Ash Wednesday (2014)

Gen 3:19 ; Gen:4:10-16

Sinners 

approach the altar

to accept the dirt cross

and hear the words

said to the first couple.

After this holy event,

we leave the temple

with Cain's mark of 

protection.

But unlike Adam's progeny,

who wandered

east of Eden,

we place our trust

in the One

who tells us

He knows

the way

home.

Messiah

A young fugitive who comes to a town where the people are willing to take him in and hide him. When soldiers arrive in search of the fugitive, the townspeople protest that they know nothing. Suspecting their lie, the soldiers warn that, unless the fugitive is turned over by morning, the entire town will be destroyed.

In deep fear the people rush to their pastor for counsel. The priest, greatly troubled, starts searching scripture for an answer. All night he reads and finds nothing. Then, just before dawn, his eyes fall on a passage, 'It is better that one man should die for the people than the whole people be lost.'

He is sure that's the answer, and goes to the people with the news. The soldiers are informed that the fugitive is indeed hidden among them, and the young man is taken away. They throw a big party in the town, lasting far into the night, and celebrate their deliverance by the grace of God.

But the pastor returns to his study, still troubled. An angel appears to him and asks what's the problem. 'I still don't feel right about turning over the fugitive,' the pastor says. The angel replies, 'Did you know that he was the Messiah?'

The pastor is incredulous. 'How was I to know?' he asks. 'If, instead of reading your Bible,' the angel replies, 'you had taken time to visit the young man and looking into his eyes, you would have known he was the Messiah.'

Silent God

This is my prayer—

That, though I may not see,

I be aware

Of the Silent God

Who stands by me.

That, though I may not feel,

I be aware

Of the Mighty Love

Which doggedly follows me.

That, though I may not respond,

I be aware

That God—my Silent, Mighty God,

Waits each day.

Quietly, hopefully, persistently.

Waits each day and through each night

For me.

For me—alone.

Edwina Gateley

Falling off the Charts

CHART

From 

age one to 

middle age 44,

homicide is among

the top five ways 

to die

in America.

Then after the mature age of 45,

killing is not even in the 

top 10.

I wonder -

did we learn to love

our neighbor

or

did we crush

all our enemies?

Number One with a Bullet

CHART

Accidents do happen.

Leading cause of death 

from ages one

to forty-four.

Then from forty-five

to sixty-four 

cancer leads the way.

Or as the researchers call it

Malignant Neoplasms. 

And then for the remaining years,

poor maintenance

and regrets

causes the heart to break.  

The Archangel Gabriel

Leo Tolstoy

Once upon a time, the archangel Gabriel heard the voice of God speaking from Paradise, blessing someone.
Gabriel said, "Surely this is some important servant of my Lord, God the Father. He must be a great saint, a hermit or wise man." 

The archangel went down to earth looking for the man, but he could not find him, neither on earth nor in heaven. Then he addressed God and said, "Oh Lord, my God, please show me how to find the object of your love."

God answered him, "Go this village. And there, in a little temple, you will see a fire."

The angel went down to the temple, and he found a man praying before an idol. Then Gabriel went back to God and said, "Lord, how can you look with love upon this idol worshipper?"


God said, "It is true that he does not understand me properly. Not one man living is capable of understanding me as I am. The wisest of the whole human race are just as far from really understanding me as this man is. I look not at his mind, but at his heart. The heart of this man searches for me, and therefore he is close to me.

Someone Got Told

Mark 7:24-30

I wonder if 

after the mother's retort

to Jesus,

the teenaged Mark said

 the Aramaic equivalent of:

“Oh snap, Jesus!”

before witnessing

a God who could 

change His mind.

"Unsuffer Me"

Unlock my love

And set me free

Come fill me up

With ecstasy

Surround my heartbeat

With your fingertips

Unbound my feet

Untie my wrists

Come in to my world

Of loneliness

And wickedness

And bitterness

Unlock my love

Unsuffer me

Take away the pain

Unbruise, unbloody

Wash away the stain

Anoint my head

With your sweet kiss

My joy is dead

I long for bliss

I long for knowledge

Whisper in my ear

Undo my logic, undo my fear

Unsuffer me

Lucinda Williams

The Greatest Goal Ever -6/22/86

Maradona has the ball, 
two mark him, 
he touches the ball. 

