Extra Credit10/19/2020 Monday of the 29th Week in OT/ Memorial of the North American Martyrs
As you know, the Gospels for weekdays Masses remain the same each year. The first readings and psalms fluctuate between Years A and B. Last year’s first reading from Romans used the word “credit” 3 times and it inspired me to write the poem “Cache or Credit.” The “cache” refers to what the rich man in the Gospel hordes and hides away, thinking that he has a whole lifetime ahead of him to enjoy his gains. He doesn’t give God the credit for his life and fails to realize that all is gift and is meant to be shared, not hoarded for oneself. Even though the first reading is from Ephesians today and not Romans, the theme of “credit” is “cached” in these words. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. This morning I’m sharing with you again “Cache or Credit.” Just think of it as “Extra Credit.” Cache or Credit? Quite a cache! Where house my wares? Some safe place no one knows. A barn? Barns burn, too many bales A building? Buildings buckle, too many stories A Vault? Of course! Vaults hold hidden treasures No safer place than a vault No stealing from this steel Vault-less no longer! I take all the credit for my cache! Foolish, frivolous, Feckless fellow! A vault for your vanity! Housing, hording, hiding Heaven’s treasures, God’s gifts! Better credit God than cache. Here’s the catch. With God, No need for a vault, There’s the vault of the sky. With God, No need for a warehouse When a small wooden box holds the universe. If you’re wondering why there are so many poems this month in these daily reflections, so am I! As I read through the collection of poems I have written since my arrival here last October, I realize that I wrote 15! I’m sure the reason is that I didn’t begin directing retreats until November. I give “credit” to the Holy Spirit for priming the pump so I could “cash” in on her inspiration.
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Shiver Me Timbres!10/18/2020 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time It wasn’t just the crisp autumn air that made me shiver this morning. It was also the “timbre” or tone color of the sky. (Yes, I know that timbre is associated with sound but “timbre” is a play on “timber”) What really gave me the shivers this morning was seeing retreatants in the dining room waiting patiently for the sunrise. Of course, I could not hear the timbre of their voices because all were in silence but I could imagine hearing the “oohs and ahs” within them as they gazed on this glorious morning. As we did two weeks ago for the feast of St Francis weekend, we celebrated the liturgy of the word yesterday in two groups. Here’s the homily I gave.
I’m sure you know that “perk” is a shortened form for “perquisite.” That’s not to be confused with prerequisite. Both words share the same root which is “to seek diligently for.” The only prerequisite for your time here at Eastern Point is “openness.” You are asked to open your mind, your heart, your eyes, your ears, your hands, if you want to experience the “perquisites” or “perks” of this special place. Perhaps, what may be percolating in your minds is the question, “What am I seeking?” or better “Who am I seeking?” or even better “Who am I whom God is seeking?” There are many “perks” being here on this Holy Ground. The beauty and majesty of the ocean, the power of nature witnessed in the storm, waiting for sunrise over the ocean or sunset over Niles pond. Listening to the sounds of the sea, the gulls, the birds. Relishing the silence so that your ears are more attuned to angels’ whispering in your ears. And, of course, there is good food and the companionship of others who have met the prerequisite of seeking for God in their lives and in the world and enjoying the perks of the place. It may be easier to seek and find God in your life than it is to find God in politics and pandemic. One of the best perks here is to get a respite from the controversies that are part of our everyday lives and discourse. Given the scriptures we have just heard, I’m wondering how preachers will use the texts to support their candidates in upcoming elections and/or use the Gospel passage as evidence that there should be a clear separation between church and state. Will preaching about God’s anointed leader and Jesus’ controversy with the religious authorities bring people together as brothers and sisters, children of God or only exacerbate differences of opinion. Hopefully my words will do the former. Three years ago, when I was preparing to preach on these readings, I read this in the NY Times. Astronomers announced on Monday that they had seen and heard a pair of dead stars collide, giving them their first glimpse of the violent process by which most of the gold and silver in the universe was created. The collision known as a kilonova, rattled the galaxy in which it happened 130 million light years from here and sent fireworks across the universe. Such explosions, astronomers have long suspected, produced