Introducing the Word

December 31, 2022 - Saturday in Christmas Octave

John 1:1-18

Today we hear the beginning of the Gospel of John, known as the Prologue. What is it? The prologue is a part that comes at the beginning of a story. It gives information about the events that happened before the time when the story begins. So what kind of information does the prologue of the Gospel give us?

It speaks about the Word and it explains to us the relations that the Word has with God, with the world, and with humanity. The relationship between God and the Word is internal. ‘At the beginning was the Word’, which means before time and space were created. There was never such a moment in time that the Word did not exist. This relationship is also intimate. Only the Word knows God because the Word is in the bosom of the Father. Finally, the Word is equal to God - the Word was God.

What is the relation between the Word and the world? The world was created through the Word. At the beginning of the book of Genesis, we read that God created the entire universe by speaking it out. ‘And God said’, is the phrase constantly being repeated in the account of creation (see Gen 1). But the world also depends for its existence upon the Word. In the letter to the Hebrews, we read that the Son of God “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebr 1:3).

Finally, the last relation is between the Word and humanity. For us, the Word is life and light - two attributes of God. The life that the Word has is the indestructible life known to us as eternal life. The Word has it and can impart it to those who believe in him. The Word is “the Light of the world” (John 8:12). It heals us of our blindness and enlightens our darkness. Life and light are interconnected. Jesus makes this promise to all those who believe in him: “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

This Word became flesh and dwelt among us and since then the lives of countless people have never been the same.