[Jesus said] Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”    [Matthew’s Gospel 18:18-20]

Wendell Berry died this week, in his early nineties, after a life of  reflection, adventure, farming, theology, poetry and engagement in the beauty of the creation of which he was an avid part. 

His poem, The Peace of Wild Things appears regularly on social media pages, and in the Christian environmental pages. Berry writes beautifully, with patience and attention to detail – in the world around him, in his relationships.

The poem below speaks for itself.

It seems appropriate for the readings we have been walking through in these weeks; in Paul’s Roman letter about how the gift of the Spirit enables us to bear witness to (even to bless!) those seek our harm; in Matthew’s Gospel we are confronted as Jesus speaks about the demands of community and discipleship.

This week  Jesus speaks about shaping community around relationships and reconciliation, being honest and facing difficult issues and people In next week’s gospel reading, Jesus will answer Peter’s enquiry about the budget of forgiveness and blow his bottom line, completely.

May Wendell Berry rest in peace and rise again in glory.

To My Mother |  Wendell Berry

I was your rebellious son,
do you remember? Sometimes
I wonder if you do remember,
so complete has your forgiveness been.

So complete has your forgiveness been
I wonder sometimes if it did not
precede my wrong, and I erred,
safe found, within your love,

prepared ahead of me, the way home,
or my bed at night, so that almost
I should forgive you, who perhaps
foresaw the worst that I might do,

and forgave before I could act,
causing me to smile now, looking back,
to see how paltry was my worst,
compared to your forgiveness of it

already given. And this, then,
is the vision of that Heaven of which
we have heard, where those who love
each other have forgiven each other,

where, for that, the leaves are green,
the light a music in the air,
and all is unentangled,
and all is undismayed.

“To My Mother” by Wendell Berry,

from Entries. © Pantheon Books, 1994.