"There are two ways of keeping God's word, namely, one, whereby we store in our memory what we hear and the other, whereby we put into practice, what we have herd (and none will deny that the latter is more commendable, inasmuch, as it is better to sow grain, than to store in in the barn)."

As we enter into the Lenten season, let us both hear the word of God with a fresh openness. Let us reflect on this word. Let us act on the word heard and reflected.  The word of God is never stagnant or old hat. God speaks it anew to us each time it is proclaimed. We need to approach the word of God with the attitude of Samuel: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." Then we need to ponder like Mary what we have heard, so that God's word can bear fruit in our lives. Then, we are called to proclaim that word when convenient or inconvenient. For the word was given to us, for us and to be shared with others. In that way the word of God will be a lamp for our feet and a light for others.