"The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts like any double-edged sword but more finely." (Hebrews 4:12)
In Sunday’s second reading, why is the word of God compared not merely to a sword but to a two-edged one?
In the book of Sirach we read that "there is no healing for the wound inflicts" (21:3). The word of God can have a decisive and lasting effect on us, fatally wounding our sin, if we welcome it.
The death that God’s word deals to our sin can be a total surprise: Ehud killed the unsuspecting Eglon, King of Moab, by stabbing him with a concealed two-edged sword, just after delivering tribute to him, and saying "I have a message from God for you" (Judges 3:20).
