The Seasons: A Poem

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Sunrise over Amazing Grasses Family Farm The mad Artist wields His brush, Painted colors rush, To life and give flush, Before the quiet autumn hush. The life seems to pour, As colors fall to the floor, To be seen no more, Outside the dark, grey door. Brightness from below, Sun upon the snow, High, cold clouds blow, Flakes and ice appear to grow. The man melts with little seen, Underneath, pale, grey green, Hides life in dark unseen, Waits for warmth and to careen. Buds on branches show, Patience starts to grow, Trickles, streams and veins flow, Bringing fruits of melted snow. Sprung to life it springs, Bees, birds, sound rings, Lush green flings, Its gift bounty brings. Green growth gives one last rush, Underneath the Painter's brush. The mad Artist wields His brush, before the quiet autumn hush. More poetry is available from James M. Hahn in  The Last Dragon and Other Poems  available now. My new book of cryptogram puzzles " Secret Messages from the Saints " is avai
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Why you should join our 90 Day Adventure through the Bible!

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The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone.
Let others follow, if they can!
Let them a journey new begin.
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

I am old, Gandalf. I don't look it, but I am beginning to feel it in my heart of hearts. Well-preserved indeed! Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can't be right. I need a change, or something.

And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge.

     I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
     So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.



Most of us are quite familiar with the passages above.  These are random excerpts from J.R.R. Tolkien's classic, The Lord of the Rings.  Knowing the story, we are instantly brought in time and space to the world of Middle Earth.  We think of hobbits, trolls, elves, and wizards.  In our mind's eye we see the Ring and Mordor.  We hear Tom Bombadil traveling to and fro and the cry of the Nazgul off in the distance.

If you aren't familiar with this story.  These passages and most of the preceding paragraph can seem strange and foreign.  If you've not spent time in Middle Earth the Riders of Rohan, Ents, Isengard, and the Prancing Pony are completely lost to you.  Might I suggest you pick up the books immediately and begin a remarkable journey.

What if I were to mention Rahab, Gideon, Cyrus, or Absalom?  Would those sound more familiar?  Or perhaps you've visited Ur of the Chaldeans, traveled toward the Negeb, or rested near Ziklag?  Do these places sound familiar?  These names and places are from the Bible but to many of us they are just as foreign as Middle Earth!

Let's suppose that you and I met every week for an hour or so with some friends.  During that time we read from the Lord of The Rings.  However, instead of reading the story from beginning to end, each week we read parts of it...at random.  Each week you'd read a passage from the Fellowship of the Ring, I'd read from the Two Towers, and someone else could read from The Return of the King.  If we did this, how long do you think it would take for us to get the entire Lord of the Rings story straight in our minds.  I would argue that it would most likely take decades if ever!!

Yet this is very similar to what we do each week at Mass.  We hear bits and pieces of an incredible story without ever hearing the story itself!  One week we hear about Rahab and the spies of Israel.  Another week it's the call of Abram.  This goes on and on and sometimes, even after a lifetime of hearing these passages, many of us still don't know the full story.  Wouldn't it be awesome if you could read the story from beginning to end!?  Wouldn't you be able to get so much more out of the passages you hear at Mass if you knew the story and where the passages fit into the story!?

Thankfully there is a way to read through the Bible and get the story!  The Bible Timeline takes you through the narrative books of the Bible giving you the complete story of Salvation History.  I highly encourage everyone to join this study if it's offered at your parish.  You won't regret the time invested!

However, if your parish is not offering this, you don't have the time, or you want to get started ASAP, I would invite you to join us on a 90 Day Adventure Through the Bible.  Beginning on Thanksgiving (November 28, 2019) we will spend the next 90 days (ending on Ash Wednesday) traveling through the narrative books of the Bible.  Each day we'll be posting the readings for the day, thoughts, questions, and discussions to our Facebook Page.  If you don't use Facebook you can bookmark this blog and visit it each day to get most of the same information.

To get started:

Join Our Facebook Group


Get a notebook or journal

Invite a friend to join you

Bookmark this blog or page
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