Joseph Chan
Where were you when I needed you most?
The sky thundered,
The rain flooded,
And the winds shrieked!
Stricken, I could not see;
Pounded, I could not hear;
Broken, paralyzed;
Anguished, drowned with tears.
Afflicted, I screamed for help;
Terrified, my heart shattered for affection;
Breathless, I sighed for your love;
Confused, my soul vanished to oblivion.
Darkness covered the earth;
Stillness, the wrath of gloom;
Silence, the deafness of death;
Then life faded into mist.
Clouds soared over the horizon.
His right hand pierced through,
Extended to my being,
And God came to me.
Why your unbelief?
Before you were born,
I have called you by name.
You were mine.
I have fixed your trunk to make you forthright,
Your pelvis, to make you steadfast,
Sewn you up so the bleeding ceased,
Saved you to make you whole.
Void, you will discover me anew!
Deaf, obey me with your heart!
Fractured, you are steeled to endure!
Stunned, exclaim the Good News!
Have you empathized with me?
Have my wounds become yours?
Has a centurion stabbed your chest?
Has my cross weighed down your shoulder?
I called you and you resigned.
My will and your will were molded.
Mortified by such a tragic cost,
My protective embrace caused my own demise.
I spared you for redemption,
For with me, nothing is impossible.
Never let go of my outstretched hand,
It is the time when I needed you most.
Christmas 2012
Br. Cassian Elkins, OSB