November 25, 2011

Role Model

Mary, with your human nature
God himself was pleased to dwell.
Every priest should imitate your
Hosting thus Emmanuel.

Tobias Stanislas Haller BSG

6 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 25, 2011

    Nine the moons of Mary's bearing
    Thirty years of parent's caring
    followed suit with Joseph sharing
    Imitating him is daring!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tobias Stanislas Haller BSGNovember 25, 2011

    Thanks, Ranrashi, for completing a lovely Diptych for the Holy Family!

    ReplyDelete
  3. John-Julian, OJNNovember 26, 2011

    Hmmmmm....

    I certainly am impressed by "human nature" and "imitate your"...

    And Ranrashi's offering is awesome.....

    But why "...every priest..."? That smacks of 50-year-old clericalism. Why not...

    "Everyone should imitate your
    Hosting of Emmanuel"?

    or

    "All of us should imitate....

    or

    "Christians all should imitate....

    (Goodness, how I have changed since ordination in 1957!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tobias Stanislas Haller BSGNovember 26, 2011

    Thanks, Fr. J-J. I was aware of that issue, but the poem is one of those that leapt full formed into my mind. I can I suppose take some refuge in the priesthood of all believers ;-) and the sense in which each Christian is a priest -- like Mary -- in being "thine earthly sanctuary" as one of my favorite hymns puts it.

    But I think there is a pun in "hosting" that gets lost without the explicit priestly element. Perhaps this should be categorized as an example of Preces privatae for priestly meditation?

    And, of course, the recent debates on women in the episcopate in England no doubt informed this quatrain as it worked its way out of my subconscious...

    ReplyDelete
  5. ChristopherNovember 26, 2011

    Not nearly as good as yours or ranranshi's as it didn't spring full-born, but in the spirit of Angelus Silesius:

    Hail! Child born of living water
    Rise up today sonne or daughter,
    Another Mary; Blessed are you
    To bear forth God's own Son too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tobias Stanislas Haller BSGNovember 27, 2011

    Thanks, Christopher. I lovely baptismal sentiment!

    ReplyDelete

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