Love Languages: The Word of God

The first way that God reaches out to humanity is speaking His Word.  If we were to compare it to the human languages of love, we would say that God's first way of reaching out to us is by a gesture of quality time.  God's first gesture whereby He reaches out to His human creatures is speaking to them, telling them how He sees things; even a dialog - God asks questions.  That may seem odd, especially when we consider that God knows everything about His Creation.  He knows our thoughts and desires - everything that is hidden to the world, all that is secret, God knows fully. So, if God asks questions, if He enters into conversation or dialog with His creatures, what could be the reason?

The intention behind questions can vary. Some people ask questions because they are looking for answers, others ask questions in order to show that they already know the answers. Sometimes questions are rhetorical - meaning their answer is already known so when the person who hears the question answers it for themselves, it reinforces the point. There are test questions, polite questions, sarcastic questions. Clearly, if God is asking us questions, it is neither to be patronizing nor for His information. If God asks us questions then, it is because He wants to enter into a relationship with us. Conversation is not primarily informative, it is primarily relational. If God asks us questions, it is because there are particular reflections that He wants to have as a part of our relationship with Him. By His questions, He brings into the relationship the way we think about or conceive certain things. When God asks questions He is revealing to us reflections that are important to have in our relationship with Him. God is love, but He is also light. He not only loves us and draws us to himself by the heart strings, he also enlightens our intellect with divine truth. But we cannot be open to the truth if our mind is not open. God opens our mind by asking us questions.

When Jesus asks the twelve, "Who do men say that I am?" and then, more personally, "Who do you say that I am?" He is not telling His disciples who He is, but He opens the mind of Peter to receive the divine revelation of who He really is. When God asks us questions, when our lives cause questions to rise up in our hearts, they can become openings to divine truth though an act of faith. And if God opens our minds to truth, it is not simply to truth we could grasp on our own. The truth God reveals is not simply information, it is His Word, it is Himself. God's questions to us open a path to communion with Himself in His own divine light. God asks questions so that He many give Himself to us in a deeper way.

Questions are not the only way God addresses us through his Word. Sometimes God does not even directly speak to us in the Scriptures, He only speaks to us indirectly. The Old Testament, for example, is primarily addressed to His chosen people - the people of Israel. Some books of the Old Testament have a large content that isn't even personal at first glance. But even though the Old Testament more closely resembles historical documents or stories about Israel, the surprising thing is that God pays attention to even the most mundane details about Israel. God seeks a concrete relationship with His people and the details of their very human existence are dear to Him. True, God is Spirit, and His ways are infinitely above those of corporeal beings - yet He does not dissociate Himself from man because of man's materiality. God takes interest in the activities of man even more than a father takes interest in the activities of his son. God is not interested in the activities of man because He intends primarily to punish him or correct him - God is interested in man because He loves him, and He wants to establish a relationship with him. God loves us as a father loves his son.

The words of Jesus are exceeding brilliant in this regard. His words are, according to Peter, "eternal life." Jesus' words are full of wisdom - that means they are full of both light and love. If we distinguish between two gestures o the human word - words of affirmation or affection on the one hand and conversational parlance on the other - we see that while both are fundamentally gesture of love for somebody, they also imply knowledge. Words of affection coming from a stranger are somewhat void of meaning if not downright odd. Words of affection are meaningful to the extent that they are spoken by someone you know personally. Conversation is important to the extent that you love the person with whom you converse - and that the conversation leads to a deeper personal knowledge of the other person and a deeper  knowledge of truth. Words of wisdom are words of light and love that touch on what is ultimate in our human condition, and the words of Jesus are of a special kind. When Jesus speaks, His words bring order to our deepest craving for love. When Jesus says, "Father," He reveals His relationship with God, which is one of intimacy., familiarity, and love. And when Jesus says, "Father," His words also have the power to transform us into sons of His Father, and teach us to call Him, "Our Father." So, Jesus' words extend beyond human words of affection and human conversation. His words extend even beyond the discourse of a wise man. Jesus is in constant conversation with His Father, and by entering into dialog with Jesus we are able to converse with the Father.

So the Word of God is more than just, "God's love letter to us," it is more than God providing us with information about Himself or even giving us an "instruction manual," or a "user's guide" to life. The Word of God is a transmission of life. God does not simply speak to us, nor does the gift of self behind His Word remain intentional. The gestures of God are substantial gift, His Word is nothing less than Himself. Hearing the Word of God with faith permits God's own presence to reside within our hearts. God speaks to us in order to save us: His words are able to unite us with Him and direct our minds and hearts to His life - to eternity.