DAILY DEVOTIONS

'Longing for the Word'

St. Cyril of Alexandria

Consult...about the stipulations of this book that has been found.

- 2 Kings 22:13

"WHAT IS GOD'S WORD?" a friend cried, the longing in his voice and eyes palpable. Have you ever hungered, thirsted, wept for God's word? What an agonizing place to be. Great spiritual leaders like St. Therese and Bl. Mother Teresa tasted bitter pain in their longing to be with him.

Sometimes we're told that people who seek God's word simply have trouble making decisions. Or live in a world of wish-fulfillment, imagining a God who carries their responsibilities for them. Or are unable to bear freedom. Yet it's not because we're slaves that we seek God's word. On the contrary: It's because we're sons and daughters.

We hear today the story of the Israelites recovering God's word after it was lost. They receive the lost book with joy because it frees them. His word is not a prison, nor a rule book, nor a childish habit. It is life. It delights the heart. It is joy. It is worth the pain of longing.

- Mary Marrocco