The genius of world football 
dashes to the right 
and leaves the third 
and is going to pass to Burruchaga. 
It’s still Maradona! 

Genius! Genius! Genius! 
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta. 
Gooooooooooal! Gooooooooooal! 

I want to cry! Dear God! 
Long live football! 
Gooooooooooal! Diegoal! Maradona! 

It’s enough to make you cry, 
forgive me. 
Maradona, in an unforgettable run, 
in the play of all time. 

Cosmic kite! What planet are you from? 
Leaving in your wake so many Englishmen, 
so that the whole country is a clenched fist 
shouting for Argentina? 

Argentina 2, England 0. 
Diegoal, Diegoal, Diego Armando Maradona. 

Thank you, God, 
for football, 
for Maradona, 
for these tears, 
for this, 
Argentina 2, England 0.

VICTOR HUGO MORALES’S RADIO ARGENTINA COMMENTARY

Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiYYSradplU

City of Blinding Lights

Mt 5:14-16

The town on the hill

was blessed with a 

great light.

The poor

the lame

the weak

from the 

surrounding villages

saw the light

but could not go up

the hill

to experience the light.

They shouted up to

the town

to bring the light 

down the hill 

and to their villages.

But the town said, 

"No. There are too many technical issues.

Will the darkness swallow up the light?

Will we lose some (or all!) of the light

if we give it away?

What can you give us in

exchange for the light?

We will have to examine this

in much further detail

before we do anything."

The Accused

Just as he locked the door, as he pocketed the key,
as he glanced over his shoulder, they arrested him.
They tortured him until they tired of it.
‘Look,’ they said,
‘the key is your key, the house is your house,
we accept that now; but why did you put the key
in your pocket as if to hide it from us?’

They let him go, but his name is still on a list.

Yannis Ritsos
translated from the Greek by David Harsent

Thanks, Mr. Sun

I’m thankful the sun starts slow
and glides in a graceful burning
arc across the firmament. I don’t
think I could handle life if ole’ Sol
was a herky-jerky-shakey-jake.
Mr. Sun stays in his own lane,
daily commuting with polite constancy,
never nervous about missing
something like a primo parking spot.
For a fireball it seems to have it all
together, unshyly shining golden on
this blue-born world’s flappable.

John Blase

Aftermath

I think the Rapture is bunk.

But

 imagine an aftermath

of:

Insurance companies getting religion

and declaring the Rapture

an Act of God

as they stiff their policy-holders.

Consider a sight of

 several hundred million children 

gone off to the Kingdom.

Elementary school teachers 

 to teach the ones 

that were left behind.

The one per-centers

texting: WTF

Where did the help go?

The pastor who

didn't get caught up in the clouds

wondering if

 he would have a flock to tend?

Bullies will miss their patsies.

Patrons will remember their bartenders.

High school kids will revere the cheerleader.

And gossips will ask, 

"Why her? /Why him?"

And all the while,

me and you 

will go through

the departed's

fridges and garages

prepping ourselves for

the Final Days.

The Seven Deadly Sins

Forget about the other six, says Pride.
They're only using you.
Admittedly, Lust is a looker,
but you can do better.

And why do they keep bringing us
to this cheesy dive?
The food's so bad that even Gluttony
can't finish his meal.

Notice how Avarice
keeps refilling his glass
whenever he thinks we're not looking,
while Envy eyes your plate.

Hell, we're not even done, and Anger
is already arguing about the bill.
I'm the only one who
ever leaves a decent tip.

Let them all go, the losers!
It's a relief to see Sloth's
fat ass go out the door.
But stick around. I have a story

that not everyone appreciates
about the special satisfaction
of staying on board as the last
grubby lifeboat pushes away.

Dana Gioia

Gifts

The Prodigal Son
All callow thoughtlessness
Outshone his brother

Unfair or unwise
To favor the miscreant
Yet it's instinctive

We value others
For the love that we give them
Not the love returned


Martin Locock 

Small deaths

Jesus suffered the small deaths of life.

Losses of Joseph and John.

Rejected in His hometown.

Being misunderstood

by His followers and the crowds.

Grieving over Lazarus.

Angered by the condition

of His Father’s house.  

