And now what has been
is forever again;
And now these days we have watched
are as a dream fading at dawn;
And now the best of our longings are idle fantasies
as the Desire of all creation takes its throne;
And now we catch our breath and bend our knee at This:
the holy Triumph that has come and will not end.
on Hebrews 1:10-12
Bless you, Mary, mother of God,
for your courage and effort to
give life to God in impossible
circumstances: in full knowledge
of the glory, in complete certainty
of the pain. Bless you, Mary,
for bearing God into the world
and bless us to follow your lead.
And so goodness and loving kindness
have appeared among us — not
by our work or righteousness
— but by holy mercy,
and indeed,
how else would
goodness and loving kindness
be manifest among us if not by miracle?
But because they have appeared in abundance,
go: find an infant and beg his blessing,
find a child and ask her wisdom,
seek out the eternal light
lingering in an
elder’s eyes. And pray:
that a cynical teenager will teach you
curiosity, that a stranger
will show you
joy,
that an
estranged
family member
will point you toward grace.
And in all good things
— in all strenuous
and miserable
things too —
on this
most holy day,
let the miraculous news
of God’s faithfulness and hospitality
encourage your heart and embolden your living.
on Titus 3:4-5a
Into
the stillness
bright flashes, loud pops,
bursts of sound, all so disorienting
Who
can stand
at such a time
when power erupts
without warning, without even a
Pity
to help
the fast-beating
hearts caught off guard
by the moment, by the forceful authority
And
when the heart
stops its racing, when
the stillness returns, tell me please:
will the good news be shared by ancient shepherds or
will it be
left dead
in streets
with our
children?
God is with us
not despite
but in
God is with us
not except
but because
God is with us
not after
but through
God is with us
not near
but within
God is with us
not until
but along
God is with us
not from
but for
God is with us!