Divine Providence and the Power of Our Words
By:  D. McManaman
One way of talking is like death, let it not be found in the heritage of Jacob. (Si 23, 12)


There is tremendous power in our words.  Poets, novelists, and journalists have always understood this, at least implicitly.  Words are so powerful, in fact, that they have the potential to slowly destroy or heal the very persons who utter them.  Dr. David Snowdon, Professor of Neurology at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, directed a 15 year study of Alzheimer's disease involving 678 Catholic nuns of the order of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.  After analyzing 180 autobiographies written by the nuns in their early 20s, he discovered a correlation between longevity and the kinds of words they most frequently employed.  Those nuns who articulated more positive emotions in words such as "happy," "hopeful," "joy," "content," "love," etc., lived as much as 10 years longer--and qualitatively better lives--than those expressing fewer positive emotions.  Snowdon writes:  "Our theory is that negative emotional states such as anxiety, hatred and anger can have a cumulative effect on the body over time.  Over decades and decades, people that turn these negative emotions on and off several times daily are hurting themselves and are more likely to fall victim to heart disease and stroke."

We have the power to sow a spirit of anxiety, or fear, or anger, or joy into the hearts of listeners by the words we choose to employ.  Indeed, our words express an attitude that is within, and they bring a portion of that interior world of ours to those to whom they are addressed.  We are, however, affected further by the quality of our words--we are either the first beneficiary or first victim of the words we utter.  That is why we ought to be especially careful of the words we speak over ourselves.

But on what grounds are we to speak a certain way?  Is it possible to change one's words without changing one's world?  The answer to the latter is evidently, no.  So what are the grounds on which a change of attitude becomes a reasonable alternative?

I would argue that there are both philosophical and theological grounds for a more positive attitude articulated in written or spoken language.  Firstly, the philosophical groundwork for a more hopeful posture.

Divine Omnipotence and Goodness

If God is the First Existential Cause of everything that is, then God has complete dominion over being.  Thus, God is omnipotent.  God's dominion, in other words, extends to whatever has existence.  That means that God's power is not limited by anything prior to Himself; for nothing is prior to God.  Creatures are not all powerful because they have no dominion over being; they cannot create in the true sense of the word (bringing something into being from nothing). All we can do is produce things from already existing matter.  Hence, our dependency and limitations.

God's dominion over being entails that God has the power to bring about whatever He wills.  But what does God will?  More specifically, what does He will for me?  Whatever it turns out to be, we can be certain that He has the power to bring it about.

Furthermore, God is supremely good.  We know this because "good" is a property of being, just as growth, nutrition, and reproduction are properties of living matter, or as malleability is a property of iron.  Whatever is, is good to the degree that it has being.  Evil is a lack of something that should be, that is, a deficiency, or a privation of being.  

Now God did not receive existence, as we have, or as has any other thing, living or non living.  We have existence, but God is His Act of Existence:  "I Am Who Am" (Ex 3, 14).  His nature is to exist.  That is why He alone imparts existence.  And so if "good" is a property of being, then God is the fullness of good.  God is Goodness Itself.  He is the Supreme Good, the source and fountain of all that is good in the universe.

Consider for a moment that if God is supremely good, but not omnipotent, it would follow that He has a good will towards me and wills what is best for me, but He does not necessarily have the power to bring it about.  Conversely, if God is omnipotent, but not supremely good, then He can bring about whatever it is He wills for me, but it would not necessarily be the case that what He wills for me is what is best for me.

But the good news is that He is both omnipotent and supremely good.  Thus it follows that whatever God allows to happen to you or to me, He allows it ultimately for our greatest good and happiness.

Indeed, not all things work out for the best for everyone in the end.  The reason is that we have the ability to get in the way of our own beatitude by virtue of our own deficient choices.  My will has to be in accordance with God's if I am to achieve my greatest happiness.  The reason is simple.  God wills the best for me.  If I want what is best for me, my will must be congruent with His.  If it is not, I claim, in effect, to know better than God what constitutes my greatest happiness.  Hence, the huge weight of misery and dissatisfaction in the world.

But should I choose to depart from His will in order to pursue my own will, my decision will not impede God's will for those in my life who will be negatively impacted by such a morally deficient decision.  It is not possible for a creature to ever be one up on God.  God's knowledge is eternal, and He can and does draw the greatest good out of evil, for those who choose to love Him and not to depart from Him.  We know He can because He is the Omnipotent, and we know He wants to because He is the Supreme Good.

What does this mean?  It means we have reason to thank God for everything, literally everything that has happened to us, and that is happening to us, and that will happen to us in our lives--even for things that are tragic.  This is without a doubt easier said than done.  But consider the implications were we to think and decide otherwise.  We are saying, in effect, that God "screwed up" in some way or another, by allowing this or that to happen to me.  We are implying that either God is not All Powerful, or that He is not Supremely Good.  But He is both.

