At the interstices between the word & silence
between this time and no time
between what the word groans after & the no-word
that answers to nothing & is everything, thy mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord Jesus mercy.
Between the Utterer & the Uttering & the Word
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy
on this sinner, who dares not lift my eyes
sweet Jesus mother mercy.
Mercy on me the sinner mercy.
You who know my heart better
than it knows itself, you, my heart,
sweet Jesus mercy. You who
come among us, who took on our flesh
our tears our sweating selves, O Lord have mercy,
Lamb, sweet Lamb have mercy. You know
I love you Lord, you know the cost, sweet one,
sweet Jesus, Lord, be with me I beg thee hear me
and let my cry come on to thee here in this room,
this lonely office, this wring-wracked bed,
this road this car this cart whatever
and what does anything at all matter
Creator Lord of matter, Mater God, whom
I have glimpsed beside the candle on the darkened
altar when I least expected or deserved it
Lord sweet Lord have mercy on me the sinner.
Mantra for a Dark December Night
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” is the closest that the Coens have come to making a musical, and the film’s lush period folk soundtrack enriches its spiritual themes.
Pope Francis says that responses to climate change “have not been adequate.” This Earth Day, both clergy and laypeople must repent of our sins of omission and work toward decarbonization.
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are joined by Megan Nix, the author of Remedies for Sorrow: An Extraordinary Child, a Secret Kept from Pregnant Women, and a Mother's Pursuit of the Truth.
As we grapple with fragmentation, political polarization and rising distrust in institutions, a national embrace of volunteerism could go a long way toward healing what ails us as a society.