Author: Maria Evans

“I can no longer “tsk-tsk” the Psalmist
This time around…
Because he’s me…
And I have to live with the fact
That from time to time
I’ve been just as raw and audacious with God.”

“In that clever divine wisdom God has,
God chose instead
to make the DNA so ubiquitous
we can’t help 
but track it in on our shoes…”

“‘You know,’ I replied,
‘I think I saw that lady too.
She was by the side of the road.
She was beautiful, but older now.
But she wasn’t cheering like everyone else.
She was crying. I didn’t understand.’”

“Admittedly, 
I skip this one sometimes
when I’m saying the Daily Office
because it’s just too heavy
on the days I don’t need more heavy.”

“I’ve always wondered
what became
of those twelve baskets of bread crumbs.
Did the disciples take some with them, …”

“All it took
Was the glance back “like they knew all along”
Or the tone in their voices on the phone,
To affirm that, indeed, I’d done the best I could,
Even if I’d failed.”

“I wonder how many times any of us
went to bed convinced we knew the right thing,
the sensible thing,
and woke up the next morning
to do exactly the opposite–
because we discovered God had different plans.”

“When this is all over,
will we have the courage
to name our whitewashed tombs,
to heal the divides between us,
or will we choose to wallow in our self-righteousness,
whatever it happens to be,
Hold on to our outrage, whatever the source,
with ghostly white knuckles
and no room for reconciliation in our tightly clenched fists when this is all over?”

“We hear this tale
time and time again
and so often, our thoughts
wander to the audaciousness
of James’ and John’s mom’s request,
and their chutzpah.”