This Advent is a time for waiting.
“Come Lord Jesus. You came and went. Now come again, in us”.
A poem by an ancient teacher who helps us see this birthing process right here and now…….
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
With compassion upon this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks,
With compassion upon this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
~*~*~*~
Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)
Where have you noticed the birthing of Christ within you?
Where have you noticed the birthing of Christ without?
An Advent breath prayer…
Be born Jesus, in me.
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val-head
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I’ve always loved this prayer. It’s pasted on one of those “white” pages inside my Bible so I can refer to it often. May we all, as God’s beloved in the Beloved, birth the Beloved into a dark and choking world.
I have long since loved this poem as well Rob. When I saw it on [Bob Holmes] blog it reminded me of how true it was that we are waiting for Christ in us…but Teresa of Avila really has a way of fleshing that out for us, as any Doctor of the church could do.
I’ve always said that of the many great female saints I’d love to have to our home for dinner, Julian of Norwich, Hildegard von Bingen (she tells me to call her Hildy) and this great woman are among them.
Sounds like you and Hildy are tight, which brings up a point….what is the difference between the kind of presence one experiences in cyber communication and that of presence with the Saints? Hmmm. And by the way, I love your list and would add Little Therese of Lisieux, who was the youngest Doctor of them all.
I love Terry (she insists I call her this), the flower child for Jesus.
Ok. Hmmm, I am starting to really believe you now.
Do you know where this poem is located in St. Teresa’s Collected Works?