Remember to Say It Everyday - Dominican Fathers
Infinite Invitation
by Zahra Marie Darby
Like the mating of blackbirds in May,
He calls us into relationship. An infinite
Invitation to become seedlings, to grow
In the soil and sediment of his design.
To be a concrete rose. Or perhaps
Our walk is like a clam, so drenched
By the sea of grace that sand is not an irritant,
But a pearl. Oh how irritation reminds the soul
To be soulful.
Reminds us that from the dirt garden of the grave,
He rose. His resting place not final.
Our iniquity not illegal…anymore.
This is the awful beauty of relationship with Him:
We live blindly
And yet see treetops.
Let us fly like birds
Like birds let us perch and sing
Let us remember he who
Infinitely invites us
To sit at his table.
Bio: Zahra Marie Darby holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is a part-time instructor in the Writing Program at Rutgers Newark. In 2010, she was invited to participate in the Callaloo poetry workshop series. Her poems are forthcoming in Torch: poetry, prose, and short stories by African American women and available now at http://www.locuspoint.org/volume3/nyc/index.html. . Zahra is the Community Minister fro Arts In Worship of Waterfront Community Church .
Like the mating of blackbirds in May,
He calls us into relationship. An infinite
Invitation to become seedlings, to grow
In the soil and sediment of his design.
To be a concrete rose. Or perhaps
Our walk is like a clam, so drenched
By the sea of grace that sand is not an irritant,
But a pearl. Oh how irritation reminds the soul
To be soulful.
Reminds us that from the dirt garden of the grave,
He rose. His resting place not final.
Our iniquity not illegal…anymore.
This is the awful beauty of relationship with Him:
We live blindly
And yet see treetops.
Let us fly like birds
Like birds let us perch and sing
Let us remember he who
Infinitely invites us
To sit at his table.
Bio: Zahra Marie Darby holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is a part-time instructor in the Writing Program at Rutgers Newark. In 2010, she was invited to participate in the Callaloo poetry workshop series. Her poems are forthcoming in Torch: poetry, prose, and short stories by African American women and available now at http://www.locuspoint.org/volume3/nyc/index.html. . Zahra is the Community Minister fro Arts In Worship of Waterfront Community Church .
YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!
In the Bleak .....
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain:
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God almighty
Jesus Christ
Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a manger of hay:
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him
Give my heart,
Give, give my heart
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain:
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God almighty
Jesus Christ
Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a manger of hay:
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him
Give my heart,
Give, give my heart
Wonderful! Counselor! Prince of Peace!
Marked by Ashes
Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the day . . .
This day — a gift from you.
This day — like none other you have ever given, or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day, for we are already halfway home
halfway back to committees and memos,
halfway back to calls and appointments,
halfway on to next Sunday,
halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
half turned toward you, half rather not.
This Wednesday is a long way from Ash Wednesday,
but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes --
we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
of failed hope and broken promises,
of forgotten children and frightened women,
we ourselves are ashes to ashes, dust to dust;
we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around on our tongues.
We are able to ponder our ashness with
some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes
anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste of death.
On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you --
you Easter parade of newness.
Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
mercy and justice and peace and generosity.
We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.
-Walter Breuggemann
Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the day . . .
This day — a gift from you.
This day — like none other you have ever given, or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day, for we are already halfway home
halfway back to committees and memos,
halfway back to calls and appointments,
halfway on to next Sunday,
halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
half turned toward you, half rather not.
This Wednesday is a long way from Ash Wednesday,
but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes --
we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
of failed hope and broken promises,
of forgotten children and frightened women,
we ourselves are ashes to ashes, dust to dust;
we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around on our tongues.
We are able to ponder our ashness with
some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes
anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste of death.
On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you --
you Easter parade of newness.
Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
mercy and justice and peace and generosity.
We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.
-Walter Breuggemann
Love One Another As I Have Loved You
New Year Reflection
Walk wisely in this world.
Listen before you speak.
look deeply before you leap.
Share love with those who walk beside you.
