O Visa, I’m trusting in you You give me cold beer and hot pizza But Jesus, I promise, I’ll turn to you, too If ever I lose… My Visa
Lotsa Dollars; mucho Dough; plenty Bread Life is good! I’ve got bundles of Bacon But you Lord, I will not ignore, nor forget Once all other options… Are taken
Dear Moolah, you’re truly the best I’m merry when making those Monies But also, O Jesus, I have to confess You’re nice when you send me… Warm fuzzies
Dear Cash, they call you the “king” Cah-ching! Prestige and raw power Should life ever crash or go sour or sting On Christ, I would call…
I dreamt I awoke in a luminous place The King incandescent on Seraphim chair He stated, “I’m grateful you’vechanneled my grace My Kingdom for you is prepared!
“For when I was famished, you fed me a plate All parched, you poured me a glass Unknown yet you welcomed me ever so late In rags, you bought me new slacks Lacking in health, you gave all for my healing And reeling in jail, you reached out!”
I asked Him, while basking in love without measure “Sir, wherein and wherefore for you did I care? Just when did I see you and whereby observe you? And whithersoever’d I serve you?”
“So first I’d be grateful to know…
“When did I see You unfed; undernourished?”
With flourishing smile, He said
“You’d lift me with gift cards for famishing families And snacks for panhandlers you’d hand from your car With cases of canned goods you’d cart to those pantries And funding you’d send near and far”
“And when did I see You unquenched or unsated?”
He flashed a great smile, and mentioned
“My thirst you subverted with milk for your young And beer for your spouse while he cleaned out the stables With drinks poured at fish fry’s for heroes unsung And warm-ups while waiting on tables”
“Just when did I see You unhailed or unknown?”
Tearing up on His throne, He regaled
“When aiding the migrants, the pre-born, the trafficked The desperate refugees spared from near death Supporting hurt vets, you disabled my sadness Your foster care freed me from meth”
“Sir, when did I serve You unclothed or unwarm?”
With zeal like a storm, He disclosed
“By purchasing work boots your friend couldn’t afford Crocheting bright hats for those neighbors in need By skipping the booze to give more to the poor And serving at S.V.D.P.” *
“So, when did I see You uncared for; unwell?”
And swelling with joy, He declared,
“Distressed with dementia, you’d answer my queries Over and over and over again When sick, you would visit; we watched that fun series Post-relapse, my sponsor and friend”
I pleaded, “Oh King, I have just one more plea
“When did I see You unfree, stuck in jail?”
Eyes streaming, to his tale I took heed
“When thrown in the clink, you assailed me with visits Enduring for love endless forms; safety quizzes The darkness was snuffed by the faith you awakened Your calls made me feel unforsaken”
Before I woke up, I spoke upone last time
“You’ve told me the ‘when’, Sir, but how ’bout the ‘how’?”
“Just how was I able to see You unfed? Unquenched and unsated? Unknown and unhailed? And how could I notice you naked; unwarm? Unwell and unfree, stuck in jail?”
Undignified-like, the King sprang to His feet
And sang with elation, arms widening
“Your time in My Word
With silent reflection
And tales of my servants
Brought strength and direction
“The ‘breaking of bread’ drew your eyes to My Host Exposing my face in each soul Your goal was to gladden my other selves most Your love made my broken hearts whole
“So enter My Kingdom made ready Already, within you, it’s bursting Long ago, you made room Your own gloom reversing Rehearsing for living and loving, post-hearse
In My
Last-are-first
Lost-then-found
Least-of-these
Upside-down Kingdom” ** *****
Matthew 25:31 (NIV) “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’”
*St. Vincent de Paul Society
**Matthew 21:31: “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”
NB. Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that at the judgment before our Lord we will be disappointed with ourselves but also surprised at how much we have loved Him!
In the strokes of these rough stanzas A mysterious face is painted Some Bonanza star beloved? Or Some lunatic, now sainted?
A winner of the Nobel Prize? A man you’d hope, and cry, to meet? A myth whose magic never dies? A legend whispered in the street? Or theOne whose mocked, so-seemed defeat… Unlocked the skies?
The “Man”…
A so-called “prophet” with thegoal Of bringing princedoms peace? Or… The “Prince of Peace”; the end and goal Of every prophet’s call?
