The purpose of Poetslife is to promote the art and discipline of American Tactical Civil Defense for families and small businesses and to contribute practical American civil defense preparedness guidance for all Americans through my articles in the The American Civil Defense Association (TACDA.ORG) Journal of Civil Defense and leadership as the volunteer Vice President of TACDA.

Showing posts with label St. Michael the Archangel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Michael the Archangel. Show all posts

5/31/2008

St. Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel of Poplar Springs, MD

Mystery

Always, there is the mystery
that confronts you everyday.

An angel appears,

or Christ visits,
no one is sure to this day.

But a Protestant farmer

in remote Poplar Springs, MD,
hears him make a request:
"Please allow a small group
of Catholics to worship
in your farm house living room
and celebrate the Mass
from this Sunday forward.
I will be back to help them."
Against all logic,
the farmer does as requested.
A small gathering starts
Mass is celebrated.

The mass goers wait

for the Archdiocese of Baltimore
so far away in 1846 miles
to send the priest who visited
the Protestant farmer…
but no priest appears.
So they write the Archdiocese
to ask when the priest who visited
will return to say Mass for them.

But the Archdioceses, so heavy,

like the government , with bureaucrats
replies that they know of no priest.
Like the government,
sensing opportunity
to extend its territory still further,
in the earthly realm,

and concerned about the flock’s

sacramental and spiritual salvation
it eventually does send a priest.
and Mass is celebrated
Sunday after Sunday.
The Protestant farmer,
aware of the mystery,
converts,
and gives his land

to the One,
Holy, Catholic

and Apostolic Church

A small church

is built on his land,
and named "St. Michael the Archangel"
Despite the church building,
and the other church buildings
added over the years

the territory added

to the earthly kingdom
the mystery continues.
The mystery always continues
to confront you
in the birth of a child,
the death of a parent,
the disease of a spouse,
the love of a spouse,
the survival of democracy,
the horror of the jihadi's war.

It is a mystery,
but one that with faith,
eventually gives the answer
in this life
or the next.

October 6, 2002
Written in the St. Michael's parking lot about the mysterious origins of the founding of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Poplar Springs, MD