Essays about the Liturgical Year
The following are not essays. The texts are poetry used for prayer. You may find that any of these three are appropriate
for not only prayer, but also meditation. They are easily integrated into some forms of contemplation.
Prayer to Recognize the Signs of God
Lord, I want to decipher your presence
Through the events and objects that make up my life
to express the impact
that they have on me.
In this I am an interpreter of your creation.
I make use of images, signs, and comparisons,
and I try to interpret your revelation
in the daily events that surround me.
All along I am faced, Lord,
with the mysterious signs of your passing by.
Permit me to see your foot prints in my life,
and to experience the joy of your presence.
Lord, events and objects sometimes pose questions
and I have no answers.
Grant me some of your infinite capacity
of seeing and proclaiming
the truth and beauty
of the beings you have created.
I want to absorb their message, Lord,
in order to return them transformed
into a conscious gift to your love,
and thus proclaim your praise.
Amen.
EUCHARIST
He was old and tired and much too dirty,
Picking up aluminum cans along the highway.
I smiled, I said "hi," and gave him Eucharist.
She lived alone, her husband dead, her family gone.
She talked at me, not to me, endless words spewed out.
I sat, I listened and hoped her Eucharist.
She couldn't say she was sorry, she could only stand there,
Stubborn, stiff, and still angry.
I reached out my hand, I forgave her, and we shared Eucharist.
He was dying of AIDS, terrified, alone and in so much pain,
All alone in the world, misunderstood, condemned; no one seemed to care.
I held his hand, and prayed with him; he was Eucharist for me.
Jesus took bread in his hands, he looked at it and said, "Change."
He took the cup in his hands, he looked at the wine and said, "Change."
And they became Eucharist, his blood and his body.
Jesus takes us in his hands, he looks at us and says "Change."
And we become Eucharist, his blood and his body.
It was a silly fight. Who started it? What was it all bout?
We hugged, we reconciled, and we laughed Eucharist.
I was tired, disgusted; I was all burned-out.
I went to my friends, they opened their doors, and gave me Eucharist.
Sometimes we cry Eucharist, sometime we laugh Eucharist.
Sometime we shout Eucharist, we whisper Eucharist.
In a touch or a tear, in a word or a song.
We hope, we live because we are Eucharist.
Jesus took bread in his hands, he looked at it and said, "Change."
He took the cup in his hands, he looked at the wine and said, "Change."
And they became Eucharist, his blood and his body.
Jesus takes us in his hands, he looks at us and says "Change."
And we become Eucharist, his blood and his body.
And we become Eucharist, until he comes again.
The Shell
If thou couldst empty all thyself of self
Like to a shell dishabited,
then might he find thee in the ocean shelf
and say, "This is not dead,"
And fill thee with Himself instead.
But thou art so replete with very thou,
And hast much shrewd activity,
That when He come, He says, "This is enough"
Unto itself, t'were better let it be -
It is so small and full there is no room for Me."
But when He one day to thee came
A shell dishabited He found
So, of Himself, He filled thee full,
Good measure - and - well - pressed - down.
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Last updated February 19, 1997
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