Thursday, July 22, 2010

Carcer (Acts 12) (apocryphal Acts of Peter )





THE WORD CARCER IN LATIN

MEANS PRISON

TO INCARCERATE


MEANS

TO SEND TO PRISON



THE EARLY CHURCH

KNEW WELL

WHAT CARCER MEANT



EARLY ON THE PRISONS

COULD NOT KEEP THEM

CHAINS FELL OFF
DOORS WERE OPENED
THEY WALKED FREE



BUT LATER

CARCER MEANT

A DOORWAY

TO HEAVEN

IN FACT IT WAS A FATE

THAT MANY SOUGHT



TODAY

WE HAVE MANY

WHO WILL DIE FOR A CAUSE


WE SCOFF

FORGETTING

THAT THE CHURCH

IN ALL ITS FORMS

HAS MANY MARTYRS


SO WHERE

DOES IT END

HOW DO WE JUDGE


WHEN IT’S RIGHT

WHEN IT’S WRONG



TO PARAPHRASE PAUL

IF WHAT YOU DO

HAS NOT LOVE

THEN THE ACT

IS A CLANGING BELL

THAT IS OUT OF TUNE


BELIEFS

WHICH SHOULD

BETTER MAN

BELITTLE HIM



BETTER A WASTELAND

THEY THINK

THAN LET ANOTHER

SURVIVE


THE CHURCH

HAS A POOR TRACK RECORD

OF LETTING THE OTHER SURVIVE


IF WHAT WE DO

HASN’T GOT LOVE


MANY THINK

IT’S NAMBY-PAMBY


BUT TO LOVE ANOTHER

AT COST TO ONESELF

IS LIKE PETER

MEETING CHRIST ON THE ROAD

ASKING

QUO VADIS DOMINE


THE ANSWER

LED PETER

BACK TO ROME

TO DIE



FRANK A VOLLMER

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