I waited for You at the door of words
but they were little more than
letters on a page
undecipherable

my feelings
far away.
Did I have any?

I fidgeted
distracted
powerless. 

Then, through the locked door,
You came.

“Touch my face,” You said

Lost feelings
found tears.

Fingers found
skin
cheek and chin.
Yours
and You leaned
–ever so slightly–
into my palm.

In Your face
my fingers found
my belovedness
and then they found
every face I longed to touch–
one gone
one far away
one forbidden
another entombed
and others
right here
in my everyday life.

I reached out
and touched them
all.

This gesture
so loving, so intimate
breaks the rules
undoes the hardest heart
exposes and meets us.
You can’t just touch people’s faces
like this.
It’s not allowed.

But it’s allowed here
in my prayer.

That wonderful wordless
touch
has the final say
on who we are.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
–John 1:14 (NSVCE)

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Advent 1 Reflection

Take a few moments and be with the words and images in today’s blog post.

• What are you drawn to?
• What thoughts, feelings and felt senses arise?
• Imagine God listening and feeling what you feel. What do you sense God offering you in this moment?
• What might be your Advent prayer?

Credits and References:
Sgt. Brian Prescott, of the New Hampshire National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery, smiles as his nine-month-old son touches his face during a welcome home ceremony at the Manchester armoury on Dec. 20. Prescott, who had last seen his son when he was born, was among the first wave of 3rd Battalion soldiers to return to N.H. after completing a Middle East deployment in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Photo by The National Guard.Used with permission
Poem “Touch “by Esther Hizsa, 2022.
“Touch” by Sarah Barker. Used with permission.
“And they found baby Jesus laying in a manger” by Percita. Used with permission.

© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2022.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2022.  http://www.estherhizsa.com