Ash Wednesday III: Theology & Tragedy – Ron Dart
III
At the first turning of the second stair
I turned and saw below
The same shape twisted on the banister
Under the vapour in the fetid air
Struggling with the devil of the stairs who wears
The deceitful face of hope and of despair.
At the second turning of the second stair
I left them twisting, turning below;
There were no more faces and the stair was dark,
Damp, jaggèd, like an old man's mouth drivelling, beyond repair,
Or the toothed gullet of an agèd shark.
At the first turning of the third stair
Was a slotted window bellied like the figs's fruit
And beyond the hawthorn blossom and a pasture scene
The broadbacked figure drest in blue and green
Enchanted the Maytime with an antique flute.
Blown hair is sweet, brown hair over the mouth blown,
Lilac and brown hair;
Distraction, music of the flute, stops and steps of the mind
over the third stair,
Fading, fading; strength beyond hope and despair
Climbing the third stair.
Lord, I am not worthy Lord, I am not worthy but speak the word only.
THOMAS MERTON: The Contemplative Dilemma by Ron Dart
The time will come when the pursuit of contemplation will be a subversive activity. Daniel Berrigan, America is Hard to Find 1. Merton and the Contemplative Quest Thomas Merton turned to the Roman Catholic Tradition, and to the monastic and...
Three-score and Ten: Tribute to Dad by Brad Jersak
Today I asked a friend how I might best honour my father as he attains the landmark of his seventieth birthday. He wryly suggested that I compose a limerick, which should go over well in any hometown with an Irish name. I’ll spare you. Rather, I’d like to say thanks...
The Jews of India: A Place of Refuge, Peace and Prosperity by Cyril Sweetville
The Jews of India have a long history dating back to the time before Christ. Their initial evidence comes from the Book of Esther in the Bible and during King Xerxes reign over his domain.1 Their dispersion was noted in Xerxes decrees and was seen by Christ’s disciple...
I am a Soldier by Ward Draper
“He was on me. Pounding my face. Threatening to kill me if I screamed. His hand across my mouth muffled my cries. I bite down, hard. His dirty hand flew from my lips and I could taste his blood on my tongue. I parted my mouth to scream fire for help but no one...
Stricken by God? Nonviolent Identification and the Victory of Christ – edited by Brad Jersak and Michael Hardin
"We considered him stricken by God. But..." Did God pour out his wrath on his own Son to satisfy his own need for justice?Or did God-in-Christ forgive the world even as it unleashed its wrath on him?Was Christ's sacrifice the ultimate fulfilment of God's...
A HAWK TOOK FLIGHT by Brian Thomas
A HAWK TOOK FLIGHT: STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS OF BRIAN THOMASListen to the song here. A wedding is a special event, especially when you have watched the relationship grow from a small beginning into a lifelong commitment. This wedding was one I was not going to miss,...
THE ENGLISH REFORMATION: A TALE FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS by Ron S. Dart
But there are remnants left around me… very strange remnants… in this case the Anglican Church which has in it some of the ancient truth and therefore I will live within it. - George GrantThe English Reformation took more than a century from beginning to end, and when...
Into the Silence by Fi Calder
I linger in the doorwayreluctant to step over the thresholdHe stands before meHis hand held out in invitation‘come, Dear One, I’ll show you the way’I take His hand and He leads me into the unknowninto the silence, into the darknessever deeper into the emptinessmy...
Grief by Fi Calder
Grief. A few months ago I was fortunate enough to hear Mike Stewart from St. Matts, give a talk on suffering. He asked us ‘have you got room in your theology for suffering?’ So here was the challenge; suffering and sadness is a part of life, but do we have a...
On the Cure for Self-Loathing by Michelle Elrick
When in a lowly state, a state of craving, melancholy and internal disappointment, there is a thing to do other than indulge. Follow Moses up the mountain. And in the first steps you will remember that Christ is the new Moses and the new mountain is not Sinai and the...