many of the heavier elements like gold, silver and uranium. All the atoms in your wedding band, in the pharaoh’s treasures and the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and still threaten us have been formed in cosmic gong shows that reverberated across the heavens. I could go on but wow! Isn’t that mind-bending, mind-boggling, amazingly awesome! Aren’t you in stunned silence before the mystery of the Universe? And how perfect is this discovery on a Sunday when we hear the passage in scripture where Jesus asks the Pharisees for a coin (gold/silver/copper/ some heavy metal) If what we just heard is true then that coin came from one of those cosmic gong shows millions of years before. The Pharisees are trying to “trap” Jesus or trip him up so that he will show himself in conflict with the Roman regime but with the flip of a coin he evades the question. “Whose image is on this coin? Caesar’s. Then, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. But to God what belongs to God. And that’s just about everything and everyone. God’s image is imprinted on creation and especially on men and women who bear the “imago dei”, the image of God. There is something about this cosmic explosion that creates heavy metal for the coin in Jesus hand that invites us to expand our horizons about God who is creator of this mind-bending universe. Like the coin that is so small, and like the critics of Jesus who are so small-minded, so often our “images of God” are so small, “domesticated”. We think we can talk about God, describe God, measure God, when we really should be in stunned silence before God. Listen to a bit more: Neutron stars are full of stuff, matter packed at the density of Mount Everest in a teaspoon. When neutron stars slam together, all kinds of things burst out: gamma rays, X-rays, Radio waves. Something for everyone who has a window on the sky. “Joy for All”, as one scientist says. This is the story of a gold rush in the sky. Joy for all, here and now, knowing that eternal one whom we name “God” is so much, much more that our “small minds can comprehend”. God is the One who at the “flip of a coin” puts into motion these cosmic gong shows that can only elicit from us “awe and wonder”, And yet God is the one whom we call “father/mother”, the eternal one who is so near to us in Jesus Christ, God’s anointed. When I originally preached this homily at St Francis Xavier, I was living in NYC where you were lucky if you could catch a glimpse of the sky. Here at Eastern Point, you have a front row seat for sky, sea and the horizon. It’s definitely one of the PERKS of being here! (When I preached the homily three years ago, I finished by playing some Heavy Metal music! I’ll forgo that today.) This morning we’ll gather outside for the Eucharist so that all can be present and experience the “real presence” of Christ in the sacrament and in each other. I expect that it’ll give many of us the “shivers” hearing the timbre of Christ’s voice echoing in creation. Luke and See!10/16/2020 10-16
Since the feast of St Luke, the Evangelist falls on a Sunday this year, October 18th, he won’t get the attention he deserves. We've been hearing his Gospel during the weekdays but it's Matthew's that we will hear this Sunday. So I decided to reprint the poem I wrote last year on his feast that was inspired by Paul’s letter to Timothy asking him to bring with him “papyrus and parchment.” I imagined Luke sitting down to write to Theophilus the stories of Jesus Christ that had informed his faith and that he wanted to share with his community. Just think of how much we would be missing if Luke had not sat down to write his Gospel! The photo I chose is of Miguel Calero, student of Sara Knight as a “flying shepherd” in last year’s production of A Dancer’s Christmas. We owe the story of angels appearing to shepherds to Luke. Luke and See Can you see Luke putting pen to parchment inscribing stories, telling tales to Theophilos, Lover of God, tales told by women who witnessed wonders Mother Mary, Martha, Magdalene , those Christophilai, Lovers of Christ Jesus? Luke and see! Can you see Luke putting pen to parchment story telling? Angel announcing, Zachariah zapped A moot point! Angel announcing, Mary marveling A pregnant pause! Angel announcing, Elizabeth elated, a jumping jack! Luke and see! Can you see Luke putting pen to papyrus story telling? Angels announcing, astonishing shepherds, flocking with sleepy sheep to look and see a creche child, the Christ-child. Luke and see! Can you see Luke putting pen to parchment, penning parables prodigally? “There was a man who had two sons… “There was a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho… “There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple… Scribing stories, Women-wise, women’s ways A woman anointing A widow weeping A woman sweeping A widow persisting Luke and see! Can you see Luke penning the story of short-limbed Zaccheus, climbing a long limbed tree just to see Jesus going for a glimpse and getting so much more than a sycamore? Luke and Laugh! Can you see Luke putting pen to papyrus writing roadways? The road to Jerusalem The road to Calvary The road to Emmaus Two disciples Bread Breaking Hearts Burning Eyes Opening Luke and See! Thanks to Lynn Runnels for sharing her vision of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus! Té for Tú, Teresa10/15/2020 Memorial of St Teresa of Avila
