By Barb Arland-Fye
Editor

As an eager college freshman hoping to impress a professor, I submitted my first assignment for her class with as many impressive vocabulary words as possible. Her response humbled me and remains fresh in my mind years later: don’t try to impress me again with your vocabulary.
Lesson learned, but as a journalist who loves the written word, I continue to add to my wordsmith toolbox. Blame my dad. He, too, loves words and challenged me to vocabulary contests throughout my childhood.
My latest acquisition: refulgence, which I came across in the first reading for the first Monday in Ordinary Time. Paul tells us in Hebrews (1:1-6) “In times past, God spoke in partial ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory …”
Oxford English Dictionary defines refulgent as “Shining with, or reflecting, a brilliant light; radiant, resplendent; gleaming, lustrous.” Reading that definition deepened my appreciation for the Scripture passage. Wow! Christ is the light of our hope!
I appreciate the responsibility entrusted to me as editor of The Catholic Messenger to ensure that our publication communicates accurately and effectively the lived experiences of Catholics in our diocese and beyond. While editing articles and columns that our staff, others and I write, I research words within the text to ensure their appropriateness in conveying the author’s message. That effort enlightens and inspires me and broadens my understanding of our faith and the world in which we live.
The words we choose in our oral or written communication matter. Who among us hasn’t sent an email or posted something on social media in which our word choice offended, hurt or confused the recipient? How could we have articulated our thoughts more thoughtfully, in the way we should have presented them?
Some years ago, The Catholic Messenger published the weekly column of a well-known theologian. His columns resonated with half of our readers and alienated the other half! I remember telling our assistant editor, Anne Marie Amacher, that the theologian made excellent points but ended each column with words that served as a gut punch to his detractors. In my opinion, he could have changed hearts with a more diplomatic choice of words.
“The correct use of words is important,” Pope Francis wrote in “Don’t Speak Ill of Others,” by Capuchin Father Emiliano Antenucci. “Words can be kisses, caresses, medicine, but they also can be knives, swords or bullets.” The Holy Father said words “can be closed walls or open windows” (Catholic News Service, 1-15-2021).
I hope my love of words and the way in which I share them will serve as an open window in my communication as The Catholic Messenger’s editor and as a companion on this journey of faith.
(Contact Editor Barb Arland-Fye at arland-fye@davenportdiocese.org)