At the Church of the Nativity

Upstanding persons surely find it odd,
The way these pilgrims crawl to Bethlehem.
How baffling is the foolishness of God.

Two thousand years have passed, and still they plod,
Hoping a cave might shed some light on them.
Enlightened persons surely find it odd.

The virgin queen, derided as a fraud,
Wore sweat drops for her regal diadem.
How vulgar is the foolishness of God.

His manger had been mangled: partly gnawed
By oxen, partly damp from donkey phlegm.
Hygienic persons surely find it odd.

Naked he came, no robe, no crown, no rod:
A stone to be rejected, yet a gem.
How coarse and rare, the foolishness of God.

Infinite glory chose for its facade
The poverty that kings and courts condemn.
Upstanding persons surely find it odd.
How beautiful, the foolishness of God.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

What JD Vance Found in the Church

Robert Barron

In the sixth book of his Confessions, St. Augustine relates a story about an encounter he had…

Last Call for Submissions to the First Things Poetry Prize

Micah Mattix

The third annual First Things Poetry Prize is open for submissions until June 30. James Matthew Wilson is this year’s outside…

Jonathan Swift’s Savage Indignation

Algis Valiunas

Miranda: “O wonder! . . . / O brave new world / That has such people in’t!”Prospero:…