Saturday, October 20, 2007

The just man justices

I don't know why, but while I was working on my sermon this morning, I thought of this sonnet by Gerard Manley Hopkins:

As Kingfishers Catch Fire

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves -- goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.

I say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eyes what in God's eyes he is --
Christ. For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, I love it! No wonder you thought of it! (Or I think I would have if I'd known it, since the unjust judge has been on my mind for days now.)

Jan said...

Just man justices. . . . oh, how we need to meditate upon this. If enough of us think (pray) on this, could it come true??

Gannet Girl said...

One of my all time favorite poems. A Jesuit, kingfishers, light, and justice. Of course.

gartenfische said...

Beautiful. I am going to read this over several times throughout the day.

Thank you.

Fran said...

I love this- thank you. Have not seen it in awhile... amazing.