The Twofold Power of God’s Word

Wis 18:14-16; 19:6-9; Psalm: 104; Lk 18:1-8

Memorial of Saint Albertus Magnus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, on this Memorial of Saint Albertus Magnus, the great Doctor of the Church, whose quest for knowledge encompassed both the book of nature and the book of Scripture, the Word of God reveals a profound truth: God’s Word is both a mighty force that executes judgment and a gentle promise that invites persistent prayer.

The reading from the Book of Wisdom presents a stunning image of God’s power. It describes the night of the Exodus, when a single, all-powerful Word of God leaped down from the royal throne in heaven as a “fierce warrior.” This World carried the “sharp sword” of God’s decree, standing between the armies of Egypt and Israel, both executing judgment and protecting the faithful. It is an image of divine sovereignty in action—swift, decisive, and unstoppable. This is the Word that fashioned the cosmos, parted the Red Sea, and established the laws of nature. The passage goes on to describe all creation being “re-fashioned” to serve God’s will, with the dry land of the Red Sea floor becoming a green plain for the Israelites to cross. God’s Word commands, and all of creation obeys.

This majestic, powerful Word finds its ultimate expression not in continued cataclysm, but in the person of Jesus Christ. And in the Gospel, we see how we are to relate to this Word-made-flesh. Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. The widow, with no social standing, has only one weapon: her relentless plea for justice. She wears down the judge with her constant coming. Jesus contrasts the unjust judge with our faithful God: “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?” The God whose Word can refashion creation is the same God who inclines His ear to our persistent, faithful prayer. He may not answer on our timetable, but He will secure justice for us.

This is the beautiful Catholic faith that Saint Albertus Magnus so brilliantly embodied. He knew that the same God who established the laws of physics and biology was the God who revealed Himself in Scripture and in Christ. He saw no contradiction between the powerful Word that designed the universe and the merciful Word that listens to the widow’s cry. For Albert, scientific inquiry was an act of discovering the grammar of God’s creative language. As Pope Benedict XVI said, faith and reason are like “two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.”

The comfort for us is twofold. First, we worship a God of immense power, whose Word is the final authority over all creation, including the chaos in our own lives. Second, this all-powerful God invites us into a relationship of trusting, persistent prayer. We are to be like the widow, bringing our needs, our injustices, and our longings to Him day and night, confident that He hears and will answer.

How do we apply this? We must approach our daily lives with the integrated faith of Saint Albert. We study the world with wonder, seeing God’s powerful Word in its design. And we approach God in prayer with the widow’s persistence, trusting that the Lord of the cosmos is also the Father who listens.

Let us pray with the confidence of the saints: “Lord, your Word is the source of all wisdom and the hope of every heart. Grant us the perseverance to seek you in prayer and the faith to recognize your power at work in our world and in our lives.” Amen.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.