And The Word as Made Flesh!

For many of us with a Semetic background our word is equivalent to a written contract. This word has power and we sometime wield it too sharply against others.  Or for our own self gratification.  Communication of the word brings order in the sometimes-chaotic life we live. Man is always in search of the meaning of life. The word therefore somehow brings this order, this meaning. 

We all know, from whatever background or religion we hail, that everything exists as a result of a word of the God we believe in. Because He willed it, spoke it into existence. My God does the same throughout the Bible.  “In the beginning was the Word…” He worked with the chaos he had in His hands and made order. As a result “The Word was made Flesh” says the evangelist.  He may have been truer to reality than he ever imagined.

In itself  this well known Biblical quote refers to the Incarnation, the moment when God took on flesh and became man by being born through Mary.  This verse has inspired so many to do great things in the world, such as the vision of St Gorg Preca for the setting of his Christian Doctrine Society (Muzew to the Maltese).

But that is not our story today because I do not wish to talk about that specific moment in time when Christian salvation was born. Instead I wish to continue to ponder on how true were the evangelist’s words seen through today’s eyes….where we can make – or give - flesh of the word on a daily basis by abusing it in every respect.  It can be said that The Word that was made "Flesh" has a lot to do with what happens after this Word is spoken.

We find in Scripture that the prophet Isaiah says that the Almighty has given us an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens our ears every morning to listen to it, like one being taught.  It’s as if he was talking about today’s media, the world of communications based on the transmitted word. We are enveloped by the profusion of this word.  Reading this blog is one such case. Radio, TV, speeches, presentations....all fall within the same format of transmitting the word, our word, and giving it flesh.... because if there is one thing in our life that we cannot take back are our words. 

I read in a friend's Facebook status the other day that the four things you can't recover in life are: The stone.........after it’s thrown. The word.........after it's said.. The occasion........after it's missed. The time..........after it's gone.

Once formulated by our minds and transmitted by our mouths, through our media, our newspapers, our internet links... these words cannot be taken back. And are there to stay for eternity. Ask any poltician if this is true. He or she will dread a slip of the tongue or an idle comment made some years ago, an indiscretion in a time before ever dreaming of a political career. And then, when least expected or wished,  their words of old take on flesh again and come back to haunt them. And their careers.

Character assassinations are far too commonplace in this age, especially where politics is concerned.  Blogs like mine can easily become the means for spreading this malicious word, given flesh by our gossip or mis-intentions. Thankfully we are not above the laws of the world yet one new monster of our time has a name: freedom of speech.  This wonderful right to comment or object to the powers that be is, though, being abused of greatly these days.  Today it simply means that I have the right to say what I like and what I think. That's the unfortunate thing with today's society... everyone thinks they have a brain and that they have a right to tell the world all they think. As if they are God's gift to the world.  Worse still, that they are God. The result is that we have an explosion of garbage communication and TV programmes, instead of learned opinions and educated propositions...and Facebook and blogs like this one can easily become that too unfortunately.

Censorship is another hot topic where the word needs to be - or do not need to be -  controlled according to some. In reality I feel that many objectors to censorship are simply trying to break out of their cultural shells which have been put in place by the education they got.  They vehemently object to anyone telling them what is right and wrong.  Yet these same people, who flaunt themselves so profusely on Facebook, Youtube, Myspace, Twitter, Tangle and whatever website you can think of,  do not seem to take offence to the "Report" button that all these setups have.  There is therefore the obvious need for our words to be controlled.  Or kept in check.

But the Word is not all black.  It is, or was intended to be, the key to our co-existence with others, where we can use words to express ourselves lovingly, to greet and praise fellow work mates, to encourage our families and friends.  Fr Danilo Salezze OFM, an Italian Franciscan resident in Padua, who is well versed in the power of the printed word, has a favourite prayer which he often plugs through the international magazines that he publishes, which I will conclude with:  May the Word of God Jesus made flesh at Christmas fill your heart and the hearts of your loved ones throughout the year.