Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Crown of beauty

These last two weeks I have been reflecting on crowns, a symbol of royalty, which is also your, and my inheritance. Do I want it? I don't always behave as if I do. Nor do I always believe I am deserving of my royal lineage.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe had a vision when he was 12. He saw the Mother of God holding out two crowns to him, a white one and a red one; white for purity and red for martyrdom. He accepted both, and lived his life accordingly. He is aptly named the Apostle of Consecration to Mary, and he died in Auschwitz when he voluntarily gave up his life for another who was condemned to die.

While I don't think I will ever have his fervour or courage, I am hoping that the white crown of purity will be mine, this crown of beauty, a royal diadem that Isaiah wrote about in chapter 62, for both P and I need it to ensure our marriage will be a true meeting of minds and heart; a union centred on Christ, with His mothe leading us to Him. May this crown of purity heal us, edify us, and help us grow more and more into the individuals we are created to be.

I wear a crown on my head.
It has been mine
since the day I was born.
Fashioned in gold,
intricately worked,
Encrusted with jewels,
crystalline and colourful.
How much you say it is worth?
Beyond priceless
Only because it was bought
Through, with, and
In the blood of the Lamb.
Although I sully it often,
prying out the stones,
Exchanging them
for worldly dross
It retains
a semblance of grace:
Imago dei
Nothing can separate us
from the love of Christ
Unless we disdain the gift.
So choose wisely
Every day.
Faith is not for the foolish
or faint-hearted.

I once gave away my crown

for far too long.
Lost my identity
My dignity
And my integrity.
Even wracked with pain,
I convinced myself
I was good.
I was fine!
Hey, I was free_
Rocking the pleasure principle.
A profligate prodigal
Gorging yet starving.
So don't believe
everything you hear
There is a hell, and sin
Will get you there.
It is true, you only live once.
Precisely why this life
must count for something.
Wear the crown with pride.
Labour with love
To make it shine
Let others bask in the glow
Of love's sweet sacrifice.
Don't stop!
Do not be afraid.
As it is proclaimed in 2:10*
Remain faithful until death
And I will give you the crown of life.

* The book of Revelations that we have been reading daily in the lectionary. 

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