and sitting down . . .

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:” Matthew 5:1-2

you could have sequestered yourself

writing a 20-volume Summa for us,

but you were out gathering children

on your lap, to tell them jokes 

as you listened gently to their fears.

you might have wandered through

the crowds that followed, autographing

robes, sandals, carpenter's tools, tax books,

but you knelt to draw forgiveness

in the sand pocked by a woman's tears.
you could have questioned us write

and left to see if we could pass the test,

but you challenged us to become

a community with the forgotten,

to embrace the hope offered to us

by those we try to rush by,

to be those tiny seeds of humility

scattered over the rich soil of the arrogant,

to see justice as our daily sacrifice for others,

to practice forgiveness as our language of love,

to see God grinning like a fool
at all the mistakes we make, while 

encouraging us to try, try again.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman