Man does not live by bread alone, but by ‘spiritual nourishment’ of God’s Word.
During his General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, today, Jan. 31, 2018, Pope Francis has dedicated this week’s catechesis at the General Audience to the Liturgy of the Word, continuing his cycle of catechesis on Holy Mass.
In his catechesis, the Pope stressed that through the Word, «God himself speaks to us and we listen to Him putting into practice what he says».
In the Liturgy of the Word, the Holy Father explained, the pages of the Bible cease to be a written text, but instead become «the living Word of God.»
God Himself speaks to us, he stressed, noting we must listen to Him and put into practice what he says.
«Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God,» Francis recalled these words and assured us that we «need» to hear the Word of God.
The Word, as Francis pointed out, is a constituent part of the Eucharistic celebration, in which we gather to listen to what God has done and wants to do for us.
In fact, the Argentine Pope highlighted, we speak of the Liturgy of the Word as a «table» that the Lord arranges to nourish our spiritual life, with both readings of the Old and New Testaments, as well as with the responsorial psalm.
The liturgical proclamation of the readings, with the antiphons and verses taken from the Sacred Scripture, «manifest and favor the ecclesial communion», and accompany our journey of faith, the Pope indicated.
Likewise, Pope Francis exhorted all faithful to value the liturgy of the Word, in a way that helps cultivate dialogue between God and the believing community.
