KNEELING IN CHURCH

A Saturday morning in Church gives birth to this poem...

KNEELING IN CHURCH

by matt burns

It’s Saturday morning Mass

Memorial Mass for family members

9am

There aren’t many people in the church

The priest reads passages that I try to pay attention to

But they don’t resonate with me

They’re not saying much

Just about Jesus saving Israelites

Or is it Moses?

Not sure

One thing I do like, though, is when the priest pauses a bit

For meditation

And the whole church is silent

I haven’t felt such a peaceful energy in a while

The church is small, bright, white…

And it embodies such a peaceful vibe

So tranquil

And you can hear the morning birds chirping outside

If there ever was a time I felt connected to a God

That time is probably now

I just want it to remain silent

And listen to Him speak

But then I guess the priest says we’re supposed to kneel

So I figure, When in Rome, I should do what everybody else does

I kneel

But the kneelers are so uncomfortable

They don’t have much cushion

And the wood digs into the bones of my knees

Kneeling in itself is uncomfortable for me

But then add the lack of cushioning

And it’s more uncomfortable 

The discomfort is a distraction

It gets in the way of me feeling God

And listening to God

I realize at that moment

That the kneelers are the devil

A pesky obstruction

Having no good purpose

Other than to get in the way of me

And God

And my clear communication with Him

The devil hath cunningly tricked us

Into thinking kneeling brings us closer to God

But the opposite is true…for me, anyway

In this moment

Kneeling brings me much further away from God