A “judge not” kind of man who preached That mercy is the way? Or… The Way to God’s great mercy, and Of every man, the Judge?
A nice guy flaunting Roman rule Who failed to get his point across? (Yet…. The bloodied cross and nail–point cruel Weren’t Rome’s rewards to “nice guys”)
The “Myth”…
A myth fulfilling Marxist fears As “opium of the masses”? Or… The Master of all hopes and fears Fulfilling ancient myths? (3)
Is “Christ” a cry for wounded flesh? For mess-up’s, a mere curse word? Or… The Word-made-curse to save us by His fleshwounds and His cries? (1)
The “Legend”…
A lie and ploy of early Jews To gain a name and glory? Or… The glorious Name for love of Whom Those Jews, with joy, would die? (2)
A teacher on man’s life and death Who gleaned surprising truths? Or… The Truth, Whose death-to-life surprise Redeems, revives and teaches?
A would-be king reflecting love And light, like countless others? Or… An otherworldly “Kindly Light” (4) And King of love, Whose subjectsnow Reveal… Expand… And reflect… God’s here-but-not-yet Kingdom? ***** (1) St. Paul: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13)
(2) St. Leo the Great: “‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ Is it possible to offer, or even to imagine, a purer kind of prayer than that which shows mercy to one’s torturers by making intercession for them? It was thanks to this kind of prayer that the frenzied persecutors who shed the blood of our Redeemer drank it afterward in faith and proclaimed him to be the Son of God.” (From the Moral Reflections on Job)
CS Lewis: “Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened: and one must be content to accept it in the same way, remembering that it is God’s myth where the others are men’s myths: i.e. the Pagan stories are God expressing Himself through the minds of poets, using such images as He found there, while Christianity is God expressing Himself through what we call ‘real things’. Therefore it is true, not in the sense of being a ‘description’ of God (that no finite mind could take in) but in the sense of being the way in which God chooses to (or can) appear to our faculties. The ‘doctrines’ we get out of the true myth are of course less true: they are the translations into our concepts and ideas of that which God has already expressed in a language more adequate, namely the actual incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Does this amount to a belief in Christianity? At any rate I am now certain (a) That this Christian story is to be approached, in a sense, as I approach other myths. (b) That it is the most important and full of meaning. I am also nearly certain that it really happened….” (letter to Arthur Greeves: from The Kilns [on his conversion to Christianity], 18 October 1931)
Painting: Our Lady of the Southern Cross by Paul Newton
Jesus never said Nor will He ever sneer “Get over it! Just suck it up! But instead… He’ll catch and keep each tear*
The Word did not express Nor will He whatsoever “Your life’s a helpless, hopeless mess” So do not stress… Give up on you, He’ll never
This Captain never sighed “You’ve missed the boat again…” “You’ve really dropped the ball this time” Nope, rewind… Fresh starts, He’ll ever send
This Shepherd not once scoffed “How could you veer so badly?” “Just give up now; the track, you’re off” Oh, pish posh… He’ll guide and cheer you gladly
This Doctor has not spoken Through Scripture nor Tradition “You’re past repair; you’re just too broken” By the same token… Your wholeness: His whole mission
The Savior did not state Nor ever will He tell us “Your guilt’s too great to be erased” Or “God helps those who help themselves”** Or “You will get what you deserve” Au contraire… From every shameful slav’ry, He’ll unsell us ***** *”You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle” (Psalm 56:8, ESV).
Ocean dip, or kiddie pool? Beach, or box of sand? Lazyboy, or shaky stool? Christmas gift so cool… Or socks so bland?
Noonday sun, or candle flame? Chess, or Tic-Tac-Toe? Honey pure, or aspartame? Roses fresh cut for thedame… Or faux?
Forty winks, or feline nap? Crème brûlée, or mud pie? Disney World, or tourist trap? With arms and robes enwrapped… Or pigsty?*
Tie the knot, or dare not try? Crown that lasts, or laurel-wrought? Seek a friend, or dumb A.I.? Trusting Him Who once did rise… Or ego-caught… A lot afraid… Until the day the farm’s bought?
***
*Luke 15
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.” -C.S. Lewis
Rhymes for the Rejoiceful 