ADBI: ADVENT 2020 (’99)
CROSSING THE REED SEA, JORDAN, JABBOK, CEDRON!
WHAT TO CARRYTHROUGHTHIS IMMANENT BAPTISM?
AS YOU SALMON FROM OLD YEAR TO NEW! CALL IT IMMANENT BAPTISM!
&RECOIL FROM OLD-LIFE, &OLD-CENTURY, OLD-MILENNIUM!
WHAT TO CARRY ACROSS OR THROUGH THE DENYING BECKONING WATER?
LIKE THOSE WHO SQUAT ON THE SHORE, &SIFT THE CATCH, WHAT-THE-CRITERIA?
FOR THIS IS TIME-OF-RECKONING, WHICH OF THE GODS WILL SPOOK OR SPUR ME?
FIRST THE TOTALBIBLE, CAULDRON OF ALL THAT BIRTHED-THE TEACHER!
HE, LOVER OF WOMEN&MEN, FOREVER YEARNS THE POOR!
THESIXTEENDOCUMENTS OF VATICANTWO I WARMLY CHERISH!
AMAZING! ANCIENT RONCALLI, UNLIKELY MIDWIFE, TENTATIVE CHILD…
THEN THELABYRINTH-OF-RELATEDNESS!WHAT GENETIC & CULTURAL WEAF?
EVERY LOVER-SMILE, &ENEMY-FROWN! & ALL-WHO-DITHER…
THEN THEINITIATIONS! EVEN I, RELATIVELY CUNNING!
YES, MAY I SEE THE-EXTENT! &CARRY-ACROSS THE ONES-THAT-MATTER…
THE WORDS&CHOICES, GESTURES&BEHAVIOURS OF JOHNPAULTHESECOND!
UNREMITTING COMPOSES AN ECCESIAL&CHRISTOLOGICAL VISION!
THEN THE UNKNOWN HORIZONS! THE INTERACTION OF DIVINITY & SCIENCE
&THE CRITICAL-CREATIVESCINTILLA! NOT TO REMAIN FOREVER ASLEEP
IN THE NOW-THREADBARE TAPESTRY OF KNOWLEDGE&OPINION&FANTASY&DESPAIR!
RATHER VENTURE HUMBLY THE EXPERIENCE OF WOMEN&MEN
ESPECIALLY POOR! &GAY&CRIPPLED&DESTITUTE&MAD&IMPRISIONED!
HEARING THE CRY OF THE DISVALUED POOR! THE CRY OF THE EARTH!
&CONSCIENCE! THAT NEGLECTED CHILD OF EARTH’S ARDENTEST DESIRE!
INURED TO WINCE AT THE MEREST SHADOW OF THE WHIP, WHEN WILL SHE TURN
&CARRY THE WOUNDED SELF ACROSS&THROUGH THE IMMANENTBAPTISM?,
FOR NOTHING WILL GERMINATE OR BLOSSOM OR FRUIT,WHATEVER THE AURA
&BOAST&FROWN OF AUTHORITY, WITHOUT CONSCIENCE! SHETHEQUEEN
THAT SWEETLY GATHERS ALL THE REST ACROSS TOMORROW’SABYSS
&WHAT MUST BE LEFT BEHIND, ON THIS WITHERING BANK?
NONE ELSE CAN DISCERN THIS BUT ADULTCHRISTIANCONSCIENCE!
&THIS I WHISPER & SHOUT: ‘IS THE QUEEN STILL OPPRESSED BY THE KNAVE..?’
*
IN TRUTH, WHAT OF OUR CLINGING PANOPLY-OF-SELF-IMPORTANCE
IS OF PROVEN VALUE, &WORTHY OF BEING-CARRIED-ACROSS?
&WHAT IS PALPABLY DELUSIVE, BUT STOLIDLY BROKERED-BY-POWER?
ESPECIALLY, WHAT SEEDS MUST BE RECOGNISED, & BROUGHT-IN-HONOUR,
(OR EVEN AS DANGEROUS CONTRABAND!)
