Savannahkhet Laos
Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem
Who Do You Say I Am?
In the blessed lonely stillness of the night
When neither darkness nor sleep provide
A safehouse for those who would hide
From truth's confrontational guise:
Who do you say I am?
In the maddening rush of the day
When worlds spin and nerves squeal
When big names play big games
And war's lasting image of all that's gone wrong
Is a tiny left footprint
In a blood-muddied field:
Who do you say I am?
In the unfathomable reaches of the sea
Where no earthly spirit can dwell
Myth and mystery and meaning
Wash over swell upon swell
Then out of the blue a whisper
Like a beacon of light in a storm
The question that echoes down centuries:
Who do you say I am?
Amid tyrrany, murder and outrage
Avarice, betrayal and war
The enduring words of the Master forge
The same keen edge as before
Cutting through masks of deceivers
Through evil, corruption and sham
The question as probing as ever:
Who do you say I am?
Visitation
I come to you today laden with emptiness
No ready answers to the hows or whys
No deposits of knowledge to soothe the weeping
All too deep the wounding and the sighs.
I come in sorrow,
Though with nothing proffered
As balm for the rawness of your pain
But I pray that in the emptiness I offer
A kernel of beyondness will remain
That in its own good time will find a surface
And blossom in the springtime of its reign.
I suspect the greatest mistake I could make right now would be to walk away, confident of finding a better church elsewhere, or a better life outside the Catholic Church. But where would I go?
The headlines these days are harrowing, and I am moved deeply at the thought of the nightmarish lives of those for whom the present contains as many demons as the past.
Remaining in the Church does not mean I must accept things as they are, indeed that was the problem for far too long. The health and welfare of children has now become the priority it should always have been, and the Church has put in place stringent measure to ensure the protection of children from those who would do them harm. And hopefully those now in positions of authority within the Church will place the welfare of their flocks, especially children, to the fore with no thought towards self- preservation or face-saving.
The wheels of justice grind slowly, but in the end justice and truth prevail, and God is on our side. It is a fact of life that the good co-exist alongside the bad and none of us can place ourselves outside the circle of sinners as we all stand in need of forgiveness and God’s mercy. It is with hope then that we look to heaven as we pray for renewal for all through the Spirit each day.
A friend of mine who was recently in hospital suffering from depression and acute anxiety found herself unable to pray . Thinking I was assuring her, I told her of how the Holy Spirit prays in us, especially in those moments when we can't find the words for what is in our hearts, but she told me I was missing the point. Prayer is a huge source of consolation to her and she was having to struggle with this type of loss on top of everything else.
Many victims of abuse have spoken of a similar sense of loss of confidence in themselves, in others and in God; and they need our loving support, understanding and prayers.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;
John 6:68:
And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.
Matthew 28:20
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:13-20