Christmas Poems
A blessed Christmas and healthy, happy New Year to everyone. It\’s nice to be on break from required readings.
(My brain had nearly turned to mush!)
In a personal effort to live out Christmas in my life these next few weeks, I offer the following poems for your reflection.
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Dialogue:
A Word, a Word
Thou, Lord, didst utter which Thy willing handmaid heard,
And infinite, small Life within my own life breathed and stirred.
A blessed space
My Lord in me and I in Him found resting place;
In such divine repose I waited, silent and full of grace.
Answer is nigh;
O God, I lift a Child up heart-and-heaven high
And say, “This is my Flesh and Blood”; Thy Word is my reply.
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Sheepfolds:
The shepherds are stricken; the sheep have fled;
Their folds are broken, their watch-fires dead.
Not only the lost and wayward one;
The ninety-nie, they, too, are undone.
The laden ewes, the driven sheep,
Where can they lay their young to sleep?
This Lamb, new-born and weak and cold,
This Lamb of God, -will you be His fold?
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Stars:
We are the old stars that have watched the night skies with the prophets of old;
We are the magi from out of the East; we are bringers of gold.
Heaven has incense of praise from censers seraphic to bring;
Earth, the world-weary, bears bitter-sweet treasure of myrrh to the King.
Homage of incense and myrrh for a God and a Savior are meet;
We are your stars, little King, and we scatter the gold of ourselves at Your feet.
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SOURCE:
Wolff, CSC, M. Madeleva. “The Four Last Things: Collected Poems.” 2nd ed. Notre Dame, IN: Saint Mary’s Press, 1986.