heal. Let your mouth be a source of blessing.

Offer today to someone the Psalmist’s greeting: “Peace be within you, within your home, within your heart.”

6. A Blessing for the New Month

As we enter the last month of the year, let us take Psalm 122:8 as a promise for December: “Peace be within you.” May the Word who became flesh fill your homes with peace, your hearts with light, and your speech with grace.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy