Friendship of Jesus

 

Coptic Friendship Icon, 7h century A.D., Egypt

In this ancient icon, Jesus stands to the right, his large eyes seeming to encompass eternity.  In his right hand, Jesus holds a large book, presumably the Word of God.  The left hand of Jesus rests supportively on the shoulder of Menas, an early Christian martyr who lived in Egypt and Turkey from 285-309 A.D.  In his hand, Menas holds a scroll, on which it is assumed he is writing the story of his life.  The following is a poem I wrote as I spent time with this icon, a favorite, by the way, of Brother Roger of Taize.

***

As I scribble out my days

on the aging parchment wrapped

around my fragile life, a sometimes sharp,

insistent loneliness slips through

the letters that spill out; I long

for something more, a word, a sentence  

from beyond, a “yes” to reassure

that there is meaning, purpose

to my life, that I am not alone; 

impossible yearnings, I know,

 God so busy in our sprawling

world of death and life and questions

stretching far beyond all answers,

but, impossible though it might be,

sometimes that “yes” is there–

don’t ask me how–

I can’t explain the Presence–

nor the Absence, real as that is too–

but now and then there is that arm,

nailed once to wood of shame and isolation,

resting gentle on my shoulders,

eternal “yes” to all the empty spaces

on my scroll and in my life. 

         

Manna for Desert Days

I want, from time to time, to post a picture of something beautiful, along with a quotation that has been meaningful in my life.  The pictures all come from my camera or from daughter Karla’s camera; the quotations I have gathered over many years.  Hope these posts might be helpful to you.  I like to think of them as manna for our desert days.

***

A.J. Muste (1885-1967) is a man remembered for his work in the labor movement, the pacifist movement, the anti-Vietnam War movement, and the civil rights movement.  He is known to have stood with a candle for many nights outside the White House, protesting decisions of the government.  A reporter once asked him if he really thought such action would change the policies of the government.  Muste replied “Oh I don’t do this to change the country. I do this so the country won’t change me.”