I write, speak, invest, network, and question to stimulate fruitful conversation. Let's talk about human flourishing! It begins with freedom. Holy leisure is the key to human being, freedom and generativity. Please join me in the adventure of realizing Christ!
Archives for February 2015
Blue-Grass Catholic Gospel
In the absence of anyone knocking at my door asking for new blue-grass gospel tunes, I offer this to you. (Know Colin Raye, anyone??) In case you didn’t realize it, song lyrics count as poetry (ok, not all do…), so this fits my Monday poetry theme. It’s also the very real prayer of my heart, though sometimes my heart prays in more of a Gregorian Chant way, and has even been known to pray in what could only be expressed as an Ethel Merman, show-tune fashion.
The major struggle of my early Christian years was getting back to Christ’s mercy after an ugly fall into sin, back into His arms after wandering, lost and alone, spiritually, when pride kept me from admitting how lame I was. This struggle isn’t over yet, but the turn-around time is much faster these days.
You can also see a YouTube of Angel Road performing Bring Me Low, though, sadly, they disbanded before putting it on their next CD.
Let me know if anyone knocks at your door asking for blue-grass gospel with a Catholic vibe.
Lyrics: [Read more…]
Project Progress – Life in Motion
Life in Motion is almost done!
Michael has about 20 hours left of his fifty-with-Mom, then Madeleine, my last driver-in-training, will begin. Whew! It’s been a long haul, but each time I’ve renewed these ‘life lessons to teach teens while driving,’ I’m glad I started writing them down. With each driver, I’ve added a few more, and reviewer-pals have made suggestions along the way. [Read more…]
Baby’s First Act
OK, I’ll admit it: friends laugh at me for waxing poetical about things biological, but I can’t help it! Read Chapter 3 in Souls at Work for more on my fascination with the microscopic child and his movement toward the mother – his first ‘act’! Did you realize the placenta is made of the first cells of the baby himself??
This poem is about any old kid – wonder that he is – and about The Child, Jesus and His Blessed Mother’s own yearning for Him that is every mother’s call to her unborn child: “Come, Come!” In this poem is her YES to God and Christ’s YES to her desire for Him.
Blessed Angela of Foligno had a vision of Christ saying to her, “Make yourself a capacity, so I may be a torrent.” This image so resonates with me that you’ll see it in many places in my work. (Really? You haven’t read everything I’ve ever written??)
It seems to me that God uses all the yearning-for-what-is-not-yet to bring about His response, His giving of that very thing. To me, the blastocyst teaches us we must first yearn, move toward what we must have for life, act. Then God supplies all that is lacking in our little being, and makes the huge, nourishing network of His economy of grace accessible to us, no matter how little able we are to receive it all.
Please also note that the world is trying to re-define the moment pregnancy begins as ‘implantation’ which occurs several days after a real child is conceived and begins to grow!!!!
Blastocyst
Once upon a time
in a deep, quiet darkness
two forms pierced one another,
becoming One.
This One pulsed with light,
and danced,
and grew…
once, twice and again –
double, double, double.
Eight mirrored chambers,
then, as one, the seven veils drew back.
Single and still, the One remained, an “I”.
A pause, a holy hush, an agony of yearning
while the empty vessel listened
for an answering cry:
“Come to me, beloved, come,”
“Seek me that I may be found!”
Love called and love responded,
“Yes.”
Merest capacity moved toward
the corresponding torrent
and was filled.
You must be logged in to post a comment.