Our thanks to Ben Witherington III (NT Professor here) for submitting this fitting verse in the wake of the Pope's Passing. jdw
Pope’s Passing
The bells kept on ringing,
Tolling, telling,
The mourners kept singing
Sorrow indwelling
The lines kept on forming
Feeling, filling
The weight of the moment,
Tragic, thrilling
The people kept praying
speaking, seeking
The prelates kept saying
Eulogies speaking
The Host kept Holy
Body, breaking
The Cup kept pouring
New wine making
The cortege kept coming
Old life, failing
The Wake and the Vigil
Senses assailing
Critical Mass reached,
Funeral, exposure
Corpse in Regalia
Consumate closure
But then from the Chapel
Sistine smoke
‘Habemus Papa’
The cardinals awoke
The bells kept on ringing
Tolling, telling
The church kept on singing
Joy indwelling.
4/4/05
I like how this poem evokes the continuous life of the church, even amid the grief of the people. It's refreshing to hear, since I read so many times how the "church" is dying, and we have to do something. Can God not manage?!
Blessings,
Posted by: Judy Eurey | Apr 07, 2005 at 08:26 AM