EVIL

“You told me to feed the hungry, clothe the naked,
Visit the sick, the prisoner, befriend
The stranger. Does the job never end?
I do it, but lately my morale is shaken.

Every year more hungry, lonely, needy
People, more strangers, endless refugees.
Do I dare confess I’m thinking, “What’s the use?”
“Try to accept that in failing you succeed.

My kingdom is not triumphant. You provide
Food and shelter, but more than that. Your body,
Your mind and soul have shared the work of God,
To cleanse and heal and bless the crucified.

You grow and stretch and change, fulfilling ever,
Confronting with me the starkness and strength of evil.”

(51, September 4, 1992)

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