12.15.2005

The Sacrament

Tonight, it's wine.

But, really, it could be anything.

Air.
Love.
Loss.
The taste of your lover's lips.

Anything that you,
Deeply immersed in the
Sanctity of the moment,
Absorb into yourself,
With deep gratitude
To the All:
That is sacrament.

The goal may
(Or may not) be
To make
Life Itself
The Sacrament.

The goal may be
Just to get through the day.

But each day,
Of whatever kind
Must contain one,
At least one,
Perhaps even more,
Of these:

The prismatic shattering
And wholly, holy
Reunions
Of
Sacrament.

--Mr. Gobley

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know about this one, w/all du respect- mr. gobley. All things surely are blessed; to be respected and given thanks for, but sacraments are-well, more than sacred, even.

I remember talking to a Jehovah's Witness about water, how as a Catholic we use Holy water- blessed to be used as sybolic and ritual.

She answered that all water is blest. It's all sacred, it all comes from God.

I couldn't deny this, i totally agreed that it was all to becounted as a blessing. So, I got to thinking- and came up with this question: do we brush our teeth w/toilet water? Do we drink it? Do we drink bath water? Isn't it all the same?

I don't pray as i should. I feel guilty for this. I don't set aside time exclusively for w/my Lord. A friend told me ,all actions are prayer. Offer my works as prayer.

Is it the same?

Mr. Gobley said...

Dear Karen:

i feel sad to have disappointed you, and grateful to have gone so long, until now, without doing so.

No, it is not all the same.

But what elevates Holy water, aside from our prayer, our presence, and our intention? Baptisms -- included those we read about in the Bible -- take place in rivers, lakes, oceans and streams that otherwise are simply there, that are transformed only by our prayer, presence and intention.

Your friend, who says offer your work as prayer, is onto something. No, it is not the same as being immersed in prayer -- sometimes, offering your work as the prayer is even better, because you know that this is what God would have you do: be in the world, and be conscious of it as a gift that needs care and gratitude.

After all, John the Baptist and Jesus did not have holy bodies of water reserved for baptism. They transformed the water via their prayer and their intention. You can do the same with your work.

It may help to set aside time to be with your Lord, but He already has set that time apart for you -- and given you plenty to do, besides. Acknowledge this to Him, and you'll see what I mean. I hope.

Anonymous said...

You could never disappoint me, mr. g. i was just differing in opinion, which seems such a touchy thing to do in these times. I love the poem.

I see what you mean about the water- but, the water isn't the Sacrament. I think Sacrament is only a stand in word for Covenant- it isn't the water- it's the mystery occuring due to water and the Spirit. Didn't you just say that? :0)

Beig Conservative, I guess i have a difficult time, sometimes. I'm trying to weigh my beliefs, you know? Trying to always do the right thing (hoping it IS the right thing) gets tiring, plus having people think you're knowing you are *right* and judging you for being-thus- self-righteous is such a painful merry-go-round. I like living and letting live, but w/out the killing: ie- Terri Schaivo, unborn children, even mass murderers (why not?).

I think this may be one of the lovliest poems you have ever written, mr. g. I wonder what makes me hesitant?