Take, Bless, Break, Give
A poem for Maundy Thursday
Each year, Christ Church in Short Hills, NJ, where I serve as Rector, sends out Lenten devotionals written by people in the parish. I wrote this for Maundy Thursday on the daily office gospel, Mark 14:12-25.
While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take; this is my body.”— Mk 14:22
Take, Bless, Break, Give
Take our ordinary lives, add a pause from the busy, time to share a meal, kids and elders together. Bring the daily bread and fruit of the vine for Jesus to make them extraordinary. Bless our mortal bodies, distressed and distracted minds, this food, those who prepared it, the earth that brought it forth, all who hunger and are alone. Make this bread and wine holy so we might become whole. Break our souls open to love this shattered world and salve our aching wounds. Pull apart the bread, tear it into bits, then divide up the abundance so all may feed and feast. Give our story purpose and our gathering grace. Stand up, go to the altar, empty hands out to receive the gift of God’s love. Then send us to serve the hungry and hurting. To care. To share.
Last year, our Lenten devotionals were inspired by images from The Saint John’s Bible and I wrote a reflection on “Lo, your king comes riding on a donkey” from Zechariah.
Three years ago, we wrote meditations on The Great Litany and I wrote one for Good Friday called “The Great Litany as an Off-Ramp.”
A few other people in the parish write their Lenten devotionals as poems too, which brings me great joy, like this one by Libby Clarke called “The Light We Make.”
Q: What are your beloved Holy Week poems? Email your reply or comment on the Substack app.