Denied by Peter.

Betrayed by Judas.

The bullshit trial.

Which lead to His Big Death

That blessed us 

(as we suffer 

our own small deaths)

never to experience

the curse of a

Big Death.

The Day After Sinatra Married Mia Farrow

So the coffee would stay hot all morning 
Edna, the large-boned Dutch waitress, 
her face and throat flushed from the heat 
would first fill my thermos with boiling water 
in the Circle Diner on Kutztown Road, 
this July morning steamy and loud 
with a highway crew at the counter, 
two grizzled mailmen in the side booth 
and us from the nearby construction site, 
a job I loved for its noise and fresh air, 
screwing big lag bolts into the sills 
of Caloric Stove's new factory warehouse, 
the whirr of the countersink drilling the wood, 
clean white hemlock or spruce

and when one of the mailmen heads for the door 
Edna calls out to him "Hey Jack 
how you think Frank's feeling this morning?" 
Smoke from the grill and the cook's cigar 
clouding the wide glass window: 
Frank, 20 years her senior, 
stepping from Sam Giancana's limo 
or else whispering One For My Baby 
into the spotlight: his death 
in his voice with its flawless control, 
his slanted fedora and raincoat, 
his glittering life we could only imagine

though most of us are laughing by now 
wolfing our hot cakes and eggs 
when the old man yells back, "Tired as hell!" 
pulling his hat down low at the door, 
happy enough to be going to work 
on a Friday under the dawnwashed sky 
of Johnson's Great Society, 
with the Lehigh Valley opening its thighs 
and the weekend gorged with promise.

Joseph Millar

The Gates of Love Budged an Inch

Mark 1:16-20

Just an ordinary day.

Casting for cash.

Mending our tools.

Minding our own business.

Then the Extraordinary enters,

and 

asks us

to join Him 

in finding His lost sheep.

And the fools

run off with Him,

while the rest of us

have to hold the fort

without them.

A Great Leaf

A great leaf, that God and you and I

have covered with writing

turns now, overhead, in strange hands.

We feel the sweep of it like a wind.

We see the brightness of a new page

where everything yet can happen.

Unmoved by us, the fates take its measure

and look at one another, saying nothing.

Rainer Maria Rilke

The Poor Rich Man

News Story /Mark 10:21-23 /Luke 18:22-24

The poor rich man

misheard the gospel.

He thought 

his fellow one percenter

went away mad

instead of sad.

"Oh, My God!"

Not only in church

and nightly by their bedsides

do young girls pray these days.

Wherever they go,

prayer is woven into their talk

like a bright thread of awe.

Even at the pedestrian mall

outbursts of praise

spring unbidden from their glossy lips.

 Billy Collins

“Merry…”

No one’s hangin’ stockin’s up,

No one’s bakin’ pie,

No one’s lookin’ up to see

A new star in the sky.

No one’s talkin’ brotherhood,

No one’s givin’ gifts,

And no one loves a Christmas tree

On March the twenty-fifth.

Shel Silverstein

"...but deliver us from evil."

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

Lord,

please deliver me from 

the pleasures of sins.

And when I fall,

grant me Your mercy

as I suffer its consequences.

Amen.

Canticle of Mary (The Magnificat)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
   and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever,
world without end. Amen.

"...not into temptation"

(A meditation on each word(s)

 of the Lord's prayer)

Even though I profess

You are the one true God,

the world contains 

so many of

its own gods.

Trying to seduce me

that their fantasies 

are able to

fulfill my 

needs and wants.

Lord,

may every choice

I make today,

be considered

between

Your Way

and the 

world's temptations.

A Christmas Circular Letter

The city had withdrawn into itself 
And left at last the country to the country; 
When between whirls of snow not come to lie 
And whirls of foliage not yet laid, there drove 
A stranger to our yard, who looked the city, 
Yet did in country fashion in that there 
He sat and waited till he drew us out 
A-buttoning coats to ask him who he was. 
He proved to be the city come again 
To look for something it had left behind 
And could not do without and keep its Christmas. 
He asked if I would sell my Christmas trees; 
My woods—the young fir balsams like a place 
Where houses all are churches and have spires. 
I hadn't thought of them as Christmas Trees. 
I doubt if I was tempted for a moment 
To sell them off their feet to go in cars 
And leave the slope behind the house all bare, 
Where the sun shines now no warmer than the moon. 
I'd hate to have them know it if I was. 
Yet more I'd hate to hold my trees except 
As others hold theirs or refuse for them, 
Beyond the time of profitable growth, 
The trial by market everything must come to. 
I dallied so much with the thought of selling. 
Then whether from mistaken courtesy 
And fear of seeming short of speech, or whether 
From hope of hearing good of what was mine, 
I said, "There aren't enough to be worth while." 

