Grace

We cannot buy it in bulk at Trader Joe's,
Swap it for gold, or hoard shares of Grace, Inc.,
To hedge against bad luck. We acquire it
Without contract, promissory notes, or IOUs,
Neither codicils nor fine print. We gather
Grace safe from litigation or severance,
And though we might breach the strictures of creed,
It cannot be forfeited or suspended. Rather,
Grace is asymmetric, parabolic, skewed to love,
Immanent and absolute, but also unpredictable
As quantum particles, both here and there,
Both full and empty, so it might arrive
Inopportunely and thus slip under hope,
Upsetting the earnest prayer, teasing our faith,
Like some rain bands, copious cumuli,
That appear astray, unbidden, in stagnant skies
To drench at last the drought-scourged earth.

--Orlando Ricardo Menes (1958- ), Peruvian-born Cuban poet

The Airy Christ

After reading Dr Rieu’s translation of St Mark’s Gospel.

Who is this that comes in splendour, coming from the blazing East?
This is he we had not thought of, this is he the airy Christ.

Airy, in an airy manner in an airy parkland walking,
Others take him by the hand, lead him, do the talking.

But the Form, the airy One, frowns an airy frown,
What they say he knows must be, but he looks aloofly down,

Looks aloofly at his feet, looks aloofly at his hands,
Knows they must, as prophets say, nailèd be to wooden bands.

As he knows the words he sings, that he sings so happily
Must be changed to working laws, yet sings he ceaselessly.

Those who truly hear the voice, the words, the happy song,
Never shall need working laws to keep from doing wrong.

Deaf men will pretend sometimes they hear the song, the words,
And make excuse to sin extremely; this will be absurd.

Heed it not. Whatever foolish men may do the song is cried
For those who hear, and the sweet singer does not care that he was crucified.

For he does not wish that men should love him more than anything
Because he died; he only wishes they would hear him sing.

--Stevie (nee Florence Margaret) Smith (1902-1971), Anglican British poet and novelist who called herself a "lapsed atheist"

Bad Theology: A Quiz

"And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid."

Whenever we aver “the God is nigh,”
do we imply that He is ever otherwise? 

When, in scripture, God's anger is said
to be aroused, just how do you take that? 

If --whether now or in the fullness --we
stipulate that God is all in all, just where

or how could you position Hell ? Which
is better -- to break the law and soothe 

the wounded neighbor, or to keep the law
and cause the neighbor pain? Do you mean it? 

If another sins, what is that to you?
When the sinful suffer publicly, do you 

find secret comfort in their grief, or will
you also weep? They are surely grieving; 

are you weeping now? Assuming sin is sin
whose do you condemn? Who is judge? Who 

will feed the lambs? The sheep? Who, the goats?
Who will sell and give? Who will be denied? 

Whose image haunts the mirror? And why
are you still here? What exactly do you hope 

to become? When will you begin?



--Scott Cairns (1954- ), American poet, Orthodox Christian, and former professor at the University of Missouri, from Slow Pilgrim: the Collected Poems

Suburban Prayer

Grant us for grace
oppositions, stimyings
sand in our pet gears
a bubble in the cozy blood

Crowd our real estate
with the rag tag real, the world.
Marry us off, lonely girls
to Harlem and Asia. This Lent
celebrate in the haunted house, the world.

--Daniel Berrigan (1921-2016), American Jesuit priest, activist, dissenter, pacifist, and poet, from And the Risen Bread: Selected Poems, 1957–1997 (1998).

The Avowal

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
free fall, and float
into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.

--Denise Levertov (1923–1997),  Anglo-American poet, daughter of a Welsh mother and a Hasidic father who became an Anglican priest, convert to Christianity at 60.

"In Heaven"

In Heaven,
Some little blades of grass
Stood before God.
"What did you do?"
Then all save one of the little blades
Began eagerly to relate
The merits of their lives.
This one stayed a small way behind
Ashamed.
Presently God said:
"And what did you do?"
The little blade answered, "Oh my lord,
"Memory is bitter to me
"For if I did good deeds
"I know not of them."
Then God in all His splendor
Arose from His throne.
"Oh, best little blade of grass, " He said.

