A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day

Image credit: free.messianicbible.com

LOVE AND THE AKEDAH

The Binding of Isaac – Genesis 22

Take your son

your only son

whom you love…

Twenty-two chapters into Scripture

and it's the first time love is mentioned

as God tells Abraham

Sacrifice Isaac

as a burnt offering

What swirls

through the mind

of this old patriarch

(who after a hundred years

fathers the son

of God's promise…

the son he loves

and proudly watches grow)

What swirls as he swings

the sharp axe, splitting wood

It was three days journey

from Beersheba to Moriah—

Leaving his servants behind

Abraham hands Isaac

the bundled wood

and carries fire and knife

up the mount

himself

Avi, (my father)

where is the lamb?

God will provide the lamb

my son

Abraham erects an altar of stone

arranges the wood and binds the lad

(whose faith and obedience

must be at least as great as his own)

Unflinching before the God

he has finally come to trust

the aged patriarch

(known to lie

to save his own skin

known to try to pull off

God's covenant himself

when it seemed God was slow

in keeping His promise)

this same patriarch…

raises the glinting blade

above his son, his only son

whom he loves…

Split-second

to knife-fall

the angel of the Lord calls out

Abraham! Abraham!

Do not lay a hand on the boy…

The old man

who has proven he would

withhold nothing from his God—

drops the bloodless blade

unbinds and embraces Isaac

and there, tangled

in a thicket, struggles

the substitute sacrifice

…a ram

Two millennia later

God's Son

His only Son

Whom He loves

carries wood

of a crossbeam

up the very same mountain

No angel of the Lord

arrives last moment

to halt the hammerfall

No ram appears

in a thicket

For God so loves

the world

He provides…

His Son

His only Son…The Sacrificial Lamb

Maude Carolan 

Are You Accustomed to the Cross?

A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day

Image credit: cndajin.com

ACCUSTOMED TO THE CROSS

I’m accustomed to the Cross.

I’ve seen it since childhood

gleaming high atop steeples,

crucifixes behind altar rails,

on hospital walls,

on bedroom walls,

depicted in framed masterpieces,

depicted in sculpted masterpieces,

described in written masterpieces,

marking graves in cemeteries,

illustrated in holy books,

affixed to lapels,

tattooed on forearms,

hanging silver and golden

and studded with diamonds

and sapphires from the necks

of men, women, children—

hanging, hanging on my mind.

So accustomed, yet

sometimes it is everywhere

and I don’t see it at all.

Today I see it afresh

sturdy and wooden and terrifying

through Good Friday eyes

that send streams down my cheeks

as blood streams from His wounds.

I shudder,

mindful of the Man

dying upon the beams

and the reason He is there—

Shudder

at the horror of it, Jesus my Lamb,

at the magnitude of it, Jesus my King,

at the love upon it, Jesus my Friend,

and my gratitude for it,

O Blessed Jesus,

my precious Lord and Savior

Who by Death

and Resurrection

purchased eternal life…for me.

Maude Carolan

Note: The above poem appears in my new book, "Behold the Lamb...poetically!"  Elm Hill Press. For more information click on maudecarolanpych.com

Come to the Totowa Library

Monday, March 9, 6:30 p.m.

I'll be reading from my new book

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

The library is located at  537 Totowa Road, Totowa, NJ.

There is parking in the rear.

Refreshments will be served.

Be sure to say, "Hello!"

"The Scrapbook Grandma Made For Me"

A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day...

I picked my grandchildren up from Catholic school yesterday and was greeted by their smiling faces and ash smudges on their foreheads. It was Ash Wednesday. I was reminded of a conversation we had last year during Lent and the following poem that our conversation inspired...

My paternal grandmother, Anna Maude Walsh
(1881--1961)

THE SCRAPBOOK GRANDMA MADE FOR ME

I picked up my grandchildren

at Saint Mary’s elementary school

They tossed their heavy backpacks

into the back of the car

got in and fastened their seatbelts

They know the routine—

don’t need to be reminded anymore

As we drove off

I could hear them in the back seat

talking about Lent and fasting

Dean and Alana gave up electronics

Their big brother Logan

now in high school

gave up chocolate

Dean asked, “Grandma

what did you give up?”

I told Dean I didn’t give up

anything this Lent, instead

I give Jesus a gift of new poems—

Some days I spend quiet time

writing poems that give glory to Him

and every day I post

a Lenten poem on my blog

Dean said, “Wow! That’s a lot

of poems, Grandma!”

