As Kingfishers Catch Fire
- Gerard Manley Hopkins -
As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves -- goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.
I say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is -- Christ.
For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.
I guess you can't get a Jesuit education without a little Gerard Manley Hopkins sticking with you. This is a poem I heard a lot at Loyola -- in homilies, quoted by Jesuits, in lectures and retreat talks. That line: "For Christ plays in 10,000 places ..." I love that line. I love the idea that Christ is everywhere, not just in churches or at mass. If it's one thing that Loyola deepened about my faith, it's that now, I see God in things, people ... not just crosses or bibles.
I love the whole idea of this poem: that in God's eyes, we are all Christ. Christ is in each of us and when God looks at us, that is what he sees.
That's a pretty big responsibility, I suppose -- to keep up the appearance of Christ. Not physically, of course, but through our actions and our intentions.
Yesterday at Loyola, the candidates for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults were welcomed into the Catholic faith. I think that is so cool. I think the fact that these young adults are making consciousus decision to open their hearts to Christ is remarkable. I can't say, had I not been brought up in the Catholic Church, whether I would have the courage or the dedication to choose faith later in life. So I greatly admire those who do.
It's funny how every now and then, I'm reminded how remarkable God is. On Friday, I decided to take a personal day off from work. My trip home for Easter had left me way behind with chores, sleep, and sanity, so I just decided to forfeit my whopping hourly salary for the day and stay home, do laundry, run errands and take a nap (sometimes being a temp has its perks).
My roommate, Matt, had a doctor's appointment at 7:15 a.m. that morning because his stomach had been bothering him for the past couple weeks. At around 8 a.m., he came back to the apartment, surprised to find me there (I'm usually gone by then). He told me he had to go to the emergency room because they wanted to do some tests, but he couldn't find anyone to drive him (and he had to have someone to drive him home after the procedures).
Now, see, clearly there was a reason why I stayed home. I took him to the hospital and sat there for six hours while they did an endoscopy and a CT Scan. Not exactly how I planned on spending my "day off," but I could tell that Matt really appreciated having me there. I mean, who wants to sit through tests in a hospital by yourself? God works in mysterious ways, and I'm reminded of that all the time. (Matt's fine by the way -- just a virus).
I really like the greeting at Easter: "Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!" or "Christ is risen! Indeed, he is truly risen!" It's a joyous thing -- Christ is among us; indeed, He is in us, and that is something to celebrate.
Happy Easter!
- Gerard Manley Hopkins -
As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves -- goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.
I say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is -- Christ.
For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.
I guess you can't get a Jesuit education without a little Gerard Manley Hopkins sticking with you. This is a poem I heard a lot at Loyola -- in homilies, quoted by Jesuits, in lectures and retreat talks. That line: "For Christ plays in 10,000 places ..." I love that line. I love the idea that Christ is everywhere, not just in churches or at mass. If it's one thing that Loyola deepened about my faith, it's that now, I see God in things, people ... not just crosses or bibles.
I love the whole idea of this poem: that in God's eyes, we are all Christ. Christ is in each of us and when God looks at us, that is what he sees.
That's a pretty big responsibility, I suppose -- to keep up the appearance of Christ. Not physically, of course, but through our actions and our intentions.
Yesterday at Loyola, the candidates for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults were welcomed into the Catholic faith. I think that is so cool. I think the fact that these young adults are making consciousus decision to open their hearts to Christ is remarkable. I can't say, had I not been brought up in the Catholic Church, whether I would have the courage or the dedication to choose faith later in life. So I greatly admire those who do.
It's funny how every now and then, I'm reminded how remarkable God is. On Friday, I decided to take a personal day off from work. My trip home for Easter had left me way behind with chores, sleep, and sanity, so I just decided to forfeit my whopping hourly salary for the day and stay home, do laundry, run errands and take a nap (sometimes being a temp has its perks).
My roommate, Matt, had a doctor's appointment at 7:15 a.m. that morning because his stomach had been bothering him for the past couple weeks. At around 8 a.m., he came back to the apartment, surprised to find me there (I'm usually gone by then). He told me he had to go to the emergency room because they wanted to do some tests, but he couldn't find anyone to drive him (and he had to have someone to drive him home after the procedures).
Now, see, clearly there was a reason why I stayed home. I took him to the hospital and sat there for six hours while they did an endoscopy and a CT Scan. Not exactly how I planned on spending my "day off," but I could tell that Matt really appreciated having me there. I mean, who wants to sit through tests in a hospital by yourself? God works in mysterious ways, and I'm reminded of that all the time. (Matt's fine by the way -- just a virus).
I really like the greeting at Easter: "Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!" or "Christ is risen! Indeed, he is truly risen!" It's a joyous thing -- Christ is among us; indeed, He is in us, and that is something to celebrate.
Happy Easter!
0 comments:
Post a Comment