**Words and the Word**

**Words and the Word**

Rev. Jerry J. Pokorsky

The purpose of words is communication. Words reveal who we are and they describe, more or less the truth of reality. It is hard to overestimate the importance of words and a reliable dictionary. A mature vocabulary helps us to describe reality with some precision and to form the necessary resolutions to live a good life. Yet human words alone usually fail to measure up to reality.

Pascal taught that the first obligation of a Christian is to think clearly. The correct use of words is essential for clarity of thought. The use of words throughout history confers meaning upon them. We usually do not have the right to enhance the significance of words (unless we invented the Google search engine). So we should exercise care and humility when choosing our words.

But words reflect reality only to an extent. No words are adequate to describe a glorious sunset. Ultimately, the love between a husband and a wife is inexpressible. Especially the labels used to identify our political points of view have significant limitations.

We may describe ourselves as liberal or conservative, of the left or the right. To some extent, these terms are accurate because the words usually describe patterns of prudential judgments. But the words themselves are time-bound. Today’s liberal is not the same as a 19th century liberal. A conservative in the United States is not the same as a conservative in the old Soviet Union. Ideological epitaphs require exegesis.

Liars undermine communication. A person lies when he deliberately uses a word or phrase that does not coincide with reality. Some lies are half-truths: sufficient truth to gain credibility, but enough deception to deflect unwanted attention or accurate conclusions. The Devil is the Father of lies and half-truths because he will not serve God and hates the reality of God’s good creation.

When we lie, it is better to be a bad liar. A child with crumbs around his mouth denying he took a cookie can be corrected by mom with a lesson learned. An adolescent lying about his misbehavior with his friends is less likely to experience the necessary parental discipline to put him on the correct path. As we grow older, we may become more proficient as liars. Over time, it’s possible for liars to be unaware of their pattern of lies as they start to believe their own falsehoods. Habitual lies not only distort the meaning of words, but they also kill consciences.

It is not wrong to use ambiguous language when someone is not entitled to the full truth. Vague answers to the nosy inquiries of busy-bodies are usually justified. But deliberate ambiguity when clarity is required is unjust. The faithful are entitled to doctrinal clarity. When churchmen muddle otherwise clear religious doctrines, they violate the rights of their people to hear the truth.

Ambiguity may also have criminal purposes. The word “fetus” means “unborn baby” in Latin, but the term is ambiguous in common English usage. So it may seem morally more palatable to “terminate a fetus” or “terminate a pregnancy” than to admit to killing an unborn baby.

Christians accept the word of God in faith. All that exists is the result of God’s word. In the Book of Genesis, the account of creation reveals the power and beauty of God's word: “…God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” (Gen. 1:3) Jesus is the Word Made Flesh, through Him all things were made. He reveals Himself as the “way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the incarnation of truth, and His words reveal the heart of God. Despite our sins that distort God’s handiwork, God sends forth His spirit and renews the beautiful face of the earth (cf. Psalm 104).

The word of God reveals an all-encompassing reality, expanding the horizons of existence beyond the constraints of this world and the limitations of human words. The sacraments, the mystical marriage of heaven and earth in a new and everlasting covenant, bring us into contact with the Word.

By word and sacrament, we become part of God’s self-portrait and live as members of the Mystical Body of Christ. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) The fullness of life in Jesus radiates an infinite number of words and an eternity of joy. In Christ, it is our dignity to magnify the Lord by proclaiming the Gospel -- in our own words.