Today is the memorial of Saint John of the Cross. Most Catholics know that he is a doctor of the church and is most known for the profoundly beautiful poetry and spiritual canticles that he wrote. The fire of his passion for the Lord is recorded in some of the most beautiful words ever written about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Pope John Paul II even learned Spanish just so he could read the poetry that Saint John of the Cross wrote, in his native language. Saint John of the Cross’s passionate words about the Lord is one of the timeless treasures of the church.
The first reading for mass also talks about Elijah, whose words were like a flaming furnace. It says that Elijah’s words were very powerful. He shattered the staff of bread, reduced them to straits, shut up the heavens, and brought down fire from heaven by the power of his words. His words continue to live to this day. In fact, Jesus refers to Elijah and his words in today’s gospel.
In the gospel reading today, Christ says that “Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him.” The scriptures say that the disciples understood that he was really speaking to them about John the Baptist though. John the Baptist’s words burned for the Lord, with the fire of the Holy Spirit, in much the same way that Elijah’s words burned for the glory of God. This is why Jesus compares John the Baptist with Elijah, because they had that same fire of love that burned most profoundly for God in the words they spoke. It is the same with Saint John of the Cross too. His words burned with the same spirit of love for Jesus.
What do these readings have to do with us? We are not a prophet like Elijah, or saints like John the Baptist or Saint John of the Cross. Is there anything that the average person could learn from these readings? How do they apply to us?
The main thing to notice about all of the readings for mass today, in light of the memorial of Saint John of the Cross, is to pay attention to the fact that their words mattered. The written word and the spoken word matters. Our love for Jesus Christ is reflected in our words, or rather, they should be.
When we write emails at work, are we abrupt and to the point, or do we ever let a bit of friendliness, or personal interest or involvement be reflected in our communications with other people? Little things, like understanding about someone’s absence while on vacation, when that person has been sick, or after the death in a family, or when they are in a time crunch, or showing compassion for them when they have made a mistake, is a small way of showing love to others through our written words. We often think about our personal relationships with family and friends and how we relate to them through our emails, but the same is true at work as well.
So much of our lives are spent using technology in many different ways, like emails, text messages, Facebook, Twitter, online discussion groups, and writing comments on blogs and news websites. The tone of the words that we say matter. Not just what we think about things, but also what we feel about them. Behind the cloak of anonymity, it is very easy to vent negative feelings and emotions. That is why words that are upbeat, positive, heartfelt or beautifully written catch our attention, because they stand out from all the rest.
We should make sure that our written words are a reflection of Christ’s love and concern for others. We should reflect the love of Christ to the people who read our words, and become more aware of how our written words affect them. Saint John of the Cross’s words affected Pope John Paul II hundreds of years after his death, so profoundly, that the pope studied Spanish just to be able to fully appreciate the words that Saint John wrote in his native language.
One the downside, we can’t take our words back. Negative words, once they are written, are like nails that have been driven into the wood of a building. The words that we write on the internet stay there, and that can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on what we wrote. Maybe what we could learn from today’s readings for mass is that our words matter. What we say and how we say it in a written format, matters to Christ and it matters to the people who read our words as well. May our written words always reflect Jesus in our personal relationships, but also in our communications with other people that we do not personally know on the internet as well.
Our written words matter to Jesus. The words we write live on, long after we have written them. May we be vigilant in making sure that the words we type, always proclaim Christ to the world.
