The following poem was sent to us by a parishioner in response to The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel's sermon from Sunday morning (November 16). You may read Jarrett's sermon St. Martin Under Arrest here, and then read the poem below.
OFFERTORY
A
homeless person suddenly appeared
before
me, chanting in a cloud of steam.
His
fervent mumble echoed like a weird
confession;
one last effort to redeem
a
tattered soul. He rose up, offered me
his
cup, a Styrofoam collection plate,
and
pleaded, in a worn-out litany,
for
change. But I was spent and running
late;
I
turned my head and shunned his outstretched hand.
He
nodded slowly, smiled, and backed away—
Would
he have used my gift for contraband
or
was I witness to a Passion Play?
Such
Sacraments can never be complete
When
charity and vanity compete
John Tuton