When I think of times our church has mucked
Up the gospel, muddying the waters
With rules and regulations about who
Is allowed to play and when, I think of
How Paul - hijacked, hacked apart, and resewn
Into a monstrous gatekeeper - compared
Us to one body. The funny thing is
A body takes multiple parts acting
Together simultaneously so
It can move. As I type this, my brain, my
neurons, muscles, tendons, and bones have to
work in a nanosecond ballet of
signals, jolts, and twitches to get these words
out of my brain and onto the screen.
And I think of my masters when I learned
How nutrients pair in harmony to
Hive the body what it needs: It can’t
Absorb calcium without Vitamin
D, Iron needs C, B12 and folate
Are both needed for cells to divide
And replicate so the body can grow.
In the same way, I’m reminded of those
Pairs of inseparable saints: Brigid and
Patrick, Paula and Jerome, Francis and
Claire, Juan and Theresa, who translated,
Mysteries, preached the word to those in need,
Clothed the poor, satisfied the thirsty, and
Fed the hungry, thus insuring that the
Gospel was bioavailable to
This broken and sacred body of Christ.