I explained that it’s perfectly fine

to give up things for 40 days, but

sometimes people do other things

like donating to a charity

or visiting the sick

or baking cookies for an elderly neighbor

anything that draws them closer to God

Then I thought about my own grandmother—

She lived next door

when I was growing up

Grandma loved the Lord

and often talked to me about Him

She even made me a special scrapbook

with a cardboard cover

that she decorated with flowers

she carefully cut

from a Burpee seed catalog

The scrapbook contained pictures of children

kittens and puppies, and Howdy Doody

but more importantly, it contained

the 11 chapter story by Charles Dickens

that he wrote for his children in the 1840s

called, The Life of Our Lord

The story was published as a serial

in the Paterson Morning Call, in the 1950s

I still have that scrapbook

still appreciate that Grandma took the time

to make it just for me

It’s the kind of thing grandmas do—

Important things like that

Maude Carolan Pych

The above poem is published in my new book, "Behold the Lamb...poetically!" Elm Hill Press. For more information go to maudecarolanpych.com

A-Poem-a-Day Throughout Lent...

A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day...

Image credit: whitememorial.org

ASH WEDNESDAY REFLECTION

It’s Ash Wednesday—

Off in the distance, I hear thunder

thunder, like the sound of a big bass drum

There’s a BOOM and a BOOM and a BOOM

and a BOOM

like ticking and ticking and ticking

of a clock     Like a pulse     pulsing

Like beats     Heartbeats

Mine—

I’m reminded of time wasted

and time used wisely

of goals realized

and goals not met

Have I said the important things?

Have I done them?

Have I given enough?

Have I loved enough?     Forgiven?

Accepted forgiveness?

Is the world better because I’m here?

Have I done what I need to do       with God?

I listen for the next strike to the drum

and the next

BOOM and a BOOM and a BOOM

I don’t want the rhythm to stop

but       it will

I recall our vigil at Joanne’s bedside—

Remember holding my breath, waiting for her next

waiting for each heartbeat       Wishing

my hoping was enough

to keep her

The beat goes on     It won’t falter

until     BOOM and a BOOM…..BOOM

and     silence

dead silence

and that’s it

That’s when what I’ve done

or haven’t done

with God

takes over

Maude Carolan Pych

For more Lenten poems...

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

is available at Amazon.com

For more information go to maudecarolanpych.com

And...I'll be reading from my book

and signing copies at the

Totowa Library

537 Totowa Road, Totowa Borough, NJ

Monday, March 9 at 6:30 pm

(Parking in the rear.)

Refreshments will be served.

Come, say "Hello!"

I look forward to meeting you.

In the Valley of Elah...

Beginning Ash Wednesday...

A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day

Right here...on this website!

Image credit: letterpile.com

THE VALLEY OF ELAH

Israel Pilgrimage—2006

Our spritely band of pilgrims

stop at the Valley of Elah—

a wide-open field

of dry grass and an old rocky

dried up spring, somewhere

in the general vicinity

of where David slew Goliath

Oftentimes pilgrims perform

a loose reenactment

of the Biblical account—

so we select our cast

Six foot six Shawn, obviously

is cast as the giant

and Mary Rose’s

slight young daughter, Ariana

agrees to be David

(after a little arm twisting)

While Big Shawn is sprawled

flat on the ground

and Ariana lifts her slingshot

to declare victory

I select five smooth stones

from among thousands

in the bed of the brook

and place them

in my pocket

for one never knows

when one will encounter

a giant in the land

Maude Carolan Pych

How about a book of devotional poems

to read during Lent?

It's available now at Amazon.com

and barnesandnoble.com

For more information go to maudecarolanpych.com

And...

I'll be reading from "Behold the Lamb...poetically!"
Monday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m.
at the Totowa Library
537 Totowa Road, Totowa Borough, NJ
(Parking in the rear)
Refreshments will be served.

Come, say "Hello!"

God's Valentine to Us...

