Oct
29
2021
By Anonymous (not verified)
Father Andy Davy, MIC, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Plano, Illinois, also writes poetry. Here, we share some of his work and his commentaries on that work in the eighth installment of a weekly series.
Gandalf
The secret fire must bathe
The Prophet,
Powering words to save
Royal Lord shackled within
A serpent's tongue.
For only when the plan
Falls vanquished,
And the allure of control
Relinquished,
Can the Prophet be undone,
In order to be handed over
To the One
Who clothes from
Grey to White.
New prophetic power
Offered the baptism
Of Jordan's hour,
For those willing to fall at Khazad-dûm;
Entrusting away their strength and self-might,
Dying Love
Commended to Mountain's tomb.
Unseen Lord of men and elves,
Free us not to trust ourselves.
And as I lay beneath the dwarven height,
Made naked, O Eru
Clothe me now in sacred light.
In one of J.R.R. Tolkien's letters (#156), he writes about the sacrifice of Gandalf while fighting the Balrog (as recounted in the Lord of the Rings). His sacrifice was far deeper than we normally think. In his mind, Gandalf saw himself as "the only person who could direct the resistance to Sauron successfully," and now he had to sacrifice his life for his friends. As he fell at the Bridge of Khazadûm, Gandalf was giving up his control and placing everything into the hands of God (known in Tolkien's works as "Eru"). He did not know the outcome of his death and how God would "work all things for good" (Rom 8:28), but he emptied himself into the loving hands of the Lord. "So Gandalf sacrificed himself, was accepted, and enhanced, and returned." By Gandalf's total trust, he returned equipped now to stand up to an evil wizard who held the King of Rohan bound. In entering the waters of Baptism, we are called to let go of our plans, and fully entrust ourselves to the Divine Mercy, that we may rise from those waters-now clothed in the prophetic power of the Holy Spirit, and bring his word more powerfully forth as light overcoming the darkness.
Gandalf
The secret fire must bathe
The Prophet,
Powering words to save
Royal Lord shackled within
A serpent's tongue.
For only when the plan
Falls vanquished,
And the allure of control
Relinquished,
Can the Prophet be undone,
In order to be handed over
To the One
Who clothes from
Grey to White.
New prophetic power
Offered the baptism
Of Jordan's hour,
For those willing to fall at Khazad-dûm;
Entrusting away their strength and self-might,
Dying Love
Commended to Mountain's tomb.
Unseen Lord of men and elves,
Free us not to trust ourselves.
And as I lay beneath the dwarven height,
Made naked, O Eru
Clothe me now in sacred light.
In one of J.R.R. Tolkien's letters (#156), he writes about the sacrifice of Gandalf while fighting the Balrog (as recounted in the Lord of the Rings). His sacrifice was far deeper than we normally think. In his mind, Gandalf saw himself as "the only person who could direct the resistance to Sauron successfully," and now he had to sacrifice his life for his friends. As he fell at the Bridge of Khazadûm, Gandalf was giving up his control and placing everything into the hands of God (known in Tolkien's works as "Eru"). He did not know the outcome of his death and how God would "work all things for good" (Rom 8:28), but he emptied himself into the loving hands of the Lord. "So Gandalf sacrificed himself, was accepted, and enhanced, and returned." By Gandalf's total trust, he returned equipped now to stand up to an evil wizard who held the King of Rohan bound. In entering the waters of Baptism, we are called to let go of our plans, and fully entrust ourselves to the Divine Mercy, that we may rise from those waters-now clothed in the prophetic power of the Holy Spirit, and bring his word more powerfully forth as light overcoming the darkness.
DMMR
