Poetic Meditations
by Robert Fontana
I have never been one to read poetry. When I do I usually need someone to explain to me what I am reading. There are some exceptions to this. My daughter Mary introduced me to the poems of Mary Oliver. I found them very helpful. Last May I made a men’s wilderness retreat where the retreat leaders relied on poetry to help us understand the points they were trying to make. There efforts worked for me and encouraged me to try my hand at poetry to say more clearly and profoundly what I am experiencing in prayer. Here are a few poems for your Easter/Pentecost meditation:
I HAVE SEEN JESUS
“Although you have not seen him, you love him” 1 Peter 1:8
I have seen Jesus, I have seen him. Oh, not the Jesus in robe and sandals walking along the shores of Lake Galilee. No, not him.
But I have seen the Jesus in my mother and father who worked night and day to feed and clothe their children; in my music teacher practicing, once again, to create a more beautiful sacred song; in the priest who listened to me with great compassion and gave me wisdom instead of reprimand; in my neighbors who gather weekly to feed our struggling neighbors in a pop-up kitchen; and in my elders who bear their aging pains with patience and face their approaching death with hope.
No, the Jesus who walked in history, who opened the eyes of the blind and ate with sinners and tax collectors, him I have not seen. But the risen Jesus alive in his people, that Jesus I have met over and over again. And I “rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8) for I love him and he loves me.
FOREST CALLING
Come home, Human, come home. You don’t belong to the concrete, the noise, the buying and selling, the endless arguing, the despair, the fleeing from life.
No, that is not your home.
You belong here with the symphony of birds, with the gentle wind and soft rain, with the towering trees and lush ferns.
This is your true home, Human, where waters flow, trees grow, flowers bloom, squirrels play, children run, lovers walk, and elders listen.
Come home, Human, come home to the forest where you will find rest, acceptance, and a healing place to unlock your caged mind and heart, and be free.
TRINITY
Draw me into the warmth of your circle, O Trinity. Draw me into the intimacy of your sharing, singing, laughing, silence, and tears.
Draw me close, Abba, Jesus, Spirit. Draw me and all whom I love.
You do draw me into your inner circle, into your communion of life and love. You do enclose me in your friendship, trust, vulnerability, truth, and wildness of heart.
Holy Trinity, Great Mystery, Love Divine, cosmic and earthy, I sit in wonder and awe before your presence. Draw me close to you that I might be set free from what does not matter and set afire for all that does.
