I am the door of the sheepfold.Not one that’s gently hinged or deftly hung,Not like the ones you planed at Joseph’s place,Not like the well-oiled openings that swungSo easily for Pilate’s practiced pace,Not like the ones that closed in Mary’s faceFrom house to house in brimming Bethlehem,Not like the one that no man may assail,TheContinue reading “I Am the Door of the Sheepfold”
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I know my sheep and am known of mine
During the riots in Palestine in the middle thirties, a village near Haifa was condemned to collective punishment by having its sheep and cattle sequestrated by the Government. The inhabitants, however, were permitted to redeem their possessions at a fixed price. Among them was an orphan shepherd boy, whose six or eight sheep and goatsContinue reading “I know my sheep and am known of mine”
The Living and True Bread
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, God the Lord of knowledge, who gives His wonders and orders all things well, who rides upon the clouds, the Lord is His name: may He, the living and true Bread, who descended from heaven to give food to the hungry, indeed stillContinue reading “The Living and True Bread”
Give us this Bread during these forty days
It is truly meet and just, right and salutary that we give thanks to You, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God, through Christ our Lord, who is Your only-begotten Son and who abides in Your glory, in whom the faith of those who fast is fed, hope is carried forward and love strengthend: forContinue reading “Give us this Bread during these forty days”
Lent – George Herbert
Welcome dear feast of Lent: who loves not thee,He loves not Temperance, or Authority,But is composed of passion.The Scriptures bid us fast; the Church says, now:Give to thy Mother, what thou would allowTo every Corporation. The humble soul composed of love and fearBegins at home, and lays the burden there,When doctrines disagree.He says, in thingsContinue reading “Lent – George Herbert”
The whole life of men is but one day
It may be said that the whole life of men is but one day, according to the parable, and that they who are called by the Master of the vineyard in the morning early, are they who from their childhood were called to do the things of the kingdom of God. They who, after theyContinue reading “The whole life of men is but one day”
The Death of the Moth
Two years ago I was camping alone in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. I had hauled myself and gear up there to read, among other things, James Ramsey Ullman’s The Day on Fire, a novel about Rimbaud that had made me want to be a writer when I was sixteen; I was hoping itContinue reading “The Death of the Moth”
More replendent than day, more radiant than light
Let us joyfully revere this holy day of the blessed birth, on which, through the birth of the Lord, the secrets of the Virgin’s womb are revealed and the burden of that unspoiled body has flowed out for the relief of the world, as we have longed for this day through our prayers. For thisContinue reading “More replendent than day, more radiant than light”
This night bestowed peace on the whole world
This night bestowed peace on the whole world; so, let no one threaten; This is the night of the Most Gentle One – let no one be cruel; This is the night of the Most Humble One – let no one be proud. Now is the day of joy – let us not revenge; Now is theContinue reading “This night bestowed peace on the whole world”
Now the angels honor us as friends
The Angel announces that a King is born, and the choirs of angels unite their voice with his, and rejoicing all together they sing: “Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.” Before the Redeemer was born in the flesh, there was discord between us and theContinue reading “Now the angels honor us as friends”
Locus Communis 