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The Inner History of a Day

John O'Donohue, John O'Donohue poetry, Christian, Christian poetry, Catholic poetry, [TRADITION SUB2] poetry, Secular or Eclectic poetry by John O'Donohue
(1956 - 2008) Timeline

Original Language
English

Christian : Catholic
Secular or Eclectic
20th Century

No one knew the name of this day;
Born quietly from deepest night,
It hid its face in light,
Demanded nothing for itself,
Opened out to offer each of us
A field of brightness that traveled ahead,
Providing in time, ground to hold our footsteps
And the light of thought to show the way.

The mind of the day draws no attention;
It dwells within the silence with elegance
To create a space for all our words,
Drawing us to listen inward and outward.

We seldom notice how each day is a holy place
Where the eucharist of the ordinary happens,
Transforming our broken fragments
Into an eternal continuity that keeps us.

Somewhere in us a dignity presides
That is more gracious than the smallness
That fuels us with fear and force,
A dignity that trusts the form a day takes.

So at the end of this day, we give thanks
For being betrothed to the unknown
And for the secret work
Through which the mind of the day
And wisdom of the soul become one.

 

 

-- from To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, by John O'Donohue

Amazon.com

 


/ Photo by Esparta /

Themes

  Birth, Rebirth
  Light
  Night
  Silence
  Sound


Recommended Books


Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, by John O'Donohue
Beauty: The Invisible Embrace, by John O'Donohue
Conamara Blues, by John O'Donohue
Divine Beauty: The Invisible Embrace, by John O'Donohue
Echoes of Memory, by John O'Donohue

More >>

 

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Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.