"Glass" parts 1&2

I stand

Pressed up against glass

Gazing out and upwards into darkness

Towards Golgotha.

Midafternoon,, yet only darkness swirls before me

Screams of agony tear my ears

Demonic laughter rumbles

Despair-thickened darkness

A different shout rings forth

IT IS FINISHED!

All else is silenced

Darkness shreds

Living Light overpowers

Raising the very dead

The Glory of God, golden light

Drives me to my knees

Sheltered behind the glass.

Pure light illuminates all

Over me it pours red

Stained by the glass

As I behold the glory of God

Which no eye can fully bear

Mercifully revealed as I stare

Through the blood of the Son.

Part 2

The power of the light

Transforms all it touches

Moves me

Lifts me to stand

My wonder increases

As the glass becomes clearer, brighter

Shot through with streaks of purple and gold

I gaze about, lost in wonder

Amazed at the Love and Power

Pouring into me, over me

Through the glass

More I take in

Sweeter it grows

Lily-whiteness all, at last

Yet one blemish remains

My shadow.

Those behind me

See only glimmers

Of Light pouring into me

I look at them, first with pity

Then Love, and Humility

Transform shadow.

And those behind begin to point

As the blood-red hue

Reaches them too

They think I have changed

Been utterly turned into fire

But I smile, because I know

That at last

I have been utterly changed

Into glass.

Victor Hugo may have passed up Dostoevsky in my mind.

Seriously, Les Miserables is a superb book.  And that doesn't do it justice.  It is superb as The Brothers Karamazov is superb, and maybe even more so.  And I never really expected to say that.

I've only read one section out of five.  Already it strikes me as one of the most compelling, insightful, glorious, challenging books I have ever read in my life.

Who of my fellow Franciscans has read it?  Those of you who haven't, should.  It's public domain.  So if you have a Kindle, like I newly do, you can read it in a happy booklike form for free.  ^__^  If you don't, well, you can still read it online or on something like Kindle for PC for free.  And if you really, really want a bound copy, well, it's totally worth buying.  Timewise, it is of course an incredibly giant commitment... it reminds me of Brothers K for more than one reason, yes.  But, well, you can read it slowly and savor it.  And I think you will wind up, like me, being kind of glad it's so long because it's just... so... good.  I shall certainly be reading the rest of it, and then I do believe I shall track down The Hunchback of Notre Dame as well.

"He sternly asked himself what he had understood by this: 'My object is attained.'  He declared that his life, in truth, did have an object.  But what object? to conceal his name? to deceive the police? was it for so petty a thing that he had done all that he had done? had he no other object, which was the great one, which was the true one? To save, not his body, but his soul.  To become honest and good again.  To be an upright man! was it not that above all, that alone, which he had always wished, and which the bishop had enjoined upon him! ... Alas! that was the greatest of sacrifices, the most poignant of victories, the final step to be taken, but he must do it.  Mournful destiny! he could only enter into sanctity in the eyes of God, by returning into infamy in the eyes of men!"  -Les Miserables, Fantine VII.3.

Congrats to our Grads!

Congratulations to Melanie and Nicole, who are graduating/have graduated recently!  And a special congratulations to Melanie, who graduated with the highest GPA of any Electrical Engineer at USC this year.  Not too shabby.  :)  And the lovely Nicole is graduating from Biola, so if you're in the La Mirada area, go see both Nicole and Melanie walk on the 28th of this month!

On a different note, how many of us are still in school?  I still have two years (I hope) at SJSU in Aerospace Engineering (if rising tuition doesn't kill me).  Lydia is pursuing her PhD at UCR, and the gentleman Brett is going to Pepperdine next year towards his law degree.  Sarah is working on a master's degree (I forget all the shiny details, but I know there's online work involved).

And let's not forget about Dorothy, who's off in very far away places doing awesome things.  I believe she's extended an open invitation for us to tour Europe with her.  If anyone wants to kayak from California to Europe with me, I'll buy one of the paddles.

--Sam