This Sunday’s Gospel The Word was made Flesh & dwelt amongst us The words people speak to us do not always do us good. The words we hear from various quarters do not always leave us blessed. On the contrary, they can leave us damaged and diminished. The Word God spoke to us in his Son has greatly blessed and enriched us. St. Paul recognizes this in the second reading today when he sings, “Blessed be God the Father  of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.” Having been blessed by God’s Word in this way, we are called to bless others by the words we speak, by the lives we live. We are called to keep on receiving from the fullness that is always being given to us in Christ, so that we can enrich others from that fullness. As was said of John the Baptist in today’s gospel reading, we are to be witnesses who speak for the light. Today we might give thanks for the  times when we have spoken for the light, when the words we spoke or wrote gave life and strength to someone, or brought some light into a situation of darkness or cover-up. These were the times when our words had something of the quality of the Word that  God spoke in the beginning and that  became flesh in the person of Jesus. All of us in different ways  have the potential to speak words that make a difference for the better, that leave people more alive and enlightened.  As we begin a new year we might resolve to speak words that have something of the life-giving quality of God’s Word, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among u