In all wisdom and insight, God has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. The beginning of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is appropriate for a day on which we remember a woman of wisdom and insight, Teresa of Avila. She is known for her many words of wisdom, but the most well-known and often quoted are these. "Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet on earth, but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks compassion into the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses the world." Teresa reminds us how we are to “be Christ” in the world. There is this mystical union with Him and with each other through him. It’s not always easy to live with this Christ Consciousness especially when we are worried and anxious about our lives and knowing when our world and country are in so much turmoil. It may be helpful to pray more of Teresa’s wisdom in tandem with the words above. “Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you: All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. Whoever has God lacks nothing: God alone suffices.” I hope these are two helpful mantras for these “disturbing” days. I also share with you the poem I wrote last year on this day. It imagines a meeting between Teresa and Mary Oliver. Tea for Two Imagine tea for two! Two women, Teresa and Mary, Wit and wisdom. Which one wit? Which wisdom? Both/ and another thing…. Two women, Living centuries apart, yet Together, one mind, one spirit. They speak with the gift of tongues Each in her own language Ambos se entienden, understand each other Both/ and another thing… Teresa avails herself of prose, She, a mystic rose Mary is all over poetry She, a mystic muse Patience and prayer Mary patching a few words together, Thatched prayer. God’s roofing for us. Teresa daring to dance while waiting patiently Hatching prayer, la incubación de la oración Nada te turbe/ Let nothing disturb you Two women One mind, one spirit Both/ and another thing… Creation and Compassion Mary muses, seeing God in all embracing all in all Poem of the One World Teresa medita, mirando a Dios en todo Abrazando todo en todo Dios está en el camino con nosotros Two women, A weaving of wit and wisdom A meeting of mind Tea for Two! Teresa is well known for her masterpiece, "The Interior Castle, or "The Mansions," in which she shares her vision of how to achieve mystical union with God. I thought a photo of the "mansion" at Eastern Point where so many souls experience union with God and come to know how they can be the eyes and hands of Christ in the world, would be fitting for this feast. (Photo credit to Ron Perry S.J.) I-Catching10/14/2020 Wednesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
The visual relationship between the moon and Venus caught my eye this morning. Why does anything catch our eyes? What is it about what we see that invites us to take a second or third or fourth look? Perhaps it’s something’s beauty that makes us stop and look again. Or the juxtaposition of things that don’t appear at first glance to belong together. Or can it be that we’ve never seen something in a particular way and it “jumps out” at us? I believe it was the seeming proximity of the two heavenly bodies one to the other that caught my eye and that keeps inviting me to look again. (in the photo Venus appears as a speck in the sky, but in real life it really stood out!) The “fruits of the spirit” that Paul speaks of in today’s reading to the Galatians are also I-catching, in the sense they can catch you by surprise so that you ask yourself, “How do I manifest these fruits of the spirit in my relationships?” In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. When I act with love, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control and when I feel love, joy and peace, do I recognize these as fruits of the Spirit. Do I let God’s Spirit work through me? How often do we have days when we are “tutti frutti”? Just for fun, what would it be like if we identified a particular fruit with one of the “fruits” of the spirit Love- honeydew melon- sweet as honey/ Patience- Anjou pear – think about the other and not just yourself Kindness- kumquat- packed with all sorts of health benefits and flavors Generosity- watermelon – so much to go around Faithfulness- figs- if you’re faithful, you give a fig Gentleness – guava- sounds gentle Self-control – tomatoes- resisting the temptation to throw them! Peace- peach – everything is just “peachy” Joy- grapes- fruit of the vine- wine of gladness That’s my suggested “fruit salad.” What would yours be like? And on the theme of “fruits,” I share with you the first poem I wrote a year ago in honor of Mary Oliver. 