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
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