I like words; they serve me as a preacher
and teacher in the same way that tools serve the carpenter, and it is through
words that I earn my living. But words
alone have their limits. Words alone
serve to reach the mind of another, but for total communication, one also needs
a bodily presence.
This
is not to devalue words and their power to inform. I remember in college being converted from
pacifism to non-pacifism through reading the words of Martin Luther, in his
tract Whether Soldiers Too Can Be Saved,
written in 1527. Luther’s mind reached
across the centuries to touch mine, and his words succeeded in winning me over
to his point of view. Words retain their
power to influence the mind of another, as mind meets mind.
But
for a more total communication, something more is needed than words alone. That is why I prefer a phone call to an
email, and a visit to a phone call.
Experts tell me that about 80% of communication is non-verbal,
consisting of such things as tone of voice, body language, and speed of
speech. I’m not able to verify the
percentage, but certainly most of truly effective communication is
non-verbal. I recall having to confess a
person while visiting the church of another priest, and the person spoke no
English. (I remain tragically
unilingual.) The confession therefore
was in a language foreign to me. I could
not, of course, offer the customary words of counsel afterward, but I did
understand from the non-verbal parts of our encounter that this was a person
who fervently repented of their sins, and who sought the mercy of God. I was able therefore to offer sacramental
absolution, even though I did not understand the words of the confession. (I may add that such confessions are, and
should be, a rarity.)
The
limits of verbal communication are also why written sermons which one reads in
a book are less effective than sermons actually heard in church. Preachers do not simply aim at the minds of
their congregations, but also at their hearts; their aim is not only to impart
data, but to transform life. To succeed
at such a task, one needs to communicate the Message at the deepest level, not
only offering words, but also driving them home through the fervency of body
language and dramatic rhetorical device.
The preacher knows (or should know) that he is not simply passing along
information, like a person sharing a recipe, but striving for the souls of
men. One needs to look into the eyes of
the one receiving the words, for it is through the eyes that one reaches the
heart. (That is also why preachers
should avoid preaching from a manuscript, for one cannot simultaneously look at
the notes and at the hearer.)
Words
alone are wonderful, but for total communication such as is needed to communicate
the Gospel, often they are not enough.
God knew this too. That is why He
not only sent words through the prophets, but embodied the Word in the
Incarnation of His Son. Bodily presence
can transform words into a sacramental encounter, and it is this encounter
which is the preacher’s goal.
For other voices in this conversation about words, see:
For other voices in this conversation about words, see:
- Annalisa Boyd (Orthodox) of The Ascetic Lives of Mothers on
Let the Words of My Mouth - Cristina Perdomo (Orthodox Christian — Orthodox Church in America (OCA)) of Reachingfromadistance on Cement
- Dn Stephen Hayes (Orthodox Christian) of Khanya on What’s that you were saying?
- Elizabeth Perdomo (Orthodox Christian) of Living a Liturgical Life on What About Words?
- Fr John D’Alton (Orthodox) of Fr John D’Alton on How we use our words- jihad or struggle?
- Katherine Bolger Hyde (Orthodox Christian) of God-Haunted Fiction on Eat Your Words
- Susan Cushman (Orthodox Christian) of Pen & Palette on How We Use Our Words: “Christian” is Not an Adjective
