Speak Our Word

The most consequential and important word ever spoken anywhere at any time is the Word whom God spoke into our flesh. As we are created in His image, so we are also to speak our most consequential and important word into our life world. 

When we begin life well, we speak that word first to parents: “I love you.” Then we are taught to say it to brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles. And somewhere in this time, we learn to say to God our Lord, “I love You.” As our life goes on, we speak it to spouse and children, to relatives and friends, sometimes even to enemies.

It is not always easy to make that “I love you” holy and not selfish. No surprise to us: Indeed, I was born guilty,  a sinner when my mother conceived me (Ps.51:5) We know from experience that we speak our word as sinners. But God has given us the place where we can say that word, too—speak our guilt in gut-deep confidence: the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  God our Lord has forgiven our sin, but we need  to speak our deeply authentic word: “Bless me, father, for I have sinned.”  

Then, aware that it comes from a cleansed heart, we can speak our consequential word to God our Lord and to all whom He gives us: I love you.”  

Fr. Joe Tetlow, S.J.