Thank you, Mary

Before Jesus

was his mother.

Before supper
in the upper room,
breakfast in the barn.

Before the Passover Feast,
a feeding trough.
And here, the altar of Earth,
fair linens of hay and seed.

Before his cry,
her cry.
Before his sweat of blood,
her bleeding and tears.
Before his offering,
hers.

Before the breaking of bread and death,
the breaking of her body in birth.

Before the offering of the cup,
the offering of her breast.
Before his blood,
her blood.
And by her body and blood alone,
his body and blood and whole human being.

The wise ones knelt
to hear the woman's word in wonder.
Holding up her sacred child,
her God in the form of a babe,
she said:

"Receive and let your hearts be healed
and your lives be filled with love,
for This is my body,
This is my blood."

-Alla Bozarth-Campbell

Shared this poem during the Welcome for our Women in Ministry service at Liberation on Sunday. And so Advent begins for me with this poem. With Mary. She's been visiting me a lot this fall in some expected and unexpected ways and places. I took the picture in a dark hallway at the St Francis Retreat Center in Michigan. I told a story at church on Sunday about going up to ask to receive communion from the priest at the end of the retreat. I really wanted to receive communion, have received communion at other Catholic retreat centers, and so I went forward. My mom stayed in the pews smiling and shaking her head. I held out my hands and said "I'm not Catholic." The priest looked at me flustered and said "well, what are you then?" I thought of several things I could have said later, but at the time I simply answered, "I'm Christian." He kind of sighed and put the wafer in my hands, Sri Lankan cross dangling from my wrist, "Body of Christ".

Amen.

I liked that priest. He preached an awesome sermon on the Feast Day of Christ the King about Gifting and Leadership. He seems frustrated and spent, no time for b.s. I got nervous a couple of times because he was so outspoken with his uncensored thoughts referring to "Prince Boo-Boo and his fiance" masquerading as world news. At first I thought he was talking about President Obama and I was going to have to stand up and leave (I saw a midwest billboard left over from midterm elections encouraging voting saying "Your country or Obama's regime?"), but he wasn't and I'm glad I stayed. A couple of the things that stuck with me - we all have gifts and we will be held accountable for how we have or have not used them. That we are called to lead with our gifts - all of us. "We're not just followers, dammit!" That the church should model a style of leadership that asks "what can we do for you, how can we serve you" instead of demanding "here's what you can do for me/us." WELL!

Well, Father Larry. I'm a Woman of God and a Leader. I am gifted with hosting an open table. Thank you for your words and hosting me, however reluctantly or not, at yours.

Thank you, Mary. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Alla Bozarth-Campbell. Thank you, Mom. Thank you, random bloggers.

Stumbled upon this post looking for the above poem this morning.

http://pastoretteponderings.blogspot.com/2008/02/bakerwoman-god.html