One of the things about Scripture is that even the smallest word and shortest phrase can be critical to the overall message. When you take a quiet moment to rest with the Word, you find how quickly the most mundane sentence can reach out and grab you, pulling you into a deeper contemplation of some truth you hadn’t even considered until then.

But we often fail to act as the Israelites in the Book of Nehemiah, standing before the Water Gate “listening attentively.” Whether it’s at Mass during the Liturgy of the Word or at home poring over the Bible, time after time we find ourselves less mindful than we could be. Our ears accept the sounds of the words and our eyes glance over the shape of the letters.

But are we mindful — truly?

The best answer is hopefully at least sometimes. There are always tasks to be completed, problems weighing on our minds that we can’t quite give over to God. We lose ourselves in these things instead of in Scripture. We “clock in” with Bible reading instead of “diving in.”

We can never forget that the words of the Lord are spirit and life. They are the soil that quickens the seed of all stewardship. There is no mindfulness, no prayer, no graciousness, no gratitude or accountability or sense of commitment unless there is the Word.

So let us pray today for mindfulness, that our every action will be grounded in the law of God — giving it true spirit and life.

— Tracy Earl Welliver

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