The Power of His Word

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-19
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 24, 35
Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, thou art very great! Thou art clothed with honor and majesty, who coverest thyself with light as with a garment, who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent, Thou didst set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be shaken. Thou didst cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. Thou makest springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, By them the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches. O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures. Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!

Gospel: Mark 6:53-56
And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennes'aret, and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, and ran about the whole neighborhood and began to bring sick people on their pallets to any place where they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

ESV

And it was so.

God said,

“Let there be light.”

“I will rescue you.”

“Be opened.”

“I will make all things new.”

And it was so.

When I’m desperate for a miracle, when I’m calling upon the Lord and giving Him an earful in my fear and worry, the first thing I always do is remind Him that He is almighty and all powerful (as if He needs the reminder). I state my total and irrevocable belief in His omnipotence. I do this mostly to remind myself that Jesus can do anything He wills. I do this to remind myself that our God is a God that moves mountains, that brings dead people back to life, that forgives heinous sins, that loves to the point of death, that cures incurable disease, that is close to the lowliest of us. I repeat what we profess during each Mass: “Only say the word,” to remind myself of the immense power of the Word of God.

Scripture, the Word of God, overflows with accounts of God’s power and severance over the universe. He merely speaks, and it is so.

Why else would people come flooding out of their homes, laying their sick in crowded places, desperately seeking to touch just the hem of His garment? They knew it, too. Jesus only need to say the word, and it would be so.

What word do you need spoken over your life today, sister? What will you ask of the Lord? Will you come to Him, in the midst of the chaos of the world, just to touch Him? Will you bring your illness before Him in total confidence that He will restore you?

He wants to bring light to our lives, He wants to rescue us, He wants our wounded hearts to be opened, He wants to make us new. Will we declare our faith in Him and allow it to be so?

What will you ask of the Lord? Say it out and say it to Him.

photo credit

Olivia Spears is a middle school religion teacher turned SAHM who is married to her high school best friend. You can find out more about her here.