--Stephen Crane (1871-1900), in The Echoing Green: Poems of Fields, Meadows, and Grasses (2016)

For grace

Let us find grace in Your sight, O Lord; that we may have grace to serve You acceptably with reverence and godly fear. And let us also have that second grace, not to receive that grace in vain, or to fall short of it: at least in any wise not so to neglect it as to fall from it, but to stir up and rekindle it, so as to grow in it, and abide in it, to the end of our life.

And, O, make perfect to us that which is lacking to us in Your gracious gifts:
Of faith, add to our little faith.
Of hope, confirm our trembling hope.
Of love, kindle its smoking flax.
Shed abroad in our hearts Your Love; that we may love You, and our friends in You, and our enemies for You.
You, who give grace unto the humble, even to us, give grace to be humble.
You, who never give up them that fear You, unite our hearts to fear Your Name; and be this fear our confidence.

-- Launcelot Andrewes (1555-1626), English bishop, theologian, and scholar, cited by Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941), in Evelyn Underhill's Prayer Book

Killing the Plants

That year I discovered the virtues
of plants as companions they don't
argue, they don't ask for much,
they don't stay out until 3:00 A.M., then
lie to you about where they've been...

I can't summon the ambition
to repot this grape ivy, or this sad
old cactus, or even to move them out
onto the porch for the summer,
where their lives would certainly
improve. I give them
a grudging dash of water-- that's all
they get. I wonder if they suspect

that like Hamlet I rehearse murder
all hours of the day and night,
considering the town dump
and compost pile as possible graves...
The truth is that if I permit them
to live, they will go on giving
alms to the poor: sweet air, miraculous
flowers, the example of persistence.

--Jane Kenyon (1947-1995) American poet and translator, from Collected Poems (2005)

A Collect for Grace at Morning

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father,
you have brought us in safety to this new day:
Preserve us with your mighty power,
that we may not fall into sin,
nor be overcome by adversity;
and in all we do,
direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

--Book of Common Prayer 1979, Morning Prayer Rite II, p. 100

Tuesday Morning Opening Prayer

     In the beginning, O God,
You shaped my soul and set its weave
You formed my body
     and gave it breath.

Renew me this day
     in the image of your love.
O Great God, grant me your light
O Great God, grant me your grace.

O Great God, grant me
     your joy this day
And let me be made pure
     in the well of your health.

-- J. Philip Newell (1953- ), from Celtic Prayers from Iona

In the Refectory

Lord Christ, we pray thy mercy on our table spread,
And what thy gentle hands have given thy men
Let it by thee be blessed: whate’er we have
Came from the lavish heart and gentle hand,
And all that’s good is thine, for thou art good.
And ye that eat, give thanks for it to Christ,
And let the words ye utter be only peace,
For Christ loved peace: it was himself that said,
Peace I give unto you, my peace I leave with you.
Grant that our own may be a generous hand
Breaking the bread for all poor men, sharing the food.
Christ shall receive the bread thou gavest his poor,
And shall not tarry to give thee reward.

--Alcuin of York (735-804) scholar, teacher, and priest from Northumbria

A Prayer of Awareness

God is the foundation of everything;
This God undertakes, God gives,
Such that nothing that is necessary
     for life is lacking.
Now humankind needs a body that
     at all times honors and praises God.
This body is supported in every way
     through the earth.
Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.

--Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

As Kingfishers Catch Fire

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;

As tumbled over rim in roundy wells

Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's

Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;

Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:

Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;

Selves — goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,

Crying Whát I dó is me: for that I came.

I say móre: the just man justices;

Keeps grace: thát keeps all his goings graces;

Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is —

Chríst — for Christ plays in ten thousand places,

Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his

To the Father through the features of men's faces. 

--Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889), English poet and Jesuit priest

Photo: Kingfisher, from the Irish News: https://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/2017/04/08/news/take-on-nature-why-the-kingfisher-is-known-as-the-halcyon-bird--986553/