Journey to Emmaus in Contemporary Scenes — Week 3
This week, Fr. Ron Will and Pamela Demasi, a Precious Blood companion and a member of the Kansas City Province’s Peace and Justice Committee, talk about being inspired by “The Hill We Climb,” the poem recited at the presidential inauguration in January by its author, Amanda Gorman.
The poem makes us re-evaluate what justice is, Pam says.
Fr. Ron begins by quoting commentary by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel on prophets: “The prophet is a poet. His experience is one known to the poets. What the poets know as poetic inspiration, the prophets call divine revelation. The inspiration of the artist is what is meant by ‘the hand of the lord which rests upon the prophet.’ … Prophecy is the product of poetic inspiration. Prophecy is poetry. And in poetry, everything is possible.”
Pam says, “Christ invites us to begin anew and to never lose hope. Poetry is where we find grace and peace in human form.” Gorman’s poem, she continues, “allows us to see where we have been and shows us where we must go, lighting the way with words.”
“Amanda Gorman’s words healed our wounds and resurrected our spirits. It was like a moment of incandescence where the pain and suffering gave way to hope.”
Fr. Ron says, “Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb” helps me rise above the day-to-day reality and helps me get a glimpse of the way things could be. … For me, this poem reveals the Kingdom of God, which Jesus programs is unfolding in our midst.”
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