Each year, on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Church invites us to celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God. It is not a ceremonial addition to the liturgical calendar; it is a prophetic interruption. In a world battered by noise, lies and fear, the Church pauses to enthrone the Word—not as an ornament, but as a lifeline. For Nigeria today, bruised by insecurity, strangled by economic hardship and fractured by deep social anxieties, this annual commemoration could not be more urgent. We live in a nation where blood often speaks louder than truth, where hunger dulls hope, and where many hearts are tempted to despair.
Kidnappings, banditry and terrorism continue to stalk communities. Families struggle under the crushing weight of inflation, unemployment and collapsing social systems. Trust in institutions is eroded; patience is exhausted; anger simmers. In such a climate, the question before Christians is clear: what sustains faith when circumstances conspire against it? The Church’s answer is clear and uncompromising—the Word of God. From all eternity, God has chosen to reveal Himself through His Word. He spoke creation into being. He spoke through the prophets. In the fullness of time, He spoke definitively through His Son, Jesus Christ—the Word made flesh. This Word is not a concept or a slogan; it is a Person. To encounter the Word is to encounter God Himself.
Therefore, knowledge of the Word is not an academic luxury; it is knowledge of God, and ignorance of the Word, as St. Jerome warns, is ignorance of Christ—and indeed, ignorance of God. In a country where misinformation spreads faster than truth and where social media outrage often replaces moral reflection, the Christian who neglects Scripture risks losing spiritual direction. The Word of God forms conscience when society distorts values. It teaches patience in a culture of rage, justice in a climate of impunity, and hope amid despair. Without the Word, faith becomes shallow, easily shaken by hardship and fear. The Word of God is not distant or abstract. God speaks in human language so that human hearts may understand. Sacred Scripture, faithfully interpreted within the living Tradition of the Church, is God’s ongoing conversation with His people.
When Christians open the Bible, they are not merely reading ancient texts; they are listening to a living God who still instructs, corrects, consoles and challenges. When we pray, He answers in His Word. When we are confused, He teaches through His Word. When we are weary, He strengthens us through His Word. This is why the Sunday of the Word of God is not optional devotion but a call to renewal. Nigeria’s challenges are not only political or economic; they are profoundly moral and spiritual. A society that abandons truth soon collapses into chaos. A people that neglects God’s Word loses its moral compass. Scripture forms the inner man and woman, shaping leaders of integrity, citizens of conscience and Christians of courage.
The current economic hardship tempts many to compromise values for survival. Corruption becomes attractive when hunger bites. Violence seems justified when justice appears absent. Yet, the Word of God consistently calls believers back to righteousness. It reminds us that man does not live by bread alone, that justice and mercy are non-negotiable, and that God hears the cry of the poor. The Word confronts both the oppressor and the oppressed, insisting on conversion, responsibility and hope. Insecurity, too, tests faith. When innocent lives are lost and communities live in fear, it is easy to question God’s presence. But Scripture does not offer cheap answers; it offers God Himself. The Word assures us that God is not indifferent to suffering. In Christ, He enters it. The Cross stands as the ultimate sign that God’s Word is spoken most powerfully not in comfort, but in sacrifice. For Nigerian Christians living amid fear, the Word of God becomes a refuge—“a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” At the heart of Christian life stands Christ, the Word of God. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition share this central place, guiding the Church as one body.
Jesus prayed that His followers may be one, and it is through His Word that unity is forged. In a nation increasingly divided by ethnicity, religion and politics, the Word of God calls Christians to be witnesses of unity, refusing the language of hatred and exclusion. There is no authentic worship without the Word. A Christian without Scripture is like a builder without a foundation— easily swept away by the storms of life. Without the Word, faith loses clarity, prayer loses depth and worship becomes routine. With the Word, faith matures, hope is sustained, love is inspired and truth takes root. The goal of this constant dialogue with God is understanding—not mere information, but transformation. Jesus repeatedly asked His disciples, “Do you not understand?” Understanding, in biblical terms, means living according to God’s truth. The Holy Spirit, given by Christ, leads believers into this full understanding, enabling them to discern rightly and act faithfully.
As we mark this year’s Sunday of the Word of God, the challenge before Nigerian Christians is clear. We must return to the Word—not occasionally, but deliberately; not superficially, but prayerfully. Families must rediscover the Bible as a source of daily strength. Parishes must enthrone Scripture at the heart of catechesis and pastoral life. Leaders must allow the Word to shape decisions and priorities. In a wounded nation, the Word of God remains creative, healing and life-giving. It does not deny our pain, but it redeems it. It does not ignore our struggles, but it gives them meaning. And it continues to ask each believer, with quiet insistence and saving power: Do you now understand?