"I could soon tell how many they would cut, You let me look them over." 

                                    "You could look. 
But don't expect I'm going to let you have them." 
Pasture they spring in, some in clumps too close 
That lop each other of boughs, but not a few 
Quite solitary and having equal boughs 
All round and round. The latter he nodded "Yes" to, 
Or paused to say beneath some lovelier one, 
With a buyer's moderation, "That would do." 
I thought so too, but wasn't there to say so. 
We climbed the pasture on the south, crossed over, 
And came down on the north.
                                     He said, "A thousand." 
"A thousand Christmas trees!—at what apiece?" 

He felt some need of softening that to me:
 "A thousand trees would come to thirty dollars." 

Then I was certain I had never meant 
To let him have them. 
Never show surprise! 
But thirty dollars seemed so small beside 
The extent of pasture I should strip, three cents 
(For that was all they figured out apiece), 
Three cents so small beside the dollar friends 
I should be writing to within the hour 
Would pay in cities for good trees like those, 
Regular vestry-trees whole Sunday Schools 
Could hang enough on to pick off enough. 
A thousand Christmas trees I didn't know I had! 
Worth three cents more to give away than sell, 
As may be shown by a simple calculation. 
Too bad I couldn't lay one in a letter. 
I can't help wishing I could send you one, 
In wishing you herewith a Merry Christmas. 

Robert Frost

"And lead us..."

(A meditation on each word(s)

 of the Lord's prayer)

Luke 15:3-7

It is true

that the angels

cheer and rejoice

over the one

that the Shepherd

has returned to the fold.

However,

they are mystified

at the Master's

difficulty to

lead the 99

from the 

pastures of the past

to

fresh new meadows.

"...we forgive those who trespass against us."

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

The Physician

said:

"In order to stop

suffering,

you must end

this self-medication of 

bitterness,

addictions,

grudges,

habits,

and hurts."

But we respond:

"We will

really suffer!"

And He answered:

"Then healing 

can start."

So we make the decision-

Should we

consider this cure

or 

start exploring

second opinions?

"As we..."

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

Lord,

we're having this

nice conversation of

what You will provide

now and in the future.

And then

 unexpectedly, 

You bring 

us 

into the discussion.

"What could we do for You?"

we ask.

And after a

moment of

silence,

the Other speaks

one word:

"Love."

MANDELA'S FAVORITE POEM

Invictus
William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
      Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
      For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
      I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
      My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
      Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
      Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
      How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
      I am the captain of my soul.

“Christmas traffic”

Three, two, one, liftoff

Signals Mission Control. And off they go.

To the dark parts of the planets

In their pressurized spacesuits,

Cocooned in technology, the astronauts.

Mission control whispers in someone’s ear.

Yes, she says, I will. And in due time

A different traveler makes a quieter journey,

Arriving hungry, naked, but true to instructions,

Docking on Earth, taking the one small step.

U. A. Fanthorpe

"And forgive us our trespasses"

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

As we cleanse

our temples

and rid 

ourselves of 

all the souvenirs

from the places

where we thought

we could find

unconditional love,

Lord,

please take them

away

along with our

desires for them.

And afterwards, 

 lead us

your rebellious children

in a service

of rededication.

"Give us this day! "

(A meditation on each word(s)
of the Lord's prayer)

Lord,
Give us this day
to live and share our love.

Lord,
Give us this day
to take delight in You.

Lord, 
Give us this day
to be peacemakers in this hostile world. 

Lord,
Give us this day
to be patient in this "me-first" world.

Lord,
Give us this day
to show kindness to strangers.

Lord, 
Give us this day
to value our friendships.

