The Worship of Words

 Father Thomas Keating

Regarding scripture: some passages are deliberately allegorical and their pastoral purpose obscures the original words of Jesus. The influence of local mind-sets along with cultural conditioning abounds throughout the Bible. God inspired the scriptural writers where they were in their cultural and spiritual development. In the Psalms, for instance, some passages reflect a very primitive religious morality and insight; others reveal a sublime relationship with God.

Contemplation is essential for understanding the deeper meaning of scripture. Scripture should be read on a regular basis as lectio divina with great dependence on the Spirit, who breathes through the sacred text. To give to scripture an absolute authority and the final moral voice in everything is a form of idolatry. That is to worship words rather than the God who inspired them.

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