I am quite an avid reader, and am constantly on the look out for interesting books, preferably ones which don't necessarily follow a too familiar line. I spotted Pat Marsh's book "THE GIFT OF A CROSS" (published by Inspire ISBN 1-85852-297-8), at a CRE (Christian Resources Exhibition) where I was accompanying my wife.
The title drew me, then the contents which I found direct, powerful, searching, and compelling reading. It has echoes of 'Quoist', but stands in its own right. It is profound, reflective, and distinctly one for dipping into and meditating on - for me a MUST (I bought it)
Pat is a writer and retreat leader and has kindly given her permission for me to include her poem on this page.
The poem shown below the sculpture is taken from this book. It has inspired the Sculpture shown which may be one of a series probably based on other poems from her book which I have found to be very powerful and searching
The Crucifixion Tree
Luke 23 32-38
Before this day
his roughened hands
might have fashioned me into a thing
of usefulness or beauty;
he worked with wood you see,
a carpenter from Nazareth,
and before this day
he might have crafted me
into something special.
But today was different.
This was the day
that was to be
the turning point of history.
This day
my wood was to form
his crucifixion cross;
his blood was destined to drip
onto my timbers,
mingle sacrificially
with my sap.
This day they were to nail him to me
and leave him to die,
his only crime, speaking the Truth.
Pinned to me by savage spikes,
the cross I formed
bore the tragedy
of all the cruelty and sin
that man could inflict on man.
It was to be
my saddest hour,
this Friday noontide.
And after
he’d pronounced it
‘finished’
with his dying breath,
and the spear had pierced him,
just to make sure,
and the earth had trembled and violently shook,
the ones who loved him
lowered his body
reverently
and I stood
empty
on the hill,
splattered red,
the holes that housed the nails
and the pattern of his blood on me
the only evidence
of the purpose they had put me to.