Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Lent Madness: Diego vs Donne

Welcome to Tuesday’s Lent Madness.    I confess I was a little surprised at how easily Jonathan Daniels won against Rutilio Grande,, but most of the people who play Lent Madness are Americans and Episcopalians, so not really a surprise that they’d go with their home team.  Still, as Saint Abba once said, the winner takes it all.

 

And now, with apologies to Olivia Newton John, let’s get metaphysical,  metaphysical …

 

Fairest morrow to thee, devotees of saints most holy,

To choose betwixt whom is but earthly folly,

For who saves’t but thou, O God, whom thine elect dost know?

For us to choose, tis but vain and silly show.

 

OK, how’s that for my impromptu tribute to one of the great metaphysical poets, John Donne, that most poetic of the saints, and most saintly of the poets, whose merits thou ….  OK, STOP!  ENOUGH!

 

Sorry, start again.   Seriously, all I remember about John Donne from first year English Lit was that he was seriously smart, stupidly handsome, led a wild and romantic youth, and then turned his considerable talents as a (largely incomprehensible) poet of love to the service of Jesus.

 

In contrast, Juan Diego never wrote any poems that I’ve heard of, nor had I even heard of him until Lent Madness this year.  Diego’s simple and sincere love of the Virgin goes head to head with Donne’s education and silver tongue.  Who will win?

 

Blessed be their memories.

 

You can vote here:

 

https://www.lentmadness.org/2023/03/juan-diego-v-john-donne/

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