{"id":1695,"date":"2016-01-11T00:00:27","date_gmt":"2016-01-11T05:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=1695"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:48:01","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:48:01","slug":"jan-11-brute-beauty-and-valor-and-act-oh-air-pride-plume-here-buckle-g-m-hopkins-sj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2016\/01\/11\/jan-11-brute-beauty-and-valor-and-act-oh-air-pride-plume-here-buckle-g-m-hopkins-sj\/","title":{"rendered":"jan 11 — “Brute beauty and valor and act, oh, air, pride, plume here Buckle!” g m hopkins sj"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monday – January 11\u00a0\u2014 A Treasure . . . “buy the field”<\/strong><\/p>\n

People tell each other stories about what they see, and hear, and touch. \u00a0People listen to stories. \u00a0 This ancient rhythm weaves humans together over and over. \u00a0 We tell each other how we understand the wide world and little worlds. \u00a0 At universities we talk about \u201cresearch.\u201d \u00a0In my faith tradition we tell each other what we perceive in words from scripture. \u00a0 Telling and listening help make the world go round. \u00a0 The passage of time sifts words, sorting out the not very good from the good and the very good. \u00a0But in a lifetime of listening you can notice a few sayings so compelling that they hold their shape as clear and unforgettable for decades.<\/p>\n

Many people whom I know are keeping vigil today as Gerry Stockhausen labors with his dying in an Omaha hospital room kept company by some of the close women and men of his life. \u00a0 Once I heard Gerry preach a game-changer homily. \u00a0 I write how I remember what he said then as a way of keeping vigil this morning with my soul friend in that Omaha room.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Post – a treasure in a field<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; s\/he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything s\/he owns and buys the field.\u201d \u00a0Matthew 13:44<\/p>\n

Gerry Stock<\/strong> (as I remember what he said that day)<\/p>\n

The saying tells of a treasure and a field.\u00a0 Parables are not long, they reveal their meaning when you pay attention to the words. \u00a0 This parable does not say, “S\/he dug up the treasure, cleaned off the dirt, and carried the treasure away.” \u00a0If you want the treasure you have to take the whole field, everything in it, what you treasure and what you wish was not part of the deal. \u00a0It\u2019s that way when you fall in love and decide to commit to each other: \u201cFor better, for worse\u201d; good days and bad days; tenderness and fights; patience and impatience; grief and joy. \u00a0It\u2019s that way, too, when you decide to take on a new job or move to a new city, or commit yourself to a process of reconciliation that invests you more deeply in some real and earthy person or place.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is how I remember what Stock said one day some years back. \u00a0I\u2019ve not been the same since.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Have a blest day 1 of the university 2nd work week and the 1st week of classes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

p.s.\u00a0Teri Kult texted me this morning at 7:23 describing Gerry\u2019s night.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuiet night, very peaceful, it is all in God\u2019s hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

p.p.s. \u00a0 \u00a0One of GM Hopkins poems came to mind thinking of Stock this morning.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe Windhover: \u00a0To Christ our Lord\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

I caught this morning morning\u2019s minion, king-
\ndom of daylight\u2019s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in
\nhis riding
\nOf the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
\nHigh there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
\nIn his ecstasy! \u00a0then off, off forth on swing,
\nAs a skate\u2019s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl
\nand gliding
\nRebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
\nStirred for a bird,\u2013the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!<\/p>\n

Brute beauty and valor and act, oh, air, pride, plume here
\nBuckle! \u00a0And the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
\nTimes told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!<\/p>\n

No wonder of it: \u00a0sh\u00e9er pl\u1ed1d makes plough down sillion
\nShine, and blue-bleak embers, a my dear,
\nFall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.<\/p>\n

Gerard Manley Hopkins \u00a028 July 1844 \u2013 8 June, 1889<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monday – January 11\u00a0\u2014 A Treasure . . . “buy the field” People tell each other stories about what they see, and hear, and touch. \u00a0People listen to stories. \u00a0 This ancient rhythm weaves humans together over and over. \u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1695"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1695"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1696,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1695\/revisions\/1696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}