DAY 11

And The Word Became Flesh
By Marcus Daniel Jacques

The Gospel of John has come to be one of my favorite books in the New Testament.  The author of this text is known as the ‘William Shakespeare’ of the Bible and indeed his writing is rich in poetry, imagery and overall literary mastery.  I guess that’s why I relate to the book of John, because for as far back as I can remember, I have had a fascination with everything that has to do with language: words, expressions, accents and the sounds of people’s voices.  Mom and dad tell me that I was speaking in clear Spanish sentences at a very early age and that even before I could walk, I could mimic the shrilling voice of an elderly lady friend of theirs down to a 'T'.

As for me, my foundation of faith was instilled in me by two very loving, strong-willed and hardworking women, my Abuelita María and my Tía Chucha.  They nourished me in so many ways.  Tia Chucha in particular was my very first catechist - my Sunday schoolteacher, if you will.  She was an incredibly hilarious, witty, joyful and generous person.  She was also very clever and extremely wise.  Many thought of her as a silly, simple-minded and at times, nuisance of an old spinster.  The fact is she was sharp as a tack.  Tía had the memory of an elephant, said things as they were and could sum up a person’s character, personality, motives and likely next moves in two seconds.  She very rarely was off her mark.  I think her hardness of hearing made her all the more adept in the use of her other faculties. 

Tía also new the story of Jesus inside and out:  every character in the story, every miracle Jesus performed, every parable that He taught.  She referred to Jesus as, "el pan vivo bajado del cielo" – “bread of life, sent down from heaven.”   Communion was for her - as it was for Abuelita - a very important and significant sacrament.  They had experienced such abject poverty as children and young adults that many times they had no one else to turn to for sustenance but Jesus.  

Tía and Abuelita were not perfect by any means.  They made mistakes and plenty of them.  Still, they taught me never to abandon my faith in God no matter the circumstance.  “We bless God in the good times and worship Him in the difficult times,” was the principle they lived by. 

Grandpa and Grandma Jacques nourished me spiritually as well, only more so as an adult.  I would like to think that I inherited Grandpa’s love of the Bible and singing in church.  (I’m also not too shabby at spontaneous prayer like grandpa!)  I remember Grandma Jacques saying there was nothing like the reverence found in a Catholic church.  She claimed that you could always feel the presence of God in a sanctuary.  Consequently, whenever I’m asked to intercede for a family member or a friend, or if I myself in need centering, I find my way to the nearest Catholic church and sit in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament (the tabernacle) to pray…and listen.  

While I have lived a very blessed life thanks to my hard-working and devoted parents, I have also experienced a great deal of heartbreak.  As a child I was bullied and made fun of for who I am and how I am.  I’ve felt deeply shameful and deathly frightened.  I’ve been disappointed, insulted, taken for granted and humiliated.  I’ve lost close friends and relatives and experienced moments of great solitude and depression.  But along with the testimonies thus far shared on this blog, I too can confess that it is in our brokenness that God makes His presence known.  When we hand Him over the fragments of our broken lives, the Potter will put each piece back together again - solid, more sturdy and bearing much fruit.  He is faithful when we are faithful.

And so my dear cousins (and sister), I hope that this blog has served as our family’s own ‘communion celebration'.   We’ve confessed our faith and have been nourished by the Word that became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  And we [along with our grandparents and loved ones at rest] saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth.

I love you all implicitly and will bless the Lord as long as I have breath that we were placed on the same path in this life, and the next.

Your cousin in Christ,

Marcus

Readings
Thursday December 31

1 JN 2:18-21
Children, it is the last hour; 
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared. 
Thus we know this is the last hour. 
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us. 
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. 
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge. 
I write to you not because you do not know the truth 
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.

Responsorial Psalm PS 96:1-2, 11-12, 13
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day. 
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the LORD.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The LORD comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Alleluia JN 1:14A, 12A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him
he gave power to become the children of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel JN 1:1-18


In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. 
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light, 
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God, 
to those who believe in his name, 
who were born not by natural generation 
nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision 
but of God.

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying, 
“This was he of whom I said, 
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me 
because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses, 
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, 
has revealed him.