10-3-19 Going Poem Picking For Francis and Mary (Francis of Assisi and Mary Oliver) I wish I could pick poems from bushes and brambles Like berries in summer Poems plump with pulpy words and juicy images Bursting blues and blacks, rasping reds Sweet and sour, these poems plucked. An elder, berry wise would risk rambling in the brambles Not whining about prickling thorns But picking and plucking to her hearts content. I wish I could pick poems from trees Like apples in autumn Poems ripe with delicious words and jazzy images Polished pink and ruby red Honey sweet vowels with crisp consonants. A gala of golden poems Falling, cascading like cataracts. Better wear a Macintosh! All Astir10/13/2020 Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
The seas astir, as you can see. Always “stirring” to see the sea churning. Not buttery but blustery. (I feel a poem coming on!) “God beyond our dreams You have stirred in us a memory You have placed your powerful spirit In the hearts of humankind” Those are the words of first verse of Bernadette Farrell’s God Beyond All Names. My memory was stirred this morning when I prayed with today’s psalm. (Neither the reading from Galatians about circumcision nor the Gospel with Jesus and the Pharisees stirring the pot of controversy caught my imagination.) “I will lift up my hands to your commands.” This single line from the psalm stirred in me the memory of the many musical psalm settings and other liturgical pieces for which I created gesture and movement. Along with Jamie and Nicole Huggins, we were able to “embody” the lyrics and music and give a fuller expression to what was sung and prayed. One of our all-time favorites is God Beyond All Names which you can view with this link. vimeo.com/159905306#t=1080s Today is the last full day of an 8 day retreat in which God’s powerful Spirit already placed in the hearts of these retreatants has been stirring the memories of God’s gracious action in their lives so that they may come to know, love and serve in the ways God dreams for them. It’s always a privilege to accompany them and be “stirring the pot.” I hope the movement that accompanies God Beyond All Names will stir something in you! All Wise10/12/2020 10-12
Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time When I first arrived at Eastern Point as a resident just over a year ago, I made it a point to wake for the sunrise. I didn’t want to miss the show. Since then, I have seen sunrise almost every day. Although this morning’s sky was promising, it hid its beauty behind cloud banks, as if to say “Not today! If I don’t keep you guessing you’ll take me for granted!” A year ago on this Monday of the 28th Week, I was sky scanning “looking for a sign” since the Gospel speaks of “this generation” asking for a sign. This sign search in the sky generated the poem “Gully Gee” which I share with you again. Gully Gee When will I tire of seeking sunrise? Each morning I wait and wonder, Will it be worth the wait? Will I see painterly skies, using a palette of purple hues, mauves and magentas. lavenders and lilacs? Or using, a palette of other hues ruby, raspberry, rose reds, burnt orange or burnished yellow? On the Vereeckter scale, from one to ten, yesterday’s sunrise scored an 8. High praise! High marks! Glorious! Golly Gee! Good going God! On the Vereeckter scale, from one to ten. today’s sunrise scores a 5. So, so, ho-hum, hum-drum Nothing worth waiting for. And then, the “caw” of a gull calling! Chastising me, “Judge not, lest you be judged!” The gall of the gull! And I blushed with hues of sunrise Purple, red and orange, Because she was right! Who am I to judge? Who am I to be creation’s critic? Who am I anyway? And then a whole colony of gulls, “cawing” (or was it God in disguise/ God in de skies?) “Be grateful that you have eyes to see the sea and the sunrise!” Gully Gee! Is today a day to reflect on how much we may take for granted in our lives? Is today a day to ask for the grace to recognize God in many guises or to paraphrase St Ignatius “Finding God All Wise” (the word “guise” comes from “wise” in the sense of a manner of being.) The photo below was taken a year ago and goes with "Gully Gee" Fare For All10/11/2020 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The photo of Brace Rock was taken by Ron Perry S.J. who was here on retreat last weekend. With the allusion to "this mountain" and all people's "streaming" to it in the Isaiah reading, I thought this was a striking image to share with you. What follows is the homily I gave this morning and will give again this afternoon. Have you ever heard something like this? The God of the Old Testament is a God of anger and wrath. The God of the New Testament is a God of Love and Compassion. In my many years as a pastor, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard that distinction made. The OT God is always playing hardball with his people. They’re either striking out or making errors, depending on what side they’re