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Meditation 4

“Now our Lord bestowed great gifts through small means…”
—Homily on Our Lord (11)

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the
glory of God.” —1 Corinthians 10.31

The glory’s in the small stuff, for the small
stuff’s never small to whom the glory of
the Lord is known by it—the kindness, love,
encouragement—in short, God’s grace, and all
the many small ways Jesus spreads it through
His people to our grace-starved world. A light
and steady rain that goes on day and night
has power to cause the driest desert to
burst forth in life. A daily ray of sun
that warms the forest floor can coax unseen
potential to push through, all bright and green
announcing that a new life has begun.
__So sweat the small stuff. For where grace prevails
__God will be glorified in the details.

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Meditation 5

“He was the fisherman Who came down to fish for the lives of the lost.”
—Homily on Our Lord (15)

“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” —Matthew 4.19

When Jesus came to fish, the only bait
He proffered was His love. They watched Him heal
the sick, feed multitudes, bring down the great
but elevate the lowly, and reveal
the truth of God in words and deeds. He set
His line among a school of unschooled, poor,
unlikely souls. He reeled them in and let
them have a part in His commission, for
He meant them to embrace it as their own.
He kept them–all but one–and though they fled
back to their worldly pools, left Him alone
until at last the Fisherman was dead,
__He rose, and gathers them with great increase,
__and those once caught, He never will release.

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All quotes are from St. Ephraim the Syrian. Hymns and Homilies of St. Ephraim the Syrian, Paul A. Böer, Sr., ed. Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition. Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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T. M. Moore is Principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife and editor, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.

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9 Responses

  1. Roy E. Peterson

    The ability to produce rhymes that are within a continuing sentence must require a lot of diligence and creativity as reflected in these two Meditations so beautifully presented.

    Reply
    • T. M.

      Roy: Thanks. It is one of my goals in writing poetry to make the poems as conversational as possible, so that, reading them aloud, one is hardly aware of the rhymes or form. Is that more difficult? I don’t know. I do so much writing for my ministry (www.ailbe.org) that, at times, Susie (my editor) will remark that my writing sounds a bit like poetry. I’m not aware of that, nor do I strive for it in my prose. All of which is to say that the rhymes just seem to come when I’m thinking more in sentences than in lines. So thanks for your comment. You have provoked me to think a bit more about my work of poetry. Blessings. T. M.

      Reply
  2. Cynthia Erlandson

    Both of these meditations are good expositions of their epigraphs. I especially like Meditation 5, which carries the visual imagery of the fish and Fisherman through from beginning to end. “He set His line among a school of unschooled, poor, unlikely souls.” is wonderful in at least two ways: the fisherman metaphor compares — as Jesus did — the people to fish; and “schooled the unschooled” is a lovely play on words.

    Reply
  3. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Wonderful! I love “Meditation 4” – simply because I marvel at the small stuff. I see God in all the wonders I encounter on my bicycle rides with my camera… and when I look at the pictures I take closely, with the aid of modern technology, I know every earthly gift is a miracle from above. Thank you for a poem I will be sharing and returning to.

    Reply
  6. Shamik Banerjee

    Two great meditations, Mr. Moore. I especially like Meditation 5. “And those once caught, He never will release.” A true line! I’ve personally experienced it. Thanks for sharing these. God bless.

    Reply
    • T. M.

      Thank you, Shamik. We have an expression in this country that relates to certain fishing places, often those which are under government oversight. You can catch all the fish you like, but you can’t keep them. You must throw them back. “Catch and Release” is the policy in such places, but not with Jesus. T. M.

      Reply

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