Blessings and Woes
Epiphany 6; Luke 6:17-26
Confront us with the mystery
that blessing graces misery
while fortune loads the dice for woe!
Our poverty can strip away
the gilded idols of our day,
while wealth can stifle what might grow.
Our hunger seeks out nourishment
and hungry souls will be content
with nothing short of Spirit source,
but bellies filled beyond excess
find illness shows them more is less,
and vacant souls have no recourse.
Our grieving can unveil the heart,
and though we painfully depart,
our journey opens us to joy,
while those who mock and laugh and play
will blunder on their merry way
to face the depths that can destroy.
There’s blessing in rejection too:
the hateful words they hurl at you
bounce off the Word that God reveals,
while those who pay the price of fame
risk losing their God-given name,
seduced by flattering appeals.
Barbara Messner 8/02/2022
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Barb, poet priest 
This sears the heart. Thank you, deeply.
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“…wealth may stifle what might grow.” So starkly true. Thank you.
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Thanks for letting me know that that line resonates with you. It’s encouraging when naming harsh truths to have that kinship of understanding.
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