on. The NT God is known for throwing easy pitches. And Jesus is the one who is the catcher. Or if at bat, the one is always scoring home runs. Sounds like an easy out to me! If you subscribe to the image of God in the OT as always angry and wrathful and in the NT, always loving and compassionate, what do you make of today’s scriptures. Here the tables are turned. The God whom Isaiah speaks of as providing a feast for “all” nations and “wiping away every tear” sounds more like a loving mother than a petulant parent. The 23rd Psalm images God as a caring shepherd who always has his sheep at heart. On the contrary the king in Matthew’s Gospel today is pretty punishing. There’s no compassion here. Those first invited to the banquet may be looking for “easy outs” but the king calls "FOUL"! As we pray with today’s scriptures can we let them challenge our presuppositions about who God is, how God acts, what God wants? Can we let ourselves move from black and white, either/or thinking and let God be God of all peoples, not just “our” God? If today were not a Sunday, we would be celebrating the memorial of the “Roly-poly” Pope, St John the XX111. There are a few folks here who like myself grew up in the Pre-Vatican 2 church. We remember the rigidity, the fear of hell, the long confessional lines, the Mass as private, and only for a privileged few. (I remember being so upset because my next door neighbor, Jeannie Brunn was going to hell, because she was Lutheran!) Pope St John really did open a window and let the Spirit breathe new life into what was stale and stultifying in terms or real spiritual growth. 60 years later, we have another Pope who is not only opening windows but trying to open minds and hearts to the vision of a God who desires all people to be brothers and sisters. In his new encyclical, Francis is calling for a renewal of charity and fraternity among all. How appropriate that the first reading today from the prophet Isaiah speaks of “all” nations streaming to God’s holy mountain. Not just “this” group or “that” group but all. As Francis says in the encyclical, the pandemic has reminded us how interconnected we are. 32. True, a worldwide tragedy like the Covid-19 pandemic momentarily revived the sense that we are a global community, all in the same boat, where one person’s problems are the problems of all. Once more we realized that no one is saved alone; we can only be saved together. As I said in those days, “the storm has exposed our vulnerability and uncovered those false and superfluous certainties around which we constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits and priorities… Amid this storm, the façade of those stereotypes with which we camouflaged our egos, always worrying about appearances, has fallen away, revealing once more the ineluctable and blessed awareness that we are part of one another, that we are brothers and sisters of one another”.[31] There is a certain irony that we are hearing these readings about feasting and wedding banquets when we’re living through a time when gatherings and celebrations are restricted and limited. And so many are experiencing a Eucharistic fast, not only from the bread and the cup but from the community. So the question may be “how are we being nourished these days when there is more fast than feast and more bankruptcy than banqueting? How is Christ carrying us through this time as he carried his cross once in time? I’m reminded of a young boy whom I baptized who told me when I mentioned the Eucharist, he thought I was saying “you carry us.” What follows is a poetic reflection: All’s Fare Full Fare on the menu for “that day.” God’s banquet once and for all rich and juicy meet and just for all nations. Wayfarers all, once worlds apart now wound together winding their way to “this” mountain. Isaiah’ sees and sings, “Wholly, Wholly, Wholly One for all and all for One” It’s fare enough for all wayfarers, more than enough to feed the five thousand and the more the merrier when wine flows freely and all meet as brothers and sisters, What appeal is there when food is more than fare and well-being is not wanting! It is meet and just! Meager fare on the menu for “these days.” Life’s banquet once with so many choices now so few and fare between what is and once was. Appetizers on the menu, yes, but only eyed not tasted, whetting wants for friendly feasts grateful gatherings, hope, holding hands around tables of plenty. Sparse and spare, “Unfair,” we feel famished. Food does not suffice or drink quench thirst. What serves rich food and choice wine when all must be at separate tables? What appeal is there when food is only fare and well-being is left wanting? It is not meet nor fair. All’s fare In love and wherever two are gathered in more than name only. More fast than feast these days, a limited menu but fare enough to help us hunger for the body of Christ who is more than bread and why not note the ways you carry us these covid days. What appeal there is when fare is more than food It is meet and just right! Where the devil....10/9/2020 Friday of the 27th Week in OT
