III
THE WORD

Death does not hold you; you hold it
cradled in your arms. You gave it
your flesh as a lure and, conquered by your
astuteness, it became your prey. You entered
the doorway to the Kingdom of Death,           2 Kings 13:21.
and on touching your corpse, Elisha,
those who were dead came back to life:
what was once the tomb of Death becomes
a resurrection in the cradle of your cross.
With your death, You sustain our life;           John 1:14.
your silence is a gift that fills the heavens;
You are unchanging, always the same,
because we are completely contained in You:
You, the Man, a living Idea. The Word
that became flesh. You; the substance
of man is the Word, and our triumph
occurs when flesh becomes Word, making us
angels of the Lord. When the word
became flesh, our Jesus, you were with us
to make our poor sinful flesh become
words that dwell in heaven forever,
and your death on the cross was the gift
of resurrection for our bodies.