~ by Lawrence Hall
“Till the Devil whispered behind the leaves: ‘It’s pretty, but is it Art?’”
~Kipling, The Conundrum of the Workshops.
The Angel visits Mary in Her house
and She, in turn, visits Elizabeth,
and rides with Joseph, then, to Bethlehem
and in a Stable delivers Her Child,
and, with Joseph, presents Him in the Temple.
In our grandparents’ homes – and now in ours.
In the Jordan, Jesus is baptized by John,
and then at Cana changes water into wine
and preaches, and feeds His people on the mount,
and reveals Himself in the Transfiguration,
and gives himself in the first Eucharist.
In our dear parents’ homes – and now in ours.
Jesus prays in agony in Gethsemane,
and then He is arrested and beaten,
and crowned with thorns, humiliation, and pain,
and carries the Cross of our sins to Calvary,
and dies on that Cross so that we might live.
In our very own homes – now and forever.
On the third day, He rises forever
and He ascends, as He said He would,
and sends the Holy Spirit in a mighty wind,
and takes His Blessed Mother to Himself
and crowns Her Queen of Heaven and Earth.
In our grown children’s homes – and still in ours.
And the Devil sneers (‘cause he thinks he’s smart)
“Oh, that’s just kitsch; it isn’t really Art!”