Don’t Keep the Sword of God’s Word Sheathed

Jacques Philippe and St. Ephrem the Syrian on finding refuge and power in Scripture

After print by Aegidius Sadeler (source); an emblem of a king of Sicily. The text is from the Magnificat: “He hath shown strength with his arm”

Last week, I shared some advice on battling OCD and scrupulosity. Among my advice was the following:

Evagrius of Pontus wrote an amazing work called Talking Back in which he counsels the hermit, when tempted by the devil, to “talk back” to him using the word of God, as Our Lord did in the desert, because this word has power to evict evil spirits and to strengthen the inner man. Similarly, Fr. Jacques Philippe in his book Thirsting for Prayer says there are some battles for which the only weapon is the sword of the word of God. This is what you need to do: stock your quiver with arrows from the word of God, and launch them whenever you need to do so.

While I have seldom met a traditional Catholic who does not revere the Bible as divinely revealed and free from error, who does not see it as useful in apologetic disputes, and who would not acknowledge that the solemn liturgical proclamation of the Bible is a way in which God makes Himself present to us (anticipating His superabundant presence in the Holy Eucharist), I am often surprised and dismayed by the lack of appreciation among the same Catholics of the power of the word of God as a source of prayer and as a weapon in spiritual combat.

I am talking specifically about reading Scripture as part of one’s daily prayer routine, and even more, about committing to memory verses to be chewed on throughout the day, deployed against temptation or depression, or hurled against the devil himself. This is one of the main reasons God gave us His own words: that we might bury them in our heart and give them vigorous exercise in the hardships that befall us.

Jan van de Velde (II), after design by Willem Pietersz (cropped; source)

Calling God’s authority to our aid

To bring this truth into greater focus, I will lean heavily on the incomparable exposition of Fr. Philippe, in his commentary on the biblical identification of “the word of God” with “the sword of the Spirit”:

This [identification] invites us to become more fully aware of the place of Holy Scripture as an indispensable help for getting through the combats and trials of this life. It is vital to be able to rely on Holy Scripture in the battles we wage.

Pope John Paul said a Christian who does not pray is a Christian at risk. Similarly, I would say that a Christian who does not regularly read the Word of God is a Christian at risk. “Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Dt 8:3). Because of all the confusion in the minds of people around us, and the arguments we are bombarded with by the media, and because of our own weakness, we cannot afford to do without the light and strength that we can draw from the Bible.

The synoptic Gospels, and in particular Mark’s, show how the crowds were struck by the authority of Jesus’ words: “They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mk 1:22). And a little later: “What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him” (Mk 1:27).

This authority, which makes such an impression on his hearers, has two aspects. The first is that Jesus speaks in his own name, not basing himself on the authority of anyone else. In this way he marks himself out from the usual teaching of the rabbis of his time, who never said anything without referring to the wise men who had preceded them (though adding their individual touch to it, of course). Jesus is not a link in the transmission of the Word; he is the Word itself, in its very source and origin.

The other aspect of the authority of Jesus’ Word is its power and effectiveness. When he casts out a demon, it cannot resist but flees. When he orders the stormy sea, “Peace! Be still!” there is a great calm—not just in the waves but also in the agitated, frightened hearts of his disciples (Mk 4:39). When he tells a poor sinful woman, “Your sins are forgiven” (Lk 7:48), she immediately feels like a different person, purified, reconciled with God and with herself in the depths of her being, clothed in a new dignity, and happy to be who she is.

This authority is not there to crush us: on the contrary, it is authority brought to bear against evil, against our enemies, against the Accuser. It is authority in our favor for our edification and consolation. It is indispensable for us to learn to rely on this authority of the Word of God, which contains a strength not possessed by any human word.

There will be times when the beneficial authority of God’s Word will be our lifeline. At certain moments of trial, the only way to stay on the right track will be to rely, not on our thoughts and reasoning powers (whose basic weakness will become only too clear), but on the words of Scripture. Jesus himself, tempted by the devil in the desert, made use of Scripture to resist him. If we remain at the level of human reasoning and calculation alone, the Tempter will one day prove wilier and stronger than we are. Only the Word of God is capable of disarming him.

We have all had this experience or we will one day. If we stay at the level of reflection at certain times of trouble, doubt, or trial, we won’t find any way out. If, for example, we try to calm our fears when worried about the future by working out things for ourselves, we risk ending in a total impasse. For, between our reasons for worrying and the reasons we use to reassure ourselves, we can never be quite sure which set of reasons will win out in the end—reason, after all, can’t foresee and master everything. Rather than pile up more and more arguments, the only way to come out on the positive side (the side of confidence, hope and peace) is to let a phrase from Scripture enter our consciousness and rely on it with full faith: “Do not be anxious about tomorrow” (Mt 6:34), for example, or “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32), or “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Lk 12:7).

