We are pleased to publish the two top winning entries of the Catholic Young Writer Award, annually co-sponsored by the Catholic Writers’ Guild and the Catholic Union of Great Britain. Joanna Bogle writes, “In 2011, to mark the Royal Wedding (Prince William and Catherine, Westminster Abbey, April) entrants for the annual Catholic Young Writer Award were invited to write about love, marriage, and the Wedding at Cana, to reflect on the idea of unconditional love, and to study Pope Benedict’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est”. The prizes were awarded by Monsignor Keith Newton of the new Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

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The Marriage at Cana
by Jodie Goss, Ursuline High School, Wimbledon

Warmth there was!
The body of people held as one;
Unity! Galilee love perspired,
Where all surge forth in celebration
There upon, satisfied, two lovers — ah!
Covenant settled as did th’sun
Here be God’s presence dusting like sand,
So watch it weaving through joined hands,
Our crowd do smile and cheer, ‘Oh! Deus caritas est’.
Banquets where guests do rejoice — soft bread, fish!
Oh such sweet pineapples, apples, lemons, grapes,
You would think the Lord blessed each plate!
We all feast and so the bridegroom toasts,
A wine in deep flavour reddens my lips,
Rich and sensual, catered by Christ!
T’was sanctified from mere water, miracle!
And so brought onward the consecration
Marriage does not differ from love with God.
A matrimony to bind flesh now one,
Once again his rib, soul wrapped inside him,
She sacrifices her heart for her Love,
They kiss, [Ah! As Jacob to Rachel],
He lifted his voice and wept, for his Love
Gratified with ensoulment, he cries —
‘Nothing will separate us from the love of God,
You are my wife till death do us part!’
And so true love prevails our eternity.
True love builds upon a new utopia,
Yields us to God in innate vocation,
Marriage; the sacrament where promise begins,
Extends upon God, our Lord Jesus Christ,
Unites those two, but yet so many more,
In hope, in peace, in charity, in love,
We, the people, one body, we are God,
He’s always weaving through our joined hands,
So let us unite in love – Deus caritas est.

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Unconditional Love
by Emma Findlay-Wilson, St Mary’s School Shaftesbury Dorset

The human being needs unconditional love…
The more I look at this simple sentence
The less I understand it
Love you say: what is Love?
I have searched high and low; I cannot find it anywhere
It is not a colour, nor a sound, or a scent
And yet when I mention it, people smile
And shake their heads and say:
Yes, I know Love.
What is Love?
I asked and asked and could not find an answer
But in my heart, a voice spoke, and I listened.
Love is when I hold you
Cradled in the palm of my hand
Love is when I know your name
Before you were, I knew you
I who made the heavens and the earth
I know you as I know every star in the sky
Love is what I would do for you
I would move mountains and rivers for you
My love is that from which you cannot hide
Always I will know where you are
I hear every beat of your heart
I will shelter you from the storm
I will carry you over the rough ground
You will never be alone
I will not let others hurt you, I will be your strength
When you do wrong I will comfort you
When you are angry I am there to hold you in my arms
When you are sad I am there to wipe away your tears
When you are happy I am there to rejoice in your joy
I will never forget you
I will never abandon you
There is nothing you cannot do without my love
Listen — and you will hear it too.

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