Holy Things

I figure I’m overdue for a more serious theological poem. Ironically, this one was written at a professional conference back in 2019, not during church or as a reflection on my own Bible reading. I think it was at the opening keynote. The speaker read a quote from Joseph Campbell, which I paraphrased in my notes as:

How do things become sacred? The easiest thing in the world is to render something sacred… by drawing a circle around it and saying everything inside that circle is sacred.

That line grabbed my attention, so of course I wrote a sonnet about it.

Holy Things

Originally written September 3, 2019

What are the things most holy in my life?
What do I give all honor and all praise?
What do I worship each and every day?
And thus defend with violent, holy strife?
My own priorities are misaligned,
Protecting things like my own privacy,
Protecting daydreams—foolish fantasies—
Protecting, above all, my own free time.
And yet, to those who have been given much,
We are required to give as much back.
I’m given much—there’s nothing that I lack—
I know—O God! I know—it’s true. As such
I need to sacrifice my precious space
In order to extend—and receive—grace.

Photo by Nathasja Vermaning on Unsplash