Tag: work

Baking Bread

I have heard the earth is burning;
I can hear the tocsin ring,
but the planet still is turning—
I will see what morning brings.
For the hearth still needs its tending;
mouths are crying to be fed.
Yes, I know the world is ending,
so I stand here baking bread.

I have heard the fear that whispers,
heard the whispers turn to shouts.
I have offered no resistance
to the wisdom of my doubts.
But some other voice is calling
in the watches of the night,
saying, “Yes, the Temple's falling:
Will you offer me your mite?”

Should I so, O Christ my savior?
What I have is not enough,
but the little I can make here,
I will give the world in love.
For like Martha in her kitchen
and like Mary at your feet,
though my quiet work is hidden,
it is needed: Come and eat.

Johannes Vermeer Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, 1655 By Johannes Vermeer – fwE2zem7WDcSlA — Google Arts & Culture, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21865869

Stone By Stone

More from the Worship for Workers retreat at Laity Lodge:

The road is long and weary;
the work is never done,
but lay each brick you carry
upon the cornerstone
and God will build the city
where all will live in hope
from everything you're bringing,
and build it stone by stone.

So bring him all you're making,
your burdens and your bread,
and all that life is breaking
again and yet again.
Lay all on his foundation
and lean upon his strength,
for it will not be shaken,
the kingdom without end.

The work is neverending,
but still the city grows,
and every weight you carry
helps build another course.
For God will make the city
upon his own great love
And though you bring but little,
yet it will be enough.

Cornerstone at St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church, New Orleans, Louisiana (1866) By I, Infrogmation, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2230709