This may not be easy to appreciate when we find ourselves in the midst of a tragedy and grieving.  But thanking God for everything, even the tragic things that have happened to us, is the way to overcome all tragedy.  God does not will that tragedy befall us.  But He does allow it to befall us for reasons that are hidden deep within His unsearchable mind:  "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!" (Rm 11, 33).  All we know at this point is that if it has been allowed by the Divine Wisdom, it was ultimately for our greatest good and happiness, the details of which we will eventually understand.  And so it is not irrational to trust God, even blindly.

Hence, it is not necessarily insincere to be habitually disposed to speaking positively.  Indeed, not all positive discourse is genuine.  A good portion of it may very well have its roots in fear or self-deception, or what amounts to a refusal to see and acknowledge what is unpleasant.  But this kind of self-deception is not conducive to genuine thanksgiving rooted in hope.

The positive discourse of some of the School Sisters of Notre Dame was without question rooted in an outlook shaped by faith, "the substance of things hoped for" (Heb 11, 1).  Words that articulate this hope are powerful and effective, much more so than merely human words, because they are the very words of God.

The Word of God

For the word of God is "living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword.  It penetrates and divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the reflections and thoughts of the heart" (Heb 4, 12).  The entire order of creation came into being through the power of this word:  "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host" (Ps 33, 6).  It was through the power of the Scriptures that Jesus defeated the Evil One in the desert: "Jesus replied:  "Scripture has it: 'Not on bread alone is man to live but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'...At this, Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  Scripture has it: 'You shall do homage to the Lord your God; him alone shall you adore.'"  At that the devil left him, and angels came and waited on him." (Mt 4: 4, 10-11)

That is why it is important that the believer immerse himself in the word and become familiar with the Scriptures, and to learn to speak those very words over himself within the most fitting circumstances: "For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it." (Is 55, 10-11).

So, in times of fear, one should commit to memory and regularly speak over oneself the following words spoken through Isaiah:

Or Joshua: During those times when speaking out is difficult and fearful, but necessary nonetheless, the following words have tremendous power over us: Psalm 27 is not difficult to remember: For times of uncertainty and anxiety, commit to memory the following verse from Paul's letter to the Philippians: When you are tired and find life too burdensome, speak the following and approach the Lord with faith: In the midst of a tragic situation, repeat often the following words: For times of despair, remember that: It is also important at such times to recall that Christ has already overcome the world: Christ's victory over the world is ours through faith, because this faith is precisely the power that has conquered the world and through which we continue to conquer it.  That is why we should commit to memory and often repeat the following: In times when one sees only the futility of his life and is perhaps tempted to suicide:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  And even the hairs on your head are all counted.  So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Mt 10, 29-30)

But not every situation is a difficult one.  We are often most vulnerable to temptation during times of prosperity and ease.  When we are tempted to believe that God depends upon us, needs us, and cannot be victorious without us: In times when we feel overconfident, we should repeat the following: Or,

Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Cor 10, 12)

Or,

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. (Ps 118, 8)

If tempted to pridefully look down upon another or others: In times when we are overwhelmed by the duties of the day and the shortness of time, we need to remember that God is in control: 

In times when we are in the midst of deep suffering and we begin to question God, we need only recall a small portion of the words God addressed to Job:

For times when we are too stubborn to forgive: Before undertaking a difficult task:

Unless the Lord builds the house, in vain do the builders labor. (Ps 127, 1)

For times of financial difficulty:

For those times when it appears that God is far off: 

During those fearful times when we are under personal attack, we should remember that:

We can multiply such examples almost indefinitely, but what becomes evident as we immerse ourselves in the word is that Scripture is like no other book.  The power of the divine word is unusually effective, and its effectiveness is readily perceptible. 

The Hope of Heaven

This year, while on holidays with my family in Montreal, I decided to inquire of the editor of the journal that published my first article in 1985, Father Roland Gauthier, who at the time directed the Research Center at St. Joseph's Oratory.  I was happy to learn that he was still alive and was living at the infirmary for the Religious of the Congregation of the Holy Cross.  I wanted to see him, and so I did my best to communicate in French with the secretary of the infirmary, who then called him on the telephone: "An anglophone is here at the front and would like to see you," is about all that I was able to translate of her rapid diction.  She handed me the phone.  He had absolutely no clue who I was.  "We went out for lunch together," I explained.  "You published a number of my articles in the Cahiers," I continued.  But he had no recollection. 

