Saturday, November 22, 2008

Tomorrow: Christ the King Sunday

Giotto, Christ Entering Jerusalem, 1304-1306.


My experience of the past twelve weeks has been one of unimaginable loss. And the idea of the unimaginable has become something of a theme of this blog, as some of us have tried, in posts and comments, to wander around in it, exploring and bending and stretching and pushing against it, trying to fathom that which is not, in the end, fathomable.

Those are pearls that were his eyes . . . .

I have been trying to imagine Advent under these circumstances and I can't ~ not unless it, too, means something beyond ordinary human comprehension.

It occurs to me that perhaps I am so taken with Christ the King Sunday, the last one of the liturgical year, in that it touches upon that mystery. We know the story about to unfold again; we take it for granted: strange dreams and visitations, an ordinary birth, and a child who will become a king who rides a donkey, the same beast of burden which carried his mother toward her labor in an obscure cave. He will eventually be honored around the world as a king in representations reflecting our more usual understanding of the title, but he will be the kind of king who offers himself to those who mourn, who are hungry, who are impoverished, in every sense of the word.

Imagine.











11 comments:

Sarah S-D said...

this brought tears to my eyes.

maybe it is because i'm very pregnant.

or just because i'm very tired.

but, in any case, it touched me.

there's so much that is unimaginable about our faith, our life, this world...

i think about you all the time.

Jennifer said...

Tears here, too.
Your wonderings and your grief strike a deep chord for so many of us.
Twelve weeks is no time and so much time.

My daily prayers and thoughts include you and your family.

Jennifer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Diane M. Roth said...

(((GG)))
I can't think of more to say, except

it is beyond imagning.

Katherine E. said...

I think your blog touches upon the Mystery, GG, in such a beautiful way.

(I've given you an award over at my place.)

Michelle said...

...this post and a conversation with my spiritual director helped me gain a bit of clarity around unimaginable loss and Advent.

We tend to focus on Christmas as "gift" - Jesus to us; and Easter as "loss" - Jesus died for us. Of late I've been thinking about what Jesus surrendered in the Incarnation. God -- rendering himself helpless in the hands of his own creation (and knowing just how basically hapless we are - though not hopeless).

So I'm thinking about Advent as the first passion experience...

As always GG - prayers arise like incense for you, with you and in your stead.

Elaine (aka...Purple) said...

I think all too often we forget about the mystery we call God. Mystery in the sense as you have written about. Prayers continuing.

Jan said...

(((GG)))Thoughts, love and prayers.

Anonymous said...

I am imagining... for you... and for me... and I believe deep inside of me... that the dreams of my imagination will come true. Peace.

Rev SS said...

every thing you write brings tears to my eyes ... and prayers from my heart ... like Diane, I can think of no more to say ...

Stratoz said...

I try to imagine Mary saying, "sure, why not..."

then try to imagine myself saying the same words, to the invitation...

Yes, even you Stratoz could be...