Tag Archives: doubt

Unless I See: After Caravaggio’s “Incredulity of Saint Thomas”

No need to touch the scars; Caravaggio got that detail wrong. The sheer force of His presence made Thomas crumple, doubt ceasing where belief gained life, the parched taste, hesitant like salt, exultant like wine, as loosened lips croaked, My Lord and my God. Yet I am comforted to see both the outstretched hand andContinue reading “Unless I See: After Caravaggio’s “Incredulity of Saint Thomas””

Sonnet

Your mind’s a rhizome and your head’s at sea. Stray flotsam, jetsam drift in it; its roots Run deeper than the ocean bed and shoots Burst out of it, this way and that. The key To tracing thoughts back to their unity Lies not in system or in sticking boots Into the wildness of yourContinue reading “Sonnet”

Bursting Dimensions

If you really believe, then the day and the dull of its light won’t confine the dimensions of sight; you may look through the night and see there the promise of Life. Do you really believe? On your way through the frontiers of darkness and time, you may feel all your might leak out intoContinue reading “Bursting Dimensions”

Easter Thursday

And He reigns! He reigns in light and in quiet, in death and in life, in depth and in height.   He reigns in plenty, He reigns in drought. He reigns in our faith, reigns in our doubt and nothing is too big for Him who rose from death a shining King…   Put toContinue reading “Easter Thursday”

Lent 24: Friday of Third Week

Our minds cannot contain something so small, so microscopic, yet Universe sustained within – a mustard seed which sees the mountain, sees despair beneath its foot and says to it, Now move. O God. The mountain blocks our view. The heights have dizzied; the depths distress. Open your seed within.

Lent 20: Monday of Third Week

Yes, the seas stir; the Son, walking atop the waves, does not mind, a sovereign treading the puddles of his soil. We, quaking in the boat or sinking with the self-consciousness of faith, look aghast and fret. Teacher! The waves consume… But see how He strides. See the waves bend and break at His touch.Continue reading “Lent 20: Monday of Third Week”

Even So, Even So (After Denise Levertov’s “Suspended”)

When I first read Denise Levertov’s “Suspended”, it amazed me with the perfect way it blended the starkness of life with the delicate beauty of grace. You can read her poem here, in a wonderful post from CPX of their favourite religious poems, and here is my own response to Levertov. Even So, Even SoContinue reading “Even So, Even So (After Denise Levertov’s “Suspended”)”

Being (After Denise Levertov’s “Flickering Mind”)

Well, November is running away from us and so far I’ve only managed one poem for my 12 Poets Project this month. So it’s time for another one, this one inspired by Denise Levertov’s wondering “Flickering Mind”, one of the best poetic expressions I have read of the human mind’s struggle with religious devotion. YouContinue reading “Being (After Denise Levertov’s “Flickering Mind”)”