LECTIONARY FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT (Gospel Reading for Mothering Sunday): “Swords and Souls” (Luke 2:33-35)

A sword will pierce your soul,

As a word will prise the heart,

Taking what was given,

And tearing it apart,

Born to live by a heartbeat’s rhythm,

Living to die by the hands of those forgiven,

A gift from God to human hands,

This child, immaculate, perfection’s hope driven,

Marvelling at phrases and storing up treasures in hearts,

Birth-blessings descend, an explosion of words,

But where this life ends,

Is on a tree, preceded by the clatter of swords,

There is redemption to be found,

In this little life’s fulfilment at the cross,

And with it the weight of a parent’s pain,

Salvation is attained, but not without cost.