In Umberto Eco’s essay entitled, “Role of the Reader,”......

In Umberto Eco’s essay entitled, “Role of the Reader,” he believes that the text of a book remains unfinished and “open” until it is actually read by someone. In other words, it is the reader, and not the writer, who completes the text. The writer's work is never finished until it meets with an engaged reader.

The same philosophy might be applied to Scripture itself. Although we consider the text of the Bible sacred and holy, its words remain meaningless unless someone reads them in a meaningful way and applies them so as to give meaning to their own life. Therefore, one might conclude that the Word of God isn't finished until those who read it adhere to it and apply its teachings in their day to day lives.

Fr. John