The Word Among Us

As a result of the movement of the Holy Spirit in this century, many laypeople are seeking practical help in reading scripture and living in greater openness to the Spirit. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council recognized this when they encouraged all believers “to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures... Let them go gladly to the sacred text itself, whether in the sacred liturgy, which is full of the divine words, or in devout reading... Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the reading of sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and man. For ‘we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles’ ” (Dei Verbum, 25).

Through this magazine, we hope in some way to help our readers to answer this call. In the first letter to our readers (December 1981), we wrote: “The Word Among Us is intended to assist people in reading, meditating on and understanding scripture [and to] provide sound, practical advice for Catholics on the living out of the Christian life... We can have a relationship of love and friendship with the Son of God.”

Throughout its history, The Word Among Us has continued to follow this pattern of encouraging its readers to experience God’s presence in scripture and prayer and thus receive the grace of the Spirit more deeply in their lives.

The magazine’s name, The Word Among Us, comes from the Prologue to the Gospel of John: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14). This passage reflects the vision and purpose of our publication: To be an instrument of the Spirit whose desire is to manifest Jesus’ presence in and to the children of God. In this way, we hope to contribute to the church’s ongoing mission of proclaiming the gospel to the world and growing ever more deeply in our love for the Lord.

Visit www.wau.org.