narrative theology

These are two beautiful poems by Pádraig Ó Tuama, an Irish poet and theologian. I heard him read them on the Nomad podcast, which you can listen to here. I am so blessed by these words. 

Narrative Theology #1

And I said to him 

Are there answers to all of this? 

And he said 

The answer is in a story

and the story is being told. 

And I said 

But there is so much pain

And she answered, plainly,

Pain will happen. 

Then I said 

Will I ever find meaning? 

And they said 

You will find meaning 

Where you give meaning. 

The answer is in the story 

And the story isn't finished. 

Narrative Theology #2

I used to need to know

the end of every story

But these days I only need 

the start to get me going

God is the crack where the story begins 

We are the crack where the story gets interesting 

We are the choice of where to begin

The person going out, the stranger going in

God is the fracture and the ache in your voice 

God is the story flavored with choice 

God is the pillar of salt full of pity 

accusing God for the sulfurous city 

God is the woman who bleeds and who touches 

We are the story of courage or blushes

God is the story of whatever works 

God is the twist at the end, and the quirks

We are the start and we are the center 

We are the characters, narrators, inventors 

God is the bit that we can't explain 

Maybe the healing, maybe the pain 

We are the bit that God can't explain 

Maybe the harmony, maybe the strain 

God is the plot and we are the writers 

The story of winners, the story of fighters

The story of love and the story of rupture 

The story of stories, the story without structure