Reflections on the Incarnation, a poem by Siobhan Maloney
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life—
for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us.
~ 1 John 1
That which was from the beginning…
He, the Eternal One,
the Word that made all things…
the Invisible…
Made visible.
We have heard Him.
heard him with human ears
The ears that He made
For the day He would speak with a human voice
To be heard by us.
And we have seen Him,
with human eyes
The eyes that He designed,
anticipating the day He would be a human body
for us to look upon.
And we have touched Him:
with human hands
The hands that He fashioned
for the day he would open His side
for us to touch Him.
We have heard Him.
We have seen Him.
We have touched Him.
But the mystery stretches further:
For we still hear Him,
In the human voice that says,
“I absolve you from your sins.”
In the mother’s voice that speaks,
“I love you.”
And we see Him,
In the human body of the priest, pouring out
His flesh and blood
in the husband’s daily laying down
his life.
And we touch Him,
In the white loveliness of bread
turned Body again
In the old, wrinkled skin
Of the least of these.
We hear Him.
We see Him.
We touch Him.
For the Word that was from the beginning
Has become enfleshed forever
To remain with us today.
Siobhan Maloney works for the Center for Cultural and Pastoral Research at the John Paul II Institute in Washington D.C. She also assists with their online review journal, Humanum. She studied Humanities and Catholic Culture at Franciscan University, and Theology at the John Paul II Institute.