Poem: “CHRIST IN THE RUBBLE” (Author Unknown)

O Christ, beneath the fallen stones,
Nailed fast to twisted bars of steel.
And slain in flesh and blood and bones,
Pierced by the fear all mortals feel:
Arise from ash and dust and death,
And breathe into crushed hearts new Breath.

O Christ, among the wreckage shorn
Of hope for those who lie there dead,
Yet bathed in sweat of labors borne
To free the grieving from their dread:
Arise from our despair’s long night,
And pour upon us living Light.

O Christ, within a world at war,
Where love and hate fight for the soul,
And all sights trained on death see far,
But only love can see the whole:
Arise from unforgiving pain,
And teach us how to love again.

Source: Magnificat, September 2006; page 145.