Feb 17: I love when poetry and prayer are the same

I happened to find a flash disk this morning as I walked out of the house. And because S and I cannot figure out what happened to all of our wedding poetry, I put it in my pocket. I didn't find our wedding poetry. But I found this poem/prayer I wrote in seminary. I captures my ambivalence about the BVM.



Mary of History
If you were actually a Virgin teach us the meaning of pure and undefiled

Mary of History
Since I don’t think that you were white, or had blue eyes teach us to love differences rather than to fear them.

Mary of History
You were not a European. Teach us the ways to bring peace to your homeland.


Mary of History
If you were really married; and if you were ever widowed. . . Teach us about marriage; teach us to care for the widow.

Mary of History
Since you were a woman you must have menstruated, and sweated, and gotten sick, and had cavities, and cut your toenails and done the mundane things that we do. Teach us to love our bodies as part of us.

Mary of History
They tell us we should believe that you were assumed into heaven. Remind us to balance the experiences of our reality with what I should believe.

Mary be alive in history.