I wasn't offended by his memory lapse, for he is almost ninety years old, and at the forefront of my mind was the awareness that I myself have a very difficult time remembering the names of students from only a few years past--let alone twenty years--, and I am only forty-two.  I spoke with him for a short while, and I understood why he turned down my request for a visit; at this point I was only a perfect stranger.  But the secretary began to speak to me in French, perhaps to reassure me in some way, and I did my best to follow.  What I was able to pick up from her was that Father Gauthier is still writing articles and putting together large anthologies for publication.

This is something I've always admired in my favorite thinkers.  Mortimer J. Adler was born in 1902 and died just shy of his ninety-ninth birthday.  Father Joseph Owens, a Basilian priest and the world's foremost scholar on Greek and Medieval Metaphysics, was born in 1908 and only recently stopped teaching.  There is no doubt in my mind that their longevity had a great deal to do with the theological virtues: their faith in the promises revealed by God, their hope in the promises of God, and their charity or love of God and all that belongs to God.  For their dedication to learning and teaching has always been a work of charity, rooted in hope.

And hope is the key to longevity.  The increase in the demand for euthanasia today directly corresponds to an overall increase in despair that there is really anything more to life than enjoying nice weather, good food and entertainment, and a few weeks at the beach.  Without hope, there is really no reason to live.  That is why I have always been convinced that a purely philosophical approach towards combating the euthanasia mentality is ultimately doomed to failure.  If suffering is not seen in light of the cross, as a real and mysterious participation in the sufferings of Christ, and if we no longer look for Christ in the darkness of that suffering because we no longer have the eyes of faith to see him there, then there is no convincing a person that a deliberate overdose of morphine is a course of action to be avoided in all circumstances.  Only the hope of salvation and faith in the mystery of the cross will enable a person to make his final act a joining in the Eucharistic prayer of Christ, as opposed to an act of murder.

As I was sitting in the office of my good friend, a priest of the Hamilton Diocese, he told me to look behind me.  Attached to a painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was a small photo of a two year old girl who had died suddenly and unexpectedly while sleeping.  My friend was called to the hospital to be with the grieving parents.  There he saw the little girl on a hospital gurney, looking as though she were sleeping peacefully, and the parents, who were in shock and tremendous grief.  "Father, Stephanie is gone," is all they had said to him.

My friend said the Mass of the Angels at her funeral, and afterwards he was in regular contact with the parents, particularly in the early stages, to give them comfort and assurance that their daughter was in heaven with God.  Over time they came to accept the reality of their loss and were able to continue on with normal life and their older daughter.  And I am told that they visit the grave site virtually every night, which overlooks a waterfall as a sign of her baptismal innocence.

After a while, my friend's contact with the family became rather sporadic.  Then one night, about a year and a half after the funeral, he had a dream of their daughter.  My friend, though, would describe it as more than a dream; a vision, would be more accurate.  For the first few moments upon waking, he wasn't aware that he'd had a dream; it was as though he'd just had an actual encounter with her.

All he heard initially was, "Father."  He then saw light, similar to looking directly into the sun, but without the sphere.  The light was a brilliant white.  In between him and the source of that light was the figure of a young woman.  She was wearing what appeared to be a long white robe that was penetrated with light, as though she were made of crystal.  He looked at the face when she called his name.  It was not the face of Stephanie the two-year old, but it was a tremendously beautiful face, radiant with joy, that he recognized as being Stephanie.  It was her face, but this was a young woman, not a child.  She said to him: "I want you to tell my parents that I am perfectly happy.  Right now, I can't tell my parents.  I have to tell you to tell them that I am perfectly happy."  Then she said, "I'm taking you to see Jesus."  She then reached out her hands, and as my friend reached out to her, he felt a profound warmth, a penetrating joy, and indescribable peace and ease of conscience.  Then he found himself sitting up in bed in the middle of the night, in total darkness.  It was three o'clock in the morning.

Of course, he communicated the contents of the dream to the girl's parents.  This vision had a profound impact on my friend and on them.   And at the time, the words he articulated to describe it actually communicated to me a portion of his peace and the joy he experienced.

Words are often anxious, or fearful, or angry and cynical because we have lost sight of our end and have begun to lose the hope that bears upon eternal life.  If we really understood through faith that we are destined for a happiness that is marvelous beyond our ability to adequately conceive of in this life, there wouldn't be much left that could upset us, scare us, depress us, or discourage us, and the words articulated by us would be far less harmful to ourselves and others, making our lives much brighter because of it.

Do not abandon yourself to sorrow, do not torment yourself with brooding.  Gladness of heart is life to anyone, joy is what gives length of days....Jealously and anger shorten your days, and worry brings premature old age.  (Si 30: 21-22, 24)

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