March 25, 2021: Feast of the Annunication

Today's Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032521.cfm

What follows is a powerful poem written by my sister, Rea Nolan Martin and published in Preaching the Poetry of the Gospels: A Lyric Companion to the Lectionary by our own Sister Elizabeth Michael Boyle, OP in September 2003.   

The Annunciation

These beads we finger

like distant stars—

why are they still called mysteries?

Is her story any harder to grasp

than fractals, fields of consciousness,

or intelligent energy?

Who among us has not known chaos—

neutrinos, undetected, blowing through us

like wings flapping;

the rearrangement of protons

and electrons;

or the ecstatic surrender

to anyone’s mercy?

 

This is not a parlor game—nature

acting out a charade. The clues

are assembled in equations

that add up to intuition.

Do the deaf not hear

a deeper voice? And what is faith

but the science

of infinite possibility—

new birth

and the atomic force

of redemption?

Copyright 2002 Rea Nolan Martin

 

- Sheila O'Rourke, Vice President for Operations, Caldwell University 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

February 18, 2021: Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Today's Readings:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021821.cfm Looking back...  Did we pray only when we needed to?  Did we pray only when we were lost?  Did we pray at all when we found ourselves? Or did we forget God?  Did we get angry at God when we disobeyed and had to face the consequences? Did we take the time to thank God today and every day?  Did we take the time aside from our schedules to talk to God?  Dear God,  Help me to find You even during times of hope and prosperity. During times when things seem to go my way, let me remember that I have commandments to follow in order to lead a prosperous life. No money or fame will take away from the necessities of faith. If I disobey, help me to find my way back. I affirm that a life with you is a life that's safe and fulfilled. Instill in me an abundance of hope that I may continue in your path and not try to be my own god. That I may hope for brighter days, and a more optimistic outlook, even when all else around me
Read more

March 16, 2021: Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Today’s readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031621.cfm Imagine you are the man at the pool of Bethesda in today’s Gospel. You’ve been ill for 38 years, hoping for a cure, and suddenly you’ve got it! When Jesus says, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk,” he changes your whole life! He saw you, he knew your suffering, and now he’s healed you. But that’s not enough for Jesus! Even after giving you physical healing, he comes to find you in the Temple area. He isn’t congratulating himself, saying, “I’ve done well! I’ve helped this man. My work here is finished!” No, that one encounter was not enough for Jesus. Even though he’s done so much for you, he wants to find you again.  Now, step out of the story. Think about your own life. When was the last time Jesus found you? Maybe it was in the help of an essential worker who cared about you, even though it meant risk for them. Maybe it was in the colors of a sunset or the giggles of a child. Maybe it was in a text that came at just
Read more

February 17, 2021: Ash Wednesday

Today's Readings:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021721.cfm In the first reading, we see in God a willingness to accept and embrace us, regardless of our failings. How wonderful it would be if we could see in each other this same Mercy and Justice? Especially in today’s world, overflowing with rancor as it is, we are called to return to God’s loving embrace, as individuals and as a community, so that we might embrace His Guidance and Wisdom and Mercy and begin to live our lives as He desires. This reading speaks directly to our Core Values - Respect, Integrity. Community, and Justice - and how we might use these as building blocks for all of us to construct better lives. The responsorial psalm, “Be Merciful O Lord, for we have Sinned" calls out to us, recognizing our human frailty, to return to God’s call and once again feel the embrace of His loving warmth. Every minute of every day we have the opportunity to stop and say, “Thank you, Lord, for your warmth and loving
Read more