“Preaching the divine Word (…) should never be neglected, especially during festive periods but most importantly during Advent and during Lent, the divine Word should be announced with greater force and energy” (L’egoismo vinto. Roma 1869, p. 77. Retranslated in EE p. 429).

TIRELESS PREACHING OF THE WORD

Claret commented in his Autobiography:“The divine Word brought up everything from nothing.  The divine word of Jesus Christ restored all things. Jesus told his Apostles:  Euntes in mundum universum, praedicate evangelium omni creaturae (go to  the whole world and preach the good news to all creatures).   Saint Paul told his disciple Timothy: Praedica Verbum (preach the Word). Society suffers from nothing except that it has withdrawn her word from the church, the Word of life, the Word of God.  Societies are weakened and hungry for lack of the daily bread that is the Word of God.  Every resolve to be saved will be sterile if the great catholic word is not restored in its fullness.”(Aut 450).

The Son of God became man not only to take up a human body but to assume the human Word and communicate it to the ears of men.  There were many ears waiting but the Word was lacking.

Today there are quantities of words but little communication.  There are millions of people walking alone in the world. Claret proposed: “that God be made known, loved and served by all” (Aut 202).  Without the knowledge of God there is no possibility of entering into dialogue with Him, not even to confide in Him like a son to his father.  The first step is the word.  Claret knew that his word could not be compared to the Word of the Lord who “spoke with authority”  (Mt 7, 28), hence he tried to convince the people to come nearer to the same words of the Lord through reading and the knowledge of the gospels, especially the gospel of Matthew.  And he never stopped at the time of selecting the auditorium.  “The Lord made me to understand that I am not only to preach to sinners but also that the humble people in the villages and towns had to be preached and taught catechism, etc…”