Issue 30: “For Longing”
"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 M25i does well. 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...
Our work at M25i begins with longing. We ache for shalom. The brokenness in our world screams in horror and overwhelms us. The brokenness in our own souls is loud and daunting.
Today, we bring all that is "too much" under the focused language of the Irish poet, John O'Donohue, anchoring our longing in God's love. We remember the words of the Psalmist: "My soul finds rest in God alone" (Psalm 62:1).
As you read, consider those who are aching with physical and emotional needs that are essential to thriving: the imprisoned, homeless, hungry, sick, those who live mentally and biochemically defeated, refugees and immigrants, the working poor, the single mother, the foster child with no family.
For Longing
John O’Donohue
blessed be the longing that brought you here
and quickens your soul with wonder.
may you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire
that disturbs you when you have settled for something safe.
may you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease
to discover the new direction your longing wants you to take.
may the forms of your belonging – in love, creativity, and friendship –
be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul.
may the one you long for long for you.
may your dreams gradually reveal the destination of your desire.
may a secret providence guide your thought and nurture your feeling.
may your mind inhabit your life with the sureness
with which your body inhabits the world.
may your heart never be haunted by ghost-structures of old damage.
may you come to accept your longing as divine urgency.
may you know the urgency with which God longs for you.
Reflect
The longings of humanity are gathered in O'Donohue's poem. These are the longings of each precious-to-God person, and yet these longings are significantly more unattainable for those who lack resources, social nets, and opportunities.
As Christ-followers, we are called to step into generosity so that the math of the kingdom—loaves and fishes—can increase shalom for those in need of care and hope. Somehow in that generosity, we are all fed.
Pray
Pause for 30 seconds to pray this over yourself and the vulnerable before you step into the next tasks of your day.
Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2, NIV
Light Where Hope Falters: An Unexpected Advent
This printable packet offers weekly reflections on the four main themes of Advent from a fresh, biblical perspective:
Gritty Hope
Contended Peace
Costly Joy
Tangible Love
This prints as a beautiful, 17-page booklet or can be shared as a digital download with beautiful graphics, art, quotes, statistics, and action through prayer. Additionally, parishes can use the images and key language as a Prayers of the People series on Sunday mornings.
We hope you will download this PDF and share it broadly with your community as Advent approaches.
These "free" resources can only happen because of giving to the Matthew 25 Initiative.
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. Give to the work that you care about!
