Issue 33: “The Sacraments”
"Poetry is a nightingale that sits in the darkness and sings…"
-Percy Bysshe Shelley
Our mission at the Matthew 25 Initiative is to equip and sustain Anglicans serving alongside the vulnerable. The work of justice and mercy is often wondrous and also difficult. Holding beauty, naming pain, and contending for hope is what we do at M25i. Walter Brueggeman writes, "[A poem] thinks the unthinkable and utters the unutterable." In places of brokenness, where much feels unutterable and unimaginable, we encounter Jesus. Continue with us in reflection and prayer through this series, "For the Soul," as poetry might offer us Spirit-soaked imaginations.
Before you begin...
At M25i, we value soaking our souls in beauty while also looking unflinchingly (and courageously) at ugliness. Beauty is lavish in God's creation, giving us hints and whispers of God's love.
It is easy to take for granted that a lot of the beauty in creation—like scenic travel spots, lush gardens, or waterfront views—is easier to enjoy if you have money and free time. But God, in His kindness, hasn’t kept beauty just for the rich. He’s scattered it all around, so even those with little can still catch glimpses of it.
As you read today's poem, keep in mind the words from Gerard Manley Hopkins: "the world is charged with the grandeur of God."
Susan Catherine Moore Waters (American, 1823–1900), Untitled (Squirrels in a Chestnut Tree), ca. 1875–80, Oil on canvas
The Sacraments
Attributed to St Francis of Assisi
I once spoke to my friend, an old squirrel, about the Sacraments —
he got so excited.
and ran into a hallow in his tree and came
back holding some acorns, an owl feather,
and a ribbon he found.
And I just smiled and said,
“Yes dear,
you understand:
Everything imparts His grace."
Reread and “listen”
As you read again (as all poems should be read at least two times, preferably aloud), consider creation beauty and how this posture of discovery might shape the soul. How might struggling with resources or persistent suffering affect the ability to have access to creation beauty or affect your ability to engage and appreciate creation and receive God's message of grace?
Pray
Pause for 30 seconds to pray this over yourself and those who are afflicted before you step into the next tasks of your day. Pray that God's love would be caught by those in pain or feeling abandoned through the hints and whispers strewn in creation.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour out speech;
night after night they communicate knowledge.
There is no speech; there are no words;
their voice is not heard.
Their message has gone out to the whole earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun.
Psalm 19:1-4
Are you blessed by M25i? Would you help us continue this work?
Our continued ability to fund these Christ-centered projects and provide them as free resources for ACNA churches is based solely on your generous donations. We need a few donors who would give monthly $15/mo or $25/mo or $50/mo.
Give to the work that you care about! Help us shape our Anglican family in loving the poor with gospel light.
