The pen is still mightier than the sword

By Mary Regina Morrell
©Catholic Online 2005

"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." (John 1:1-5)

Some years ago, as I sat in the pew of St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, waiting for Archbishop John Foley to celebrate Mass for several hundred members of the Catholic Press Association, I was struck by the beauty of the oldest cathedral in the country.

From the magnificent stained glass windows whose vibrant hues of purple, turquoise, green and ivory were mirrored in the antique tones of the stations of the cross, to the ornate tabernacle where cherubs positioned themselves amid billowy clouds pierced by the golden rays of the sun, the cathedral was simply awesome.

Entranced, my eyes moved naturally upwards to the breathtaking painting above the altar.

Reading the inscription brushed on an unfurled banner, I was intrigued by the appropriateness of the scene for today's gathering:

S. Louis, Roi de France annonce La Croisade.

How different our methods of evangelization are today, I mused, considering the king's men, poised against a teal-blue sky clad in garish metal helmets and leg guards. On fire with religious fervor they rode astride white steeds, brandishing drawn swords for Christianity.

And here we sit, contemporaries of sorts, on fire with the same religious fervor but brandishing a different kind of weapon. The pen -- or perhaps more appropriate for the 21st century, the keyboard.

But in truth, the real weapon is the word.

Reflecting back on my childhood experiences I could not help but believe that my desire to write and my desire to effect change in the world were both fueled, in part, by a single piece of literature, The Devil and Daniel Webster, by Stephen Vincent Benet.

As a young person enamored of folk heroes, I yearned to embody the wisdom and verbal cunning of a man like Daniel Webster who could win back the soul of some misguided human like Jabez Stone from the devil himself simply through the power of words.

Later, as an adult who was catechized through my efforts to catechize others, I became aware of a powerful image in Scripture: And the Word was made flesh.

Jesus was the Word, God's Word, and it was through the power of that Word that all creation came into being. It was through that Word that humankind entered into relationship with God, experiencing the powerful transformation of the Cross and the gift of Resurrection.

The psalmist of the Hebrew Scriptures offers unending prayers of Thanksgiving for the Word of the Lord, saying, "Your word, O Lord, endures forever" . . . "A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path" . . . "You are my refuge and my shield; in your word I hope."

Like the psalmist, the members of the Catholic Press remain well aware of the enduring power and truth of God's Word, and the power of their own words in bringing that Truth to light.

And so, we left the Cathedral that day with new spiritual resolve to fight the battles of the secular world and we left the conference with new battle strategies, new armor and new weapons.

For while the methods may be different, the goal is the same -- to overcome the darkness; to build the Kingdom of God, not with swords or bloody battles or intimidation, but with the Word of God that is peace and justice and love.

Contact

Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org NJ, US
Mary Regina Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Educationp, 732 562.1990

Email

mmorrell@diometuchen.org

Keywords

pen, sword, word, evangelization, New Orleans

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