Lord,
At the end of this day
may we surrender all back to You
and petition You, 
our heavenly Father
to grant us one more day.

"Give us this day"

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

The Hand You’re Dealt

Every day

God deals us

our hand

for the day.

Some of us

fold

in resignation.

Some of us

bluff

our way 

through the day.

And the rest

play the game

the way the Master 

taught them.

"...our daily bread"

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

The people of the Empire

wonder why 

the God of abundance

parcels out

His Providence

in daily packages,

while 

the rest of the world

utters a 

grateful

alleluia. 

The Vast Ocean Begins Just Outside Our Church: The Eucharist

Something has happened
to the bread
and the wine.
They have been blessed.
What now?
The body leans forward
to receive the gift
from the priest’s hand,
then the chalice.

They are something else now
from what they were
before this began.

I want
to see Jesus,
maybe in the clouds
or on the shore,
just walking,
beautiful man
and clearly
someone else
besides.

On the hard days
I ask myself
if I ever will.

Also there are times
my body whispers to me
that I have.

Mary Oliver

Happiness by Carl Sandburg

I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell
     me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of
     thousands of men.
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though
     I was trying to fool with them
And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along
     the Desplaines river
And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with
     their women and children and a keg of beer and an
     accordion.

“On earth as it is in heaven”

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

Christian Nation

How will the

people of the Empire

who value

freedom

and 

individual rights

be able to

comprehend

an eternal life 

under

the singular rule 

of a 

King

and 

a world

based on

serving

community

rather than 

self-interests?

"Be done"

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

Why can't 

Your will

be done 

like mine?

Just

cross off

another

task from

the to do list.

Instead

Your will

is accomplished

by the faithful

doing its best

to follow 

Your path

with their crosses

in an 

eternal march

You lead.

"Thy will"

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

I hate clichés.

But 

where 

there

is a

will,

there

is a

way.

And

we don't need

to search for direction.

For 

You 

declared:

I AM

the 

Way.

Teaching us Your will 

by

 following You.

Lord,

may we 

fulfill Your will

by 

moving closer

to You

each day

in Word,

Work,

and Worship.

Amen.

I'll Be Your Mirror

Songwriters: Reed, Lou / Lang, David

I'll be your mirror 

Reflect what you are, in case you don't know 

I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset 

The light on your door to show that you're home 

When you think the night has seen your mind 

That inside you're twisted and unkind 

Let me stand to show that you are blind 

Please put down your hands 

'Cause I see you 

I find it hard to believe you don't know 

The beauty that you are 

But if you don't let me be your eyes 

A hand in your darkness, so you won't be afraid 

When you think the night has seen your mind 

That inside you're twisted and unkind 

Let me stand to show that you are blind 

Please put down your hands 

'Cause I see you 

I'll be your mirror

I'll be your mirror

I'll be your mirror

Music - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQWflbG4h4

"Come"

(A meditation on each word(s)

 of the Lord's prayer)

On the second Christmas,

When He comes.

Not as a baby

But as the King.

No star directing those to see Him

But He who is the Light in the darkness

Not escaping to Egypt

But reclaiming those who kept the faith.

No gifts from the wise men

But reviewing what the faithful and unfaithful

did with theirs.

On the second Christmas,

When He comes.

“Thy Kingdom”

(A meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

I agree.

This is Your kingdom.

Where Your Presence

permeates the

place like

a mustard tree

annihilates a

garden

or the 

yeast that goes

throughout the 

loaf.

A kingdom that

has a declaration

that every ruler

has dreamed of -

A kingdom that will

never end.

A kingdom

whose citizens are

the ones 

who found the pearl

and knew its

true value.

The ones who 

kept their hand

on the plow

without looking back

Where

good thieves

tax collectors

prostitutes

the childlike

are allowed in.

While the rich 

desperately hope 

for their

advocates

to show up.

My entry for the Worst Christian Book Cover 2013 contest

Genesis (Japan)

To see the other entries go here.

"Thy name"

(a meditation on each word(s) 

of the Lord's prayer)

Your Name

which signifies omnipresence

in a land that

stares into 

its self-absorbed screens.

Your Name

which signifies omnipotence

in a land that 

fights over 

scraps of power.

Your Name

which signifies omniscience

in a land that

hung Truth

on a cross.