Saint Therese of Carmel

 "But in fact they have not all responded to the good news. As Isaiah says: Lord, who has given credence to what they have heard from us? But it is in that way faith comes, from hearing, and that means hearing the word of Christ." Romans 10:16-17 

God’s plan of salvation is revealed to all who listen when the sacred scriptures are proclaimed. In his writing, With Burning Hearts, Roman Catholic priest, Henri Nouwen states, "When we say that God’s Word is sacred, we mean that God’s Word is full of God’s presence…Often we think about the Word as an exhortation to go out and change our lives.

 But the power of the Word, lies, not in how we apply our lives after we have heard it, but in its transforming power that does its divine work as we listen." Fr. Nouwen believed that reading and listening to the Word of God aids in the transformation of a believer from a ‘self’ centered to a ‘God’ centered focus.