Nine o’clock: the host has not been put away.
The church decants its parishioners,
leaving the Saint-Sacrement unadored, trapped
in the wide-angled eye of its monstrance.
The priest forgot, distracted by the fire
in the presbytery, the church triathlon,
and social media posts of the diverting kind.
All night, God peers from his gilded case,
nothing to do but wait for morning
and soak up the prayers of the world—
Help me, Lord—I’m trapped in the boondocks,
in the city, in a sump of a marriage, in a toxic job,
in the clamp of debt, in sickness. Don’t forget me.—
then to be sheepishly rescued and, quite understanding,
wafted back to the ambry, safe in human hands.
Sin of Omission
Show Comments ()
The latest from america
Catholics across Texas and the world, including Pope Leo XIV, are offering their prayers and support after deadly flooding struck Texas on July 4.
Each year at this time, near the Fourth of July, we contemplate freedom. But maybe we are also being called to do an extended examination of our own fears.
Is it possible to embrace the idea of a special, evenly divinely ordained mission for America without violating Christian ethical principles?
Pope Leo XIV resumes tradition, arrives at Castel Gandolfo for vacation to restore ‘body and spirit’
Pope Leo XIV arrived in the papal summer retreat of Castel Gandolfo on Sunday to start a six-week vacation, giving the hilltop town back its most illustrious resident after Pope Francis stayed away during his 12-year pontificate.