The Unclad Soul

I have not been to church in a long while. For someone who spent so many years in the church it sometimes surprises me that it is no longer a vital part of my life. A few years ago I would sometimes slip into the Cathedral Santuario de la Virgen de Guadalupe in downtown Dallas. It’s a beautiful, sacred space. There are daily masses both in English and Spanish. Inside the sanctuary is a large, life-like crucifix of Jesus and other smaller but elaborate sculptures of biblical scenes. The Cathedral was built in 1902 and has been through various renovations and is today a vibrant and popular place of worship for Catholics. I have many issues with the Roman Catholic Church, and the institutional Church in general. And I have no interest whatsoever in the giant mega evangelical churches that remind me of convention centers or entertainment venues. But there, in the quiet of the Cathedral, I have often felt something deeply spiritual stir within me. For some time now, church...

Good Morning Good morning to the great trees That bend above this little house; Good morning to the wind that comes And goes among the leaves, and sings; Good morning to the birds, the grass, Good morning to the bare ground; Good morning, pond across the way That must have opened both its eyes; Good morning, everything that shines Or doesn’t shine; good morning, mole And worm and nesting mouse—good morning, Morning to all things that ever Were and will be, and that are. ~ From, “Good Morning: Last Poems,” by Mark Van Doren