GOD’S UNFATHOMABLE LOVE   

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His

only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him

shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NASB

For God—

The Majestic Almighty, Omnipotent, King of Kings

Ancient of Days, Elohim, Adonai

my beloved Abba Father

so loved—

with the bigness of His gracious agape heart

a love unfathomable, unconditional

and abounding in mercy

the world—

the whole wide world and everyone in it

in Israel, Jordan, Iran, Russia, Nigeria, China

in Ireland and Italy, where my ancestors came from

in HochHausen, Germany, where loved ones reside

where we’ve been on vacation, Aruba and Bermuda

and all of us right here, in Wayne, New Jersey

that He gave His only begotten Son—

given to us, freely, our Father’s extraordinary gift of Yeshua/Jesus

His sinless Son, to save us from punishment we deserve

for sins we have committed

that whoever believes in Him—

so all we need do to receive this wondrous gift

is believe God’s trustworthy Word

believe that Jesus was born into the world

and that He is our promised Savior

shall not perish—

because of Jesus’ sacrifice upon Calvary’s Tree

and because His Most Precious Blood atoned for all our sins

death has been swallowed up in victory!

but have eternal life—

because of Jesus’ miraculous Resurrection from death

we live because He lives

and will dwell with Him

in the Kingdom of Heaven

to enjoy unimaginable splendors

forever…forevermore

Praise the Lord!

Maude Carolan Pych

Announcing a Special Author Presentation

at the Totowa Library, Monday, March 9, 6:30 p.m.

Come, hear me read poems from my new book.

I'll be available to sign copies.

The library is located at

537 Totowa Road, Totowa Borough, NJ

Parking available in the rear.

Refreshments will be served.

"MY CIRCUMCISED HEART"

MY CIRCUMCISED HEART

There was no mohel

no Bris Milah on my eighth day

no drop of blood

from my cloven heart

So, when and how it happened

cannot be pinpointed

Perhaps it occurred

when I read Moses’ face shone

after he was in the presence

of the Lord, on the mountain

or that David danced

uninhibitedly before the Ark

out of impassioned love for God

or perhaps when I heard Boaz

put his covering

over the gentile Ruth

and became her kinsman-redeemer

Oh, it might have been

when I made aliyah[1] in ’86 or ‘87

or again in 2006

each time praying

at the Wall and the Tomb

or it may have happened

upon becoming utterly awestruck

at the Little Cupula of the Tablets

while considering Messiah’s return

or possibly it was the night we sang

every carol we knew

in the shepherd field of Bethlehem

It could even have been

when I drank water from

the ancient Jacob's Well

or the morning I experienced sunrise

over the Dead Sea

dreaming of the Great Day

when fish will thrive

and vegetation bloom, miraculously

in its healed waters

It may well have been

the sight and smell of the land

as I walked in the footsteps

of my Jewish Savior

or when my heart

caught fire while reading

the melodious Psalms

or Solomon's Song of Songs

or as I poured over the account

of Peter's prison praise

Actually it probably was when

I received blessed assurance

that I am eternally saved

by the precious Blood of the Lamb…

All I know is

some way, somehow

something happened

to spiritually circumcise

this gentile heart

making it echad[2]

with the Heart of the God

of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

and I haven’t for a single moment

been the same

since—

Maude Carolan Pych

(Formerly “The Circumcised Heart”)

---

[1] Aliyah means ascent in Hebrew.

[2] Echad means one in Hebrew.

Lent is Coming...

My book has many poetic meditations

on the Crucifixion & Resurrection of Jesus.

To order your copy of

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

Go to maudecarolanpych.com

or amazon.com

Treasures Within...

Many years ago, while visiting

the Museum of Natural History in New York

I saw the gemstone exhibit

and was astonished to see the beauty within

what seemed to be very ordinary rocks.

That visit inspired the following poem...

Photo credit: pinterest.com.au

 ORDINARY ROCKS

We see every kind

everywhere every day,

ordinary rocks...

pebbles, stones, boulders,

fossil, shale, gravel,

gray, brown, black,

russet, rose, ecru,

speckled, smooth,

flat, jagged, oval,

dull, dirty,

glittery

rocks

so ordinary

we hardly notice them at all

unless we stumble over one

in the path along our way.

God could’ve made all rocks

ordinary,

but instead

He astounds us

with fiery magnificence.

Inside of some

He put emeralds,

amethysts, opals,

diamonds,

star sapphires,

blood-red rubies.

He dazzles us

with extraordinary treasures

inside ordinary earthy rocks,

like the Unsurpassable Treasure

He longs to put

within our ordinary earthy selves.

Maude Carolan

Photo credit: earthygems.com