Word of God

This postcard is based on a Homily by Saint Ephraim (306 - 373 A.D.)

“Lord who can grasp all of the wealth of just one of your words? What we understand is much less than we leave behind, like thirsty people who drink from a fountain. For your word Lord has many shades of meaning, just as those who study have many different points of view. The Lord has colored his word with many views so that each person who studies it can see in it what he loves. He has hidden many treasures in His word so that each of us is enriched as we meditate on it. The word of God is a tree of life that from all its parts offers you fruit that is blessed. It is like that rock opened in the desert that from all its parts gave forth a spiritual drink. He who comes into contact with some share of its treasure should not think that the only thing contained in the word is what he himself has found. He should realize that he has only been able to find that one thing from among many others.”

Saint Ephraim is one of the Church Fathers, those who reflected deeply on the Gospels and began to form the theology that nourishes the Catholic Church to this day. His likening the word of God to a tree of life is something I think about every time I read the Bible. The Bible is a ‘living book’, inexhaustible and timeless, where God speaks to each of us personally, as he speaks to all Christians collectively.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well: “Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” [John 4]. When I imagine God’s word as the tree of life that provides eternal fruit, I think of this dialogue between Jesus and the woman. We are given all that we need when we go to Christ, all our thirst is quenched; it is so breath-taking and so simple. All we need to do is return to the living, flowing Word.

This postcard was made with assorted vintage ephemera, multiple design elements, paint, ink, paper, and texturing.

Reference: Catholic Faith & Reason: https://www.catholicfaithandreason.org/st-ephraim-306-373-ad.html