Word Became Flesh


“I would like everyone to feel comfortable, that’s why I’d like to talk to you about Jesus.”
- Jim Gaffigan

Ever notice that the easiest way to make people nervous is to start talking about Jesus and Christianity? Even Christians get nervous when the topic comes up at work or family gatherings. Thoughts start racing through your head, “What if they start talking about controversial subjects? How am I supposed to defend God? I don’t know enough to explain my beliefs.” And yet, as disciples of Christ, we are told “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” (John 14:12).

We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ. The Great Commission sends us out in the word to proclaim the Good News. We are given the privilege to share with others the Word who became flesh. So, what does that look like?

GK Chesterton has written a lot about his dislike for big words and long sentences. I believe Chesterton would have been a fan, or at least intrigued, with Twitter. Limited to only 140 characters in your message, you can’t mess around with fancy language. In Orthodoxy (1908) he wrote, “It is a good exercise to try for once in a way to express any opinion one holds in words of one syllable.” While I won’t promise only one-syllable words, I offer the following tweets with short explanations in italics for those who need more than 140 characters.

7 Tweets for Disciples
  • "Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ" St. Jerome #ReadYourBible
Spend time reading and learning about Jesus.

  • "All human evil comes from a single cause, man's inability to sit still in a room."
    Blaise Pascal #ClassroomOfSilence
Spend time in prayer in which you simple listen to God.

  • "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 #GodsAlreadyWon
God doesn’t need you to convince every person or win every argument. Relax.

  • “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15 #Gentleness
In addition to reading Scripture, read the Catechism, join a Bible study group and learn about your faith.

  • It’s ok to say, “I don’t know.” But make sure you go find out the answer. #HumilityisNotDefeat
You aren’t expected to know the answer to every question. Never let a person cause you to doubt because you have no answer. Embrace it as a chance to learn more about your faith.

  • “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Rom 3:23  #WeAllNeedJesus
Don’t neglect to tell someone about Jesus because you are afraid to bring up the sin you see. We all need salvation. We all were born with original sin.

Make sure to read the whole chapter. James encourages us to find joy in the trials that test our faith.

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**This article was written for Today's Disciple (a magazine published by my parent's church in Orlando, FL: St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church).

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