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PDF versionVisiting a Grave
by Ed Hays on Apr. 16, 2009
A Psalm of E=MC2 Easter
Brother Einstein’s Easter Law
delights my hopeful heart,
which wishes to never die.
For that quantum equation maintains
that matter taken to the speed of light squared
is turned into pure energy again.
My body, so subject to sickness,
to aging and death's cold bite,
is a companion human body of Christ
who encountered the kiss of death
upon Good Friday’s consecrated cross.
The lifeless matter of his once vibrant body
was carried away to the grave,
condemned to become a worm's decaying dinner.
Yet, you who are Life could not stand to see
your beloved’s body decay,
so you carried out once again
your first and awesome act of creation.
You reanimated the matter of his body
and moved its molecules
at more than the speed of light,
and it was again transformed
into the Light of Lights,
into pure eternal energy.
In your infinite design
nothing dies;
it only changes form,
until it finally and forever changes
into your form,
into the energy of the light of Love Divine.
Take hope, my heart,
be firm, my feeble faith,
for the matter of the flesh and bone I call me
will also become an Einstein Easter Event.
From Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim by Ed Hays
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer for Visiting a Grave in a Cemetery
God of Abraham and of Moses,
Lord of the Living, who visited Jesus within His grave
and filled Him with the fullness of eternal life,
hear our prayer this day
as we come to the burial place of (name).
With reverence, we visit this sacred shrine
where his/her body was placed
within the womb of the earth
to await the final day of glory.
We pause in silence to be united with him/her.
pause for silent prayer
Lord, we have come on this pilgrimage of prayer
to keep the flame of love alive within our hearts.
As we read his/her name upon the marker-stone,
we rejoice because that name has been written for all ages
in the palm of Your divine hand.
May the breath of creation that surrounds this grave—
in trees, grass and earth, birds and sun—
join us in prayer.
May this pilgrimage remind us of what we already know:
that nothing dies;
rather, life is only transformed into new life.
Holy is this grave,
holy this earth that has held in gentle embrace
the bodies of all who are buried in this cemetery.
Lord,
with reverence, we leave a wreath of worship at this grave,
woven with love, adorned with memories
and with our faith in the reality
of that earthen Easter morning
when all the holy dead shall rise
in the splendor of Your glory.
Till that day, eternal rest to (name)
and to all the holy dead.
Amen
From Prayers for the Domestic Church by Ed Hays
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer action suggestion:
Visit the grave of a loved one and leave a wreath of your love.
Shower your love on those who are still with you in life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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I enjoyed both of these
I enjoyed both of these poems. The first makes me think of the Reiki/bishop problem and my husband who has dealt with electronics all his working life. The bishops are worried we will think energy comes from a pagan source I guess, my husband thinks everything is just electrons in varying clumps (a form of energy) and here you bring it all together as I see it - we are all in God and He is within us and there is nothing really pagan or strange about it - just wondrous love moving through everything. So be it.
The second I intend to keep for my funeral or for my husband's someday to use as a personal note at the gravesite. It is quite a nice poem. Thankyou for sharing.
I couldn't agree more. I've
I couldn't agree more. I've been feeling sad and incredulous since reading about the hierarchy's demonization of those who practice and believe in Reiki massage. The bishops claim to have thoroughly researched the "science" involved, yet they seem ignorant of quantum theory. I don't know why I'm surprissed, actually...but this is not the place to release negative energy. I just want to say again, thank you, Father Hays, for your open mind and heart.
Once again Fr Ed blows a good
Once again Fr Ed blows a good meditation by leaving out the Holy Name of Jesus. Embrace Jesus for He is God-come in the flesh the sole Mediator. Afraid of sounding too Catholic?
Excuse me! Christ is in the
Excuse me! Christ is in the first poem and Jesus in the second. Christ is Risen. Enjoy life and take off your blinders. You're the one who doesn't seem to want to be too Catholic.
" Christ " as in Christ have
" Christ "
as in Christ have mercy
as in Christe eleison
who encountered the kiss of death
upon Good Friday’s consecrated cross . . .
Afraid of reading?
What's the matter with you?
Afraid of writing your own poem?
Embrace you.
(Are you wearing your glasses?)
My husband's father, who just
My husband's father, who just came back into his life 4 yrs. ago after 35+ yrs. of absence, is dying in a hospital many hours away from us. This beautiful Einstein's Easter Law helps in so many ways. God is loving us all, bringing all together into God's infinity of Love and Light and Life. Thank you for this much-needed gift today.
You are a genius, Fr. Ed! A
You are a genius, Fr. Ed! A Psalm of E=MC2 Easter - I agree 100%,
Can anything bring us more hope than this one thought?
This is a most beautiful
This is a most beautiful interpretation of Einstein's theory. so in tune with my current praying with the book Prayers to an Evolutionary God. Your book, Prayers For A Planetary Pilgrim, is also my prayer companion. Thank you, Fr. Hays.
Thank you. Both beautifully
Thank you. Both beautifully said and close to what I have been trying to say. I will save these.
Both prayers touched my
Both prayers touched my heart. I too believe that Father Hays has the ability to define concepts like resurrection and God in ways that expand our own understanding of Him. Perhaps his prayers are not in the formal prayer style of the last 500 years, but his prayers speak to me at this time. I find these two prayers beautiful, enlightening, uplifting and hopeful...and his last words about showering our love on those who are still living is such an important message .the main message of Jesus "love one another"..... unfortunately we need to be constantly reminded to follow that commandment.
Thank you for two beautiful
Thank you for two beautiful poems! They will be part of my "keepers". God bless Father Ed! We really are all passengers on a time train.
Serendipitous - providential
Serendipitous - providential - amazing grace that this should appear the very day before my friend was to leave on the journey to his deceased wife's grave, his first visit there since her death last June. He printed it out and took it with him, and you provided him words of comfort and closure as he stood in the cold rain to say a final goodbye. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I am reminded of a poem that
I am reminded of a poem that was given to my mother upon the death of my father. Its key line is "Do not stand by my grave and cry; I am not there--I did not die" or something to that effect. The author speaks of being dead in one sense, certainly, but in a more important way still alive, part of the wind and the light. That was a great comfort to me, and was once again upon the death of my mother. I don't often visit the graves of my parents, because they are still with me, in the eyes of my daughters and in my dreams. I know without being able to explain it in theological terms that they are together, well, and happy again. Thanks for evoking these memories once again.
My business is extremely
My business is extremely thinking about the write's take on this discretion
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