True peace does not come as the result of a process of human reasoning. It can only come from having our hearts attached to the promises God makes us through his Word. When, in times of doubt or confusion, we cling by an act of faith to a promise in Scripture, the authority of that Word becomes our support and strength. It is not a magic wand that renders us immune to all complexity and anguish. But in trusting adherence to God’s Word, we find a mysterious strength that nothing else can provide. It has a special power to establish us in hope and peace, no matter what happens. Referring to God’s promise to Abraham, the Epistle to the Hebrews explains that “in all disputes an oath is final for confirmation” (Heb 6:16). The Word of God, received in faith, has the power to put an end to our indecision and the vacillation of our reasoning, and establish us firmly in truth and peace. The hope brought by this Word is “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Heb 6:19).

Scripture contains countless passages that can be a valuable support for us in our struggles. If we feel alone and abandoned, Scripture tells us, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Is 49:15). If we feel that God is far away, Scripture says, “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). If we feel crushed by our sins, it responds, “I will not remember your sins” (Is 43:25). If we feel that we lack the resources we need to advance in life, one of the psalms invites us to make this act of faith: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps 23[22]:1).

Do not allow a single day to go by, then, without taking at least a few minutes to meditate on a passage of Scripture. It may sometimes appear to be dry or obscure, but if we read it faithfully, in simplicity and prayer, it will sink deep into our memory without our even realizing it. And on the day when we need it, in a time of adversity, that verse or some other will return to our minds and will be precisely what we need to recover our hope and peace.

What Fr. Philippe describes has been exactly my own experience and that of countless others who have striven to pray daily with Scripture. You can see this in the lives and teaching of the saints, especially monks, nuns, and oblates of the monastic tradition, for whom the Bible was daily spiritual bread alongside the Holy Eucharist. There is an indefinable and invincible strength in the words of God, in taking them on your lips, in turning them over in your mind, in flinging them against obstacles or wielding them in difficult moments. Even just writing the words on paper or running your finger along them on a printed page can calm the soul.

William Blake, “The Third Temptation [of Christ]” (source)

Inexhaustible depths

St. Ephrem the Syrian has written marvelously of the inexhaustible depths of Scripture. The following passage from his Diatessaron is well worth pondering.

Lord, who can comprehend even one of your words? We lose more of it than we grasp, like those who drink from a living spring. For God’s word offers different facets according to the capacity of the listener, and the Lord has portrayed his message in many colors, so that whoever gazes upon it can see in it what suits him. Within it he has buried manifold treasures, so that each of us might grow rich in seeking them out.

The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. As the Apostle says: They ate spiritual food and they drank spiritual drink.

And so whenever anyone discovers some part of the treasure, he should not think that he has exhausted God’s word. Instead he should feel that this is all that he was able to find of the wealth contained in it. Nor should he say that the word is weak and sterile or look down on it simply because this portion was all that he happened to find. But precisely because he could not capture it all he should give thanks for its riches.

Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because he has overcome you. A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring. So let this spring quench your thirst, and not your thirst the spring. For if you can satisfy your thirst without exhausting the spring, then when you thirst again you can drink from it once more; but if when your thirst is sated the spring is also dried up, then your victory would turn to your own harm.

Be thankful then for what you have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still remains. What you have received and attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage. For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere. So do not foolishly try to drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on.

This description also applies perfectly to the traditional liturgical rites of the Church, of which we cannot understand everything (and never will), but which give us each day what we need and leave us hungering for more. It was a failure to persevere in self-surrendering prayer with the inherited liturgy that led to the restless desire to change everything from top to bottom, until nothing was left but shattered remnants that often feel weak or sterile or harmful. The same has been true for Scripture studies, as soon as the receptive mind of faith gave way to the critical and dissecting mind of rational mastery, which tore apart the Word of God into a thousand human fragments that had lost the unity of the divine spirit.

Frontispiece of a Roman Missal from 1640, with Christ flanked by SS. Peter and Paul (source)

Practical Tips

This post would be too speculative unless I offered some practical tips. There are three highly efficacious ways for traditional Catholics to engage the Word of God:

First, use your missal at Mass to follow the readings quite carefully. They go by rather quickly and it’s easy to let them pass over your head. When you put your eyes on the words while the priest is reading from his missal at the altar, you are becoming accustomed both to the Latin text and to its English translation. This multivalent approach bears fruit. Resist the lure of the “cool kids” who never bother to look at a missal, or the “privateers” who only ever do private devotion during Mass and couldn’t tell you afterwards anything that was prayed by the priest. (I’ve said a million times that no one needs to have his nose buried in a missal and that there’s nothing wrong with praying the rosary during Mass from time to time, but really nothing surpasses the prayer of the Church in her liturgy, and we should strive to benefit from it, at least for the changeable propers of the daily Mass, which are almost entirely drawn from Sacred Scripture. It’s also a very different matter if, after decades of experience, you already know what the propers are and thus have no need to consult a book.)

