Friday, April 02, 2004
A Poetic Vocation
I mentioned a love of poetry. I am reading in the Catechism that "God invites each person into relationship and union with himself by calling the person to a particular state of life or vocation, which means "calling." It is through or by means of this vocation that the person will attain the Christian perfection or holiness that is required of all followers of Jesus Christ, as is emphasized in Vatican II's "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church," chapter five, on "The Universal Call to Holiness. It is important that each Christian pray fervently and seek counsel to discuss the vocation that would best enable him or her to know, love, and serve God fully. God has a plan for each of our lives."
I won't turn this blog into a poetry blog, but suffice to say that I've had some joy and pride in poetry but have fallen away from writing since 9/11. My focus has been on the news, on fear inherent in my 17 and 18 year old sons having to register for the draft (which isn't here now, but which may come). I haven't ever written much about God or in praise. I did write this to Christ, about the hollow feeling of my Methodist Church one Christmas a few years back, before I even thought of starting on this journey:
Look at your capricious crowd --
seeking till their numb --
the still, small voice of God
in pandemonium.
They just can't wait for you to come --
and so -- they're quite content --
to celebrate your shadow
but not the Word you left.
How pointless are the gifts they give
to glorify your birth --
when Prophecy met Promise
and the Light was come to Earth.
How fruitless are their efforts
preparing for The Day
when Prophecy meets Promise
and The Light returns to stay.
Anyway, I can't say that Methodists believe or teach that everyone has a vocation that should be used for the glory of God. As I've said, no one over there volunteers, people turn in receipts for even small change and when someone does volunteer time to paint or mow or shovel, their work is often belittled (as awful as that sounds) behind their back as unprofessional. What I'm trying to get at is that I feel a pull toward writing verse again, verse reflecting the Word as I read it.
I won't turn this blog into a poetry blog, but suffice to say that I've had some joy and pride in poetry but have fallen away from writing since 9/11. My focus has been on the news, on fear inherent in my 17 and 18 year old sons having to register for the draft (which isn't here now, but which may come). I haven't ever written much about God or in praise. I did write this to Christ, about the hollow feeling of my Methodist Church one Christmas a few years back, before I even thought of starting on this journey:
Capricious Crowd
Look at your capricious crowd --
seeking till their numb --
the still, small voice of God
in pandemonium.
They just can't wait for you to come --
and so -- they're quite content --
to celebrate your shadow
but not the Word you left.
How pointless are the gifts they give
to glorify your birth --
when Prophecy met Promise
and the Light was come to Earth.
How fruitless are their efforts
preparing for The Day
when Prophecy meets Promise
and The Light returns to stay.
Anyway, I can't say that Methodists believe or teach that everyone has a vocation that should be used for the glory of God. As I've said, no one over there volunteers, people turn in receipts for even small change and when someone does volunteer time to paint or mow or shovel, their work is often belittled (as awful as that sounds) behind their back as unprofessional. What I'm trying to get at is that I feel a pull toward writing verse again, verse reflecting the Word as I read it.
