THE BROKEN CHALICE

THE BROKEN CHALICE

Crushed from the depths of my suffering,

I turn my face to my Lord.

Groaning aloud from the depths of my misery -

If this is what it means to be human;

   then let me die.

Then out of darkness flowers a tiny hope

       planted there by the maiden.

She, too, stood there at the foot of her Cross

  Watching her hopes being crucified;

       seeing the buried fears of her years

           being finalised.

She knew the depths of despair,

     every agony of the human heart;

betrayed, suffering from the vice of others, 
heartache,

     disappointed, hunger, fear, pain

and triumphantly she conquered

      through the sun of her conviction.

Come, O Maiden-Mother,

   come into this sad, lost heart of mine,

imprint it with the flower of your spirit,

pour out the fragrance of your humility, and 
touch it with the delicacy of your submissiveness, 
glorify it with the splendour of your love.

Unfurl within my anguished spirit

     the beauty of the Imago Dei* within me -

raise the flag of victory of faith over the darkness

    of despair and faltering blindness

      of vision.

Break within me the bread of your Son,

      the Spirit, that gives life;

pour out within me the wine of the Christ-one

      flowing from me through the wounds of my life

so that, chastised, I may become humble,

    as He, and you, are humble,

so that purified, I may become the chalice of His offering,

carved out by suffering, engraved with His teaching,

    chased with His image, embossed by His love,

so that, one day, dear Mother,

    I may become very like you,

      in that I too - heard His Word,
and - inspired by you - learned - like a little child -
to hear it
and - led by you - learned to follow it,
and - taught by you - learned to teach it,
and - loved by you, learned to love it.

O Mary, dearest one,

    O Mary, gentlest one - 

             teach me to become like you.

Sister M Catherine

Africa. Undated

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*Image of God

From 'A Silence full of bells'