'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us'
Monday, February 15, 2010
*Sr Silvia Maria,SCTJM
Though the season of Advent is over, throughout the year we do well to remain attentively listening to the Lord. We are called to be awaiting Jesus� second coming and our own preparation for our final and ultimate destination - where we will spend our eternity. For those who are discerning their vocation in life, how can it be discerned unless we remain attentive to it?
The Lord tells us, �And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us� (Jn.1:14). Why does Jesus come as the Word? What does this tell us about our Lord? Why does John not say, �Jesus became flesh? By telling us that He is �The Word,� Jesus is manifesting who He is: the ultimate revelation and the ultimate communication.
What does Jesus reveal? The Word reveals the Father; He reveals Himself as God and a God who is Love. In this loving revelation, the Word also draws us to Himself to communicate to us His divine life - so that we may become one with him. He wants to communicate not only who He is, but also the specific plan He has for each of us to reach this transforming union with Him.
And how can the Word best communicate Himself to us? We can learn much from the receptivity of the Blessed Mother who held the Word in her heart; like her, we can cooperate with the Holy Spirit to allow Him to impregnate us with the Word, to unveil the plan He has for our lives, to make us fruitful, to make us no longer us, but Him.
One very practical way of listening to the Word is by spending time in Scripture, pondering the Word. Through our attentive reflection of Scripture, the Word speaks and enters our everyday lives and guides us one step at a time. It is through our time before the Blessed Sacrament, reading and pondering the Word of the Lord, that we can dispose ourselves to hear Him speak to our hearts: Come, follow me!
There is only One Word. You and I are not the Word. The many voices of the world are loud and wordy- but they are not the Word. There is but one Word. It will pierce us and transform us only if we are open to receiving it. It will become enfleshed in us, if we - the entire Church - in the feminine posture of the receptive heart of the Blessed Mother, are able to, as Church, receive the Word. It will transform us if, in imitation of our Blessed Mother, we are able to make room (in the inn of our hearts) for the Word, and if we receive Him with a Marian docility - allowing it �to be done to us, according to His Word.�
May our hearts imitate the, receptivity of the Blessed Mother to permit the Word to have a home in us, to reveal Himself and his plan for us, to freely communicate to us His love and His life in us - so that we can reach the summit of it no longer being us, but Christ�s Word who lives and moves and has His being - in us.
If you would like more information on the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, you can find us at: www.piercedhearts.org.
Sister Silvia Mar�a, SCTJM
Religious Sister of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Comments from readers
That's why it is so important to spend time daily reading the word of God, it's like feasting on spiritual food with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Our time with Him is truly not in vain, His wisdom, love, and spiritual revelation are revealed through His Word, we can then see a change of character in us, becoming more and more like our Lord Jesus, hunger for the spiritual treasures above, rather than the wastes of this world!
N.Moise
I believe our entire life is a constant allowing the Word in. If we have already invited Him in, then to allow Him to go in deeper, transforming us every day more and more into HIm. Count on my prayers for the Lord to reveal to you in the gift of this Lenten season all that impedes HIs Loev in you.
United in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary
May God bless you.
In this beginning of Lent, thank you for reminding us of the importance of listening attentively to our Lord. The Word indeed comes to us in a human and personal way that with receptive and docile hearts we assent and respond in coherent and concrete ways that witness to the gift we received, transforming love and Life in abundance.
In the Pierced Hearts,
Sr. Karen, sctjm
It's really funny that this blog is about "The Word became Flesh" outside of advent season because I just saw The Nativity Story this weekend and I felt a little awkward watching it outside of advent time, yet like you said, this is something that we do well to meditate on constantly.
The thing that I take away from this blog is the great challenge we have to receive THE WORD. I think I remember Sister Ana Pia explaining to me that the best way to be open to it (or to check your openness) is by doing an examination of conscience. Hey and this ties in the advent message with our lenten season:) Please pray for me that the Lord may use this time to unclog anything in my heart that can be preventing me from receiving THE WORD more perfectly.
Thank you Sister for all of your love and joy.
-Delia Sanchez