Second, at home, have a favorite Bible translation on hand, or at least a New Testament and Psalms, from which to read a little passage each day and to do lectio divina. Please do not fall into the error of thinking that the only Bible translation you can use is the Douay-Rheims. By all means, use it if you like it, and make sure you consult it when quoting the Vulgate or doing any serious biblical research; but for devotional reading, any number of translations will do, and some may be better for this or that reason. (You can read more about that in my article “When meditating on the Word of God, choose a Bible translation that works.”) For advice on how to do lectio divina or praying with the Bible, see my series:

• Lectio Divina (1): Why Not Try It This Lent?

• Lectio Divina (2): What, Where, and When

• Lectio Divina (3): The Agony in the Garden

• Lectio Divina (4): Tools of the Workshop

• Lectio Divina (5): Liturgical Proclamation and Personal Reading

And, in addition, “How lectio divina can soften our hard hearts during Lent.”

Third — and this can do duty as your lectio divina if you don’t have time for both — consider doing part of the Divine Office, be it Prime in the morning, Sext in the afternoon, or Compline before bed (this volume has all three), or whatever suits you best. Doing one or more of the daily “hours” consistently will bring you fairly quickly to the point of internalizing the psalms that are part of it, along with other verses and readings. For this, you could use either the breviary of Pius X or the monastic diurnal. (Don’t be misled by the use of the term “hours”; this refers to the hours at which the office is said, not to the duration of time. Some of the “hours” like Terce, Sext, and None can be recited in 5 or 10 minutes.)

Portret van priester Johannes Czerski (cropped; source)

Favorite Verses

I’d like to conclude today’s post with some of my own favorite verses from Scripture — verses that have been in my life for a long time and have helped see me through some very trying circumstances, or have simply given me peace and delight. (These are taken from all different translations. Sometimes I provide the Latin because that happens to be the version with which I’m more familiar in certain cases.)

Servite Domino in timore, et exsultate ei cum tremore.
Serve ye the Lord in fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)

I thought upon the days of old: and I had in my mind the eternal years. (Psalm 76:6)

Therefore, brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle. (2 Thessalonians 2:14)

I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received… (1 Corinthians 15:3)

Truly, God is my salvation, I trust, I shall not fear. For the Lord is my strength, my song, He is my savior. (Isaiah 12:2)

My child, if you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for an ordeal. Set your heart right and be steadfast, and do not be hasty in time of calamity. Cleave to him and do not depart, that you may be honored at the end of your life. Accept whatever is brought upon you, and in changes that humble you be patient. For gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. Trust in him, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in him. (Sirach 2:1–7)

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your vindication as the light, and your right as the noonday. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him. (Psalm 37:3–7)

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:19)

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1)

Help us, O God, our saviour: and for the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us: and forgive us our sins for thy name’s sake. (Psalm 78:9)

Those who fear the Lord shall be alarmed at nothing, and shall not be afraid, for He is their hope. (Psalm 112:7)

Remember the fear of God, and be not angry with thy neighbour. Remember the covenant of the most High, and overlook the ignorance of thy neighbour. (Sirach 28:8–9)

Miserere mei, Domine, quoniam infirmus sum; sana me, Domine, quoniam conturbata sunt ossa mea. Et anima mea turbata est valde; sed tu, Domine, usquequo?
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but thou, O Lord, how long? (Psalm 6:3–4)

Exsurge, Domine, in ira tua, et exaltare in finibus inimicorum meorum: et exsurge, Domine Deus meus, in praecepto quod mandasti.
Rise up, O Lord, in thy anger: and be thou exalted in the borders of my enemies. And arise, O Lord my God, in [defense of] the precept which thou hast commanded. (Psalm 7:7)

Exsurge, Domine Deus, exaltetur manus tua; ne obliviscaris pauperum.
Arise, O Lord God, let thy hand be exalted: forget not the poor. (Psalm 9:33)

Illumina oculos meos, ne umquam obdormiam in morte; nequando dicat inimicus meus: Praevalui adversus eum.
Enlighten my eyes that I never sleep in death, lest at any time my enemy say: I have prevailed against him. (Psalm 12:4–5)

Dominus pars haereditatis meae, et calicis mei: tu es qui restitues haereditatem meam mihi.
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me. (Psalm 15:5)

Providebam Dominum in conspectu meo semper: quoniam a dextris est mihi, ne commovear.
I set the Lord always in my sight: for he is at my right hand, that I be not moved. (Psalm 15:8)

Diligam te, Domine, fortitudo mea.
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. (Psalm 17:1)

Laudans invocabo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.
Praising I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies. (Psalm 17:4)

Praecinxisti me virtute ad bellum.
Thou hast girded me with strength unto battle. (Psalm 17:40)

Thank you for reading, and may God bless you.

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