"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"(Jn 1:1). The Word was God therefore he who is born of the word is born of God. "All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (Jn 1:3-5). It is only when the word is treasured in the heart, that the eyes of the heart are opened. A life sustained by the word is illumined. During the Last Supper Jesus said finally to his disciples, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them" (Jn 14:23). Thus the indwelling of the Trinity becomes alive and active when a man obeys the word. If the word has to be obeyed, it must be treasured in the heart. "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish and it will be done for you"(Jn 15:7). What Jesus means by saying that his words should abide in us, is that we should keep his words in our heart and ponder over them. Thus, only when we are born again in the word do we attain perfect union with God, because the Word is God. In this state we can ask anything. It will be given to us, because our desires will be divinely inspired. They will be spiritual.
 
 

"Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God's seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God" (1 Jn 3:9). Only when we study the above-mentioned mystery further can we translate this principle into our daily life. This salvific mercy leads each individual to purity of life. When a man is born of the Spirit and fire, his thoughts and imagination are orientated towards God. That fire spreads through his lusts and desires and purifies them.

"Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12). It is in a man's conscience that the discernment which is the result of this activity, is most reflected. Because of it, the word inscribed in his heart, prevents him from doing the wrong he is tempted to do and leads him to salvation-to a state in which it is impossible to sin. How the word saves us from falling into temptation is made clear by Jesus through his temptation in the desert. "The tempter came and said, to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread". Such temptations can occur in our lives too. If we succumb to these temptations, we will fall into sin. Weak men, become slaves to such temptations and are held in the bondage of sin. On the contrary, see what Jesus says, "One does not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt 4:4). He is qouting from the book of Deuteronomy 8:3 . This word was also written in the heart of Jesus: "The word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe" (Deut 30:14).

Thus by the word written in the heart of Jesus, he overcame the temptation. And this is repeated several times. Finally Jesus said to him, "Away with you... worship the Lord your God and serve only him" (Mt 4:10). The word inscribed in the heart of Jesus saved him from the assaults of the enemy and conquered him. "Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him" (Mt 4:11) .

Thus Satan goes away from the person whose heart is filled with the word of God. In other words such a man reaches a state where he cannot sin because the Spirit of God abides in him. I was once about to criticize a person while engaged in giving a talk. Immediately a word of God echoed in my heart. "Judge not and you shall not be judged!" (Mt 7:1). At once I refrained form indulging in that criticism. Instead I prayed for that man, repented and asked pardon of God. Another time someone behaved cruelly to me and said some sharp words. At once a word of God came to my mind. "Do not resist the evildoer" (Mt 5:39). I smiled at that man, surrendered him to God and prayed for him. Thus I was able to treat him with love.

In some circumstances the word of God leads the hardened heart to repentance and the experience of salvation like the hammer that breaks the rock into pieces. It was the word of God that raised St Augustine from the sea of sin and brought him to the shore of salvation.The word of God that led him to a state where he did not sin was, "Let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy" (Rom 13:13). A reformation took place in Augustine's life. He was transformed into a saint. When we recognise and acknowledge our sin, and repeat several times the word of God that can save us from that particular sin, meditate on it and treasure it in our heart, we will be released from that sin. "Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls" (Jam 1:21).
 
 

When we believe in the word at first we get the grace of repentance; and then we come into the experience of conversion and accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. When the word of God is treasured in the heart, we experience the kingdom of God. Thus we are able to live a life based on the word of God.

Here is what Jesus said regarding those who are close to him, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it" (Lk 8:21). The other evangelists have recorded this event in this manner: "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother"(Mt 12:50, Mk 3:35). "Why do you call Lord, Lord, and do not do what I tell you? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built" (Lk 6:46-48). When one is born again in the word of God, one becomes founded on a rock. Whatever be the trials, tribulations, suffering, unfavourable circumstances he faces in his life, he is enabled to stand steadfast like a house built on a rock. I have experienced this fact in my life. Once a terrorist approached me, ready to murder me. "Who is there with you? I will cut you up into pieces", he said. Immediately the word of God written in my heart rose to my lips. "What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"(Rom 8:31). When I said that word aloud, the man was unable to speak. I repeated it thrice . With that he collapsed. The dagger fell off his hand. When we believe in the divine power of the word, the word that abides in us helps us to face all our problems.

Preachers of the word must be born again in the word. "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you'" (Jn 20:21); "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor" (Lk 4:18). Jesus began the ministry of the word only after being anointed by the Spirit and the word. Till he was 29 years old he did not preach. But after the anointing in the Jordan he began to preach very powerfully. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Jesus answered, 'Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit'" (Jn 3:5). It is soon after his anointing that he says this to Nicodemus.

The disciples began preaching powerfully after they were anointed. They preached inspired by the Spirit. The Spirit inspired the word of God inscribed in their heart and according to what Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, "and proclaimed it through the preachers' lips for the spiritual growth of the hearers. "For the Holy spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say"(Lk 12:12).

After I am born again in the Spirit, I do not have to prepare before hand or keep notes ready. When I stand to proclaim God's word, the Spirit gives me the words to speak. Those words I proclaim. That is possible for everyone because according to God's plan, he writes the word in the heart of every man (cf Jer 31:33). In a noble heart it is treasured, pondered over and bears fruit. For the person born again in the word, it is easy to proclaim the word. St. Paul says, "My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor 2:4). It is in the spirit and inscrutable divine knowledge that we preach. Seminary means the place where the semen - the seed that is the word of God is sown and nurtured. For more than ten years the word is treasured in the field of the hearts of the seminarians and the heart becomes a seminary. They are anointed to become great preachers of the word.

Let us pray: "O triune God, dwelling in me, O Word who is God, dwelling in me, I adore you, I glorify you. Purify my heart. Make it a storehouse of your word. Give me an anointing of the Spirit and let me be born again in the word .In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit Amen.