Ordinary Time

Death’s Call: A Memento Mori Poem

| Rose of Sharon | Ordinary Time, Poetry, Saints

Death’s Call
With gratitude to St. Marie Maravillas de Jesus

The call is faint – or is it loud
the call weaves through the cryptic crowd
where there’s more roar than ought aloud
The call is faint – or is it loud

The call is not from reaper, grim
the call is sweet, a hallowed hymn
and through the chaos we do swim
The call is not from reaper, grim

We shut our eyes and stuff our ears
thinking we’ll live beyond our years
but soon or late, we’ll face death-fears
We shut our eyes and stuff our ears

The call leads to the endless door
where bodies fall from breath no more
with some souls dammed, and some that soar
The call leads to the endless door

When comes the day you cannot stall
and loud death blares its fated call
in arms of Love do blindly fall
When comes the day you cannot stall

St. Maria Maravillas de Jesus, 1891-1974, was a Carmelite nun whose quote, “Death is no more than falling blindly into the arms of God,” inspired this poetic reflection. 

Winter Heed: A Dormant Poem

| Rose of Sharon | Ordinary Time, Personal Reflections, Poetry

For those of us who live in the southern section of the United States,  a “true” winter, with frozen trees and snow on the ground for extended periods (like in the photo above), is quite foreign. And even though my South Texas bones might shiver at the thought of living through months of this kind of frigid weather, I must admit, there is something beautiful and magical about this strange season.

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Into the Desert: A 40-day Summer Fast

| Rose of Sharon | Church in Crisis, Ordinary Time, Peace, Prayer

A Peaceful Option for These Heated Times

Photo credit: Patrick Schneider – Unsplashed

Just what are we to do?  

“What are we supposed to do?” This question arose recently in a small group discussion with some of my family and friends. We had decided to get together (via an online meeting) to try and make sense of the unsettling things that have been happening in our country and beyond. As Christians, we pondered the classic question of what would Jesus do? We knew prayer was a definite answer. In addition to prayer, we also felt a need for action.

 And then someone brought up fasting.

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You’re Glowing!

| Rose of Sharon | Ordinary Time, Sanctity of Life

Glowing pregnant woman

“You’re glowing!”

I was told this quite a number of years ago when I was pregnant, and now I see the bright glow in my two daughters-in-law who are expecting. This radiant blessing is something many women experience due to the physiological changes that occur during pregnancy. The glow of pregnancy has helped me to view the Transfiguration of our Lord in a slightly different light. Continue reading →