Spiritual Sunday
Ramadan begins this coming Saturday so it’s fortuitous that today’s Old Testament lectionary reading should overlap with the Muslim faith. The story tells of Hagar and Ishmael’s exile, which is believed to have resulted in the founding of the Arab people.
Here’s a Rumi poem celebrating Ramadan. Note that the Sufi poet himself has no problem with borrowing images from other faith traditions to capture his deep sense of divinity moving in the world. The Kaaba, incidentally, is the sacred mosque in Mecca towards which all Muslims direct their prayers.
There’s hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness.
We are lutes, no more, no less.
If the soundboxes stuffed full of anything, no music.
If the brain and belly are burning clean with fasting,
every moment a new song comes out of the fire.
The fog clears, and new energy makes you run
up the steps in front of you.
Be emptier and cry like reed instruments cry.
Emptier, write secrets with the reed pen.
When you’re full of food and drink,
Satan sits where your spirit should,
an ugly metal statue in place of the Kaaba.
When you fast, good habits gather
like friends who want to help.
Fasting is Solomon’s ring.
Don’t give into some illusion and lose your power,
but even if you have, if you’ve lost all will and control,
they come back when you fast,
like soldiers appearing out of the ground,
pennants flying above them.
A table descends to your tents, Jesus’ table.
Expect to see it, when you fast,
this tablespread with other food,
better than the broth of cabbages.
