Christmas Sails and Ships

Greetings,

      That most insightful Modern Monk Merton (Thomas) can always be counted on to get you thinking.  One of his poems related to the season started a long train of thought:

                  You have trusted no town

                  With the news behind your eyes.

                  You have drowned Gabriel’s word in thoughts like seas

                  And turned toward the stone mountain

                  To the treeless places.

                  Virgin of God, why are your clothes like sail?

      Which led to the very old German carol:

           

                  There comes a ship a-sailing

                        With angels flying fast;

                  She bears a splendid cargo

                        And has a mighty mast.

                  This ship is fully laden,

                        Right to her highest board;

                  She bears the Son from heaven,

                        God’s high eternal word.

                  And that ship’s name is Mary,

                        Of flowers the rose is she,

                  And brings to us her baby

                        From sin to set us free.

                  The ship made in this fashion,

                        In which such store was cast,

                  Her sail is love’s sweet passion,

                        The Holy Ghost her mast.

      Which, of course, was followed by I Saw Three Ships.  When I was growing up it took me a long time to understand the possibilities of three ships sailing into landlocked Bethlehem.  Now I watch in awe as our Savior Christ and his lady and Joseph go sailing by.  Indeed, by God’s grace I am at times enabled to sail with them into those places where only a ship masted/mastered by the Holy Ghost could go.  For “so hallow’d and so gracious is the time” that time and place are transformed, and in the power of the Spirit even we can be transported to make real the will and love of God in the world. 

Yours & His,

DED