And, on long winter nights
when the moon is hiding
and frost crusts the soil,
do not be afraid to try out something different,
something wild,
something joyful,
just for the hell of it
and hope that it leads you to heaven. R. Burgess
Listen before you speak.
look deeply before you leap.
Share love with those who walk beside you.
And, on long winter nights
when the moon is hiding
and frost crusts the soil,
do not be afraid to try out something different,
something wild,
something joyful,
just for the hell of it
and hope that it leads you to heaven. R. Burgess
Breathe Deep
Politicians, morticians, Philistines, homophobes
Skinheads, Dead heads, tax evaders, street kids
Alcoholics, workaholics, wise guys, dim wits
Blue collars, white collars, war mongers, peace nicks
Breathe deep
Breathe deep the Breath of God
Breathe deep
Breathe deep the Breath of God
Suicidals, rock idols, shut-ins, drop outs
Friendless, homeless, penniless and depressed
Presidents, residents, foreigners and aliens
Dissidents, feminists, xenophobes and chauvinists
Evolutionists, creationists, perverts, slum lords
Dead-beats, athletes, Protestants and Catholics
Housewives, neophytes, pro-choice, pro-life
Misogynists, monogamists, philanthropists, blacks and whites
Police, obese, lawyers, and government
Sex offenders, tax collectors, war vets, rejects
Atheists, Scientists, racists, sadists
Photographers, biographers, artists, pornographers
Gays and lesbians, demagogues and thespians
The disabled, preachers, doctors and teachers
Meat eaters, wife beaters, judges and juries
Long hair, no hair, everybody everywhere!
Open My Eyes
Open our eyes, Lord,
especially if they are half shut
because we are tired of looking,
or half open
because we fear we see too much,
or bleared with tears
because yesterday and today and tomorrow
are filled with the same pain,
or contracted,
because we only look at what we want to see.
Open our eyes, Lord,
to gently scan the life we lead,
the home we have,
the world we inhabit,
and so to find,
among the gremlins and the greyness,
signs of hope we can fasten on and encourage.
Give us, whose eyes are dimmed by familiarity,
a bigger vision of what you can do
even with hopeless cases and lost causes
and people of limited ability.
Show us the world as in your sight,
riddled by debt, deceit and disbelief
yet also
shot through with possibility
for recovery, renewal, redemption,
And lest we fail to distinguish vision from fantasy,
today, tomorrow, this week,
open our eyes to one person or one place,
where we - being even for a moment prophetic -
might identify and wean a potential in the waiting.
And with all this,
open our eyes, in yearning, for Jesus.
On the mountains,
in the cities,
through the corridors of power
and streets of despair
to help, to heal,
to confront, to convert,
O come, O come, Immanuel.
(Wild Goose Group, Iona Community 2009 )
especially if they are half shut
because we are tired of looking,
or half open
because we fear we see too much,
or bleared with tears
because yesterday and today and tomorrow
are filled with the same pain,
or contracted,
because we only look at what we want to see.
Open our eyes, Lord,
to gently scan the life we lead,
the home we have,
the world we inhabit,
and so to find,
among the gremlins and the greyness,
signs of hope we can fasten on and encourage.
Give us, whose eyes are dimmed by familiarity,
a bigger vision of what you can do
even with hopeless cases and lost causes
and people of limited ability.
Show us the world as in your sight,
riddled by debt, deceit and disbelief
yet also
shot through with possibility
for recovery, renewal, redemption,
And lest we fail to distinguish vision from fantasy,
today, tomorrow, this week,
open our eyes to one person or one place,
where we - being even for a moment prophetic -
might identify and wean a potential in the waiting.
And with all this,
open our eyes, in yearning, for Jesus.
On the mountains,
in the cities,
through the corridors of power
and streets of despair
to help, to heal,
to confront, to convert,
O come, O come, Immanuel.
(Wild Goose Group, Iona Community 2009 )
Iroquois Thanksgiving Prayer (adapted)
"We return thanks to our Mother, the Earth, which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and stars, which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to the sun, that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in Whom is embodied all goodness, and Who directs all things for the good of Her children."
-- Iroquois Prayer, adapted Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
