Miniature church bells awaken the gatherings purpose
Brief silence centers time, prayer, opens heaven’s gate
Some knit, others consume in conversations breezes
Intentions fill a treasure chest with gifts of frankincense
Each soul exalted, humanities blessings offer up hope
While burst of beauty’s banter, draw together time apart
Charity swift; we must go with our hearts, to comfort
Truths become louder, a shawl reminds, God; hugs all
Newness materializes, as fresh ideas surface in the din
An envelope passes, sunshine captured, for special needs
Grateful souls acknowledged, their cards, left untouched
Each knot, containers for compassions healing journey
Purls touch, prayers coalesce, tranquility begins her embrace
Love permeates, smiles brighten what could be emptiness
I cannot help but interrupt, I must trace the distance passed
Mystical theology confirms the Communion of Saints
Saint Rafqa present, her suffering not blind, she too knits
Beating hearts pound, their sonic booms overwhelm
like Monastic chants, echoing between earth and heaven
Joy transcends in an unanticipated moment, Christ… is here
Humble instructions bring back reality, hope begins to merge
God… knows each need, divine silence pierces gracefully
Each shawl is passed from person to person, prayers attach
Cradled from deep within, God speaks, again and again
His love increments, collecting mercy in mingled holiness
Suffering’s crosses ….. Amen
A new born child ….. Amen
Grief from a loss ….. Amen
A rite of passage ….. Amen
Battles to be won ….. Amen
…..
Peace enters deep, the basket lifts high
glory’s light has escaped, from underneath
Immediately upon entering a prayer shawl meeting I felt the pendulum swing towards heaven then slowly come back to normal time and space. It kept doing that throughout the entire meeting. I would melt into the din then suddenly be aware of some important element that seemed to come out of nowhere. I only have a small experience with monastic life, but have read a few quite interesting books on the subject. One in particular kept coming to mind during the meeting which is titled “Halfway to Heaven”. This group of women were connected to the Community of Saints in an extremely intimate way. In the prayers during the knitting process of shawls I felt they were collecting the mercy of heaven.
At the closing ceremony, each shawl, whether complete or still a figment of imagination was passed briefly so each person could allow their own prayers and thoughts to enter it. As each one reached me, there was instant recognition of the purpose of that particular shawl because “God knew the need” of each person to receive it. Like water taking the shape of its container, each shawl filled with equal parts humanity and divinity. Each shawl had made it halfway to heaven.
For further reflection: Prayer Shawl Ministries with James 5:13-15