On the Mystery of the Incarnation Dec22

On the Mystery of the Incarnation

A couple of weeks ago I posted Denise Levertov’s poem Annunciation. Several readers suggested another of my favorite Levertov poems, “On the Mystery of the Incarnation,” and today seems the perfect day to share it. Since the killings a week ago in Newtown, her poem has become all the more meaningful, as it confesses that we only really appreciate the mystery and beauty of the Incarnation – God becoming human in Jesus – when we recognize just how much we don’t deserve, yet simultaneously need, such a gesture of love. I could say more, but won’t. Her poem speaks for itself. I would invite you, though, to read it slowly, and...

The Annunciation Dec08

The Annunciation

We are not yet at the point of Advent where we hear the story of Gabriel’s visit to Mary. But, to be honest, I think we save that reading too late in the season to give it due attention. Perhaps it’s because, as Denise Levertov notices in her poem “The Annunciation,” we...