Rejoice in the Lord,

you who are just;

praise befits the upright.

Give praise to the Lord with the harp;

sing to him with the psaltery,

and the instrument of ten strings.

Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully for him with joyful acclaim.

For the word of the Lord is right,

and all his works are done in faithfulness.

He loves mercy and justice;

the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.

By the word of the Lord

the heavens were established,

and by the breath of his mouth

all their host.

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through him,

and without him not one thing came into being

that has come into being.

In him was life,

and the life was the light of men.

And the Word became flesh

and dwelt among us.

And we saw his glory,

glory as of the Only-Begotten from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

The life in Christ which we share

is clarified and sustained in every way

by the Word of God,

which is the power of God

for the salvation of all who believe.

Sacred Scripture is in fact

“a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life”

and the “supreme rule of her faith.”

It is like thirst-quenching water and food

that nourishes the life of believers.

I therefore invite everyone

to cultivate a more intense and frequent contact

with the Word of God,

letting its healing and creative power work in us.

The Word of God

is the first source of all Christian spirituality.

It gives rise to a personal relationship

with the living God

and with His saving and sanctifying Will.

If anyone loves me,

he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we will come to him

and make our dwelling with him.

Amen, amen, I say to you:

If anyone keeps my word,

he will never see death.

The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.