the poet and priest Gerard Manley Hopkins writes:
I say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God’s eye what in God’s eye he is -
Christ. For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.
so play i will. it’s my idea #21. over the rhine sings that idea 21 is the answer to “how long ….?”:
Too late
I know it’s not too late
To wrestle with this angel
Higher and higher
Don’t let go
Higher and higher
Before we know
How does it end
How does it end
We’re all riding on the last train
Trying to find our way home again
my idea #21 is to play well, the answer to the question, “what will i do with this life?” i’ll play, Lord. i’ll play to mark this life when it is “lived beyond necessity, beyond mere survival.” I’ll play through “words and sounds and actions that are ‘played’ for another, intentional and meaningful renderings of beauty or truth or goodness.” i’ll play, God. it’s not too late.