TO BE MATCHED OF A TRUER&WORTHIER PEOPLE-OF-THELORD!
***
Sunday 29 Nov 2020 (’99) : 1stSundayofAdvent : B
1. IS63:16-17; 64:1, 3-8
- Read 63: -64:12! Some of the notorious extremes of Yahweh’s ‘Pathos’!
- In what ways does this poet see Yahweh as unique among ‘TheGods’?
- To ‘FearYahweh’ is to ‘Walk-in-HisWays’ is to ‘EmbodyHisPriorities’!
- How did ‘TheProphets’ discover Yahweh’s ‘moral imperatives’?
- What tells&enables contemporary ‘Yahwists’ (who?) about ‘Justice/Integrity’?
- What if ‘God’ is not as enraged about the ‘Oppression of ThePoor’ as ‘Yahweh’ is?
2. THE PSALM : 79:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (Such a shredding of this great VineSong?)
- Read 79(80):1-19! Song of TheVine-of-Yahweh! Suffering, protesting, yearning!
- Read also ISS:1-30! Song of TheLover’sVine! Hope&disappointment&rage!
- ‘Vine!’: So mysterious&divine&vulnerable&precious&neglected& …
- Who is being blamed in this psalm, concerning TheVme’sDegradation?
- Apart from Vine, what other Tree&Flower&Animal-images for Yahweh’sPeople?
- So modernly blasé as I am, can I glimpse the numinosity of wine in TheAncient
- NearEast! especially for the poor! in intimate trysts, &orgies, &Passovers!
3. 1 CORl :3-9
- Read 1:1-31! Paul’s essential call! To ‘Balance&Collaboration’!
- In my Church, which is most valued, Difference or Conformity or Hypocrisy?
- What are the ’20Enrichments of TheSpirit’ evident in the local church of Armagh?
- How is ‘Factionalism’ recognised&understood&tolerated in myCommumty?
- What are the Origin&Nature&Affects of ‘Centralisation in TheChurch’?
4. MK13:33-37
- Even listening acutely to this excerpt, what more can I do than merely-nod?
- What are the 15Trends in contemporaryChurch&Society that adultChristians are ‘asleep’ in regard to (because of ‘individualism’, &’fear of reprisal’!)?
- What arc ‘ThcSigns of TheTimes’, about Indiscipline, Ignorance, MoralLaissez-Faire, Obsession, Flattery, Plagiarism, Addiction, Obscurantism, FuddyDuddyism,
- PorousFaith, Absence-of-Debate, Despair, &above-all, Failure-to-ValueOneself!
- Who’s interested in ‘StayingAwake’, when sleep-disorders are actually endemic!
5. The presence&action of the BlessedOne, is it like this?
‘Now that the holy season of Advent’s upon us once again, there’s one saying of OurDivneLord that even you can’t cavil with .. ‘ ‘You mean, Eat, Drink, an’ be. . .’ ‘Enough of that irreverence! Don’t you realise. . .’ ‘OK! If you insist, I’ll be reverend
for a change!’ ThePractisingSceptic paused ironically, &nodded to TheOfficial Believer, who proceeded with just a little gravitas, ‘Right! In the LittleApocalypse of StMark, TheMaster exhorts HisDisciples.,’ ‘What? me-too?’ ‘ … to “Stay-Awake!” ¬ to .. ‘ ‘Hold-on! I presume this is a metaphor .. ‘ ‘Not at all! He never descended to metaphors or such tropes!’ ‘Are you serious? Awake? Totally-insomniac discipleship? Tho’ it’d be a great improvement on the present totally-insomniac discipleship!’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I mean a sleeping Church, talking in its sleep, these old chestnuts, telling us to stay awake!’ TheOfficialBeliever stared in disbelief! ‘What’s more’, ThePractisingSceptic continued, ‘if you’re wise you’ll all remain there, utterly zonked! ‘Cos if yous ever wake up, it’ll be worse than crybaby Oisín ever was!!’
6. RIDDLE Which is more dangerous? Me to return to Yahweh? Or Him to return to me?
Refections and comments can be emailed to adbi@chokmah.ie