John, 1, “In the beginning was the Word”.
Before anything existed in the world,
“In the beginning, was the Word.”
“And the Word became flesh” John goes on to say,
This breath-taking power, the Truth, Life and Way,
Came to dwell among us and is still here today.
But what is “the Word”? And what does it mean?
Is it something we can hear, or something to be seen?
The dictionary defines a word as an “element”
A collection of letters, whose meaning has precedent,
And in the last year we’ve seen so many change,
The simplest words can have definitions with range.
When I was young I would “Zoom” from place to place,
And yet, now “to Zoom” is to connect face to face.
Washing hands was a thing that we did when we had to,
But now it’s compulsive, you’ve washed yours, haven’t you?
Stay home, stay safe, we were forced to change pace
And now to protect ourselves and each other we cover our face
But where can we go from here? What does it mean?
Does God have a plan for us? Is there more than there seems?
Luke tells us our words come straight from the heart,
But we need to be mindful with the words we impart.
”Speak up” say Proverbs “for those who cannot speak for themselves”
We need to use our voices to raise awareness, ask questions and help.
Our words have power to mould and change,
to tear down and build up with every exchange.
We must open our eyes to see people’s stories,
Open our ears to hear their worries,
Open our minds to what we don’t understand,
Open our hearts and hold out our hands
And when we open our mouths to let the words tumble forth,
We must always remember what they are worth.
When we look towards scripture for understanding and guidance,
Do the words enter our hearts or fall into silence?
God’s Word comes to us like a letter of love
A heartfelt expression from our Saviour above.
So how can we see, hear or receive it?
If we don’t understand, how can we believe it?
We hear the words, and sometimes we read them,
But it’s not enough to receive, it’s our calling to live them.
We hear the word at least once a week,
But do we allow the space for God to speak,
And when he does speak, do we bother to listen?
Or take time from our day to live as God’s children?
So, we let the words settle like the drifting snow,
into our minds, our hearts and our souls,
In us, the Word takes root and can start,
In the form of a rose to enfold our hearts.
John, 1, “In the beginning was the Word”.
Before anything existed in the world,
“In the beginning, was the Word.”
“And the Word became flesh” John goes on to say,
This breath-taking power, the Truth, Life and Way,
Came to dwell among us and is still here
Julia Fitzgerald is Parish Faith Formation Coordinator, Steelstown Parish, Derry