Have you ever asked yourself “Where the devil did that idea come from?” I’ve never given the expression much thought until this very unusual morning! Here’s an outline…
I leave you with the imagine of a “labyrinth.” Today’s reflection is just a reminder of how “labyrinthine” the mind is. As I begin my day of spiritual direction, I want to help others to pay attention to what pops into their heads, where it leads and discern “where the devil did that come from? Or was it an angel?” Ah! The discernment of sprits! A.S.K. (For Us)10/8/2020 10-8
Thursday of the 27th Week in OT My reflection today is the homily that I preached this morning and will again this afternoon. I’ve been stuck on the word “stupid” for a few days now as I began preparing for this liturgy. You stupid Galatians! How stupid you are! Paul pulls no punches. He’s very direct. If truth be told, I’m feeling “stupid” today, not in the sense of lacking intelligence but in the original sense of “amazed/stunned” (I have no idea how a word that originally meant “amazed” came to have such a derogatory meaning.) When I look at the trees, the sky, the sea, the seals, I am amazed and drawn to prayer: i.e, to ask, seek, knock. So let me ask: How many of you have been here at Eastern Point at other seasons of the year? In winter, spring or summer? How is your prayer “seasoned” in the different seasons of the year? Is your asking, seeking, knocking different when you look and see the leaves springing to life or changing colors signaling an end time? Did you notice the Montauk daisies, those late bloomers intermingled with the hydrangeas, fading in color and coming to an end of their days? How is God’s creation praying these days as it lives through the cycle of life and death and rebirth. This past weekend, the theme of our retreat time was very "Francis," Pope and Saint. We prayed with the Canticle of the Sun and Laudato Si! We had a walk around the perimeter of our grounds. We called it the Stations of Creation and at each station, the prayer would give thanks and praise for a gift of creation as Francis did. Brother sun, sister moon, brother air, sister water, etc. I asked each person at our liturgy to reflect on one station that had the most profound effect on them and their prayer. People shared different experiences because we are all different. My own experience was walking the trails and seeing the fallen leaves creating a carpet. I wanted to talk off my shoes and walk on them, like Moses, invited to “remove” your sandals. This is Holy Ground. (see photo above) Yesterday the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. His answer, as you know, was simple. Today he continues to say, keep it simple. Be persistent. A.S.K. Ask, seek, knock. In the opening hymn from Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia, the refrain is “Ask of the beasts and they will teach you the beauty of the earth. Ask of the trees, the flowers.” What if you were to ask creation to teach you how to pray, what to ask for, what to seek and where to knock? How would creation in this season of autumn teach you to pray: To ask for the grace to trust in God’s providential care like the seal pup that you see on the rock in the cove? To seek the ways of understanding ebbing and flowing of the tides of life, especially during this pandemic time? To knock on wood, evergreen, maple or beech and be on ‘Pines and needles” waiting for a new door to open or learning to leave behind what needs to be left? You are here this week during very trying times. Will you let the Spirit try to help in your prayer? After all, that’s the promise. “How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? Autumn’s End How ought I pray at autumn’s end? Is autumn’s prayer seasoned differently? Spirit sighs and says, “Autumn’s all about endings, isn’t it? Winter’s waiting Spring’s awakening Summer’s ripening Autumn leaves something to be desired. What do you desire when all you see in autumn is endings?” I sigh and say, “Leaves falling, branches baring Empty spaces in open air. Where there was greening, grinning grass Now browning, frowning, No longer mown but moan No longer grown but groan My spirit is like the grass that fades, The forgotten fruit that withers on the vine, The falling leaves lying on beds of death and decay My prayer futile, not fertile Is this how I ought to pray at autumn’s end?” Spirit sighs and says, “Open your eyes! Autumn is seasoned with hope. Without the dying and decay There would be no way For winter’s waiting, For spring’s awakening, For summer’s ripening How ought you pray at autumn’s end? Hopefully!” AuthorAs an ordained Catholic priest for 45 years and a member of the Jesuits for 57 years, I've had a great deal of "spiritual" experience! This is a place where I can continue to share my thoughts about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and what it means to live the "mystery of God." Categories |
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