Homily : November 5

by daniel couper

Texts for Week 31 of Ordinary Time, Year C

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In Mary Oliver’s poem called “Luke’s Junkyard Song,” she tells the story of an abandoned puppy who learns to hope despite his circumstances. She writes:

          I was born in a junkyard,
          not even on a bundle of rags
          or the seat of an old wrecked car
          but the dust below.

          But when my eyes opened
          I could crawl to the edge and see
          the moving grass and the trees
          and this I began to dream on,
          though the worms were eating me.

          And at night through the twists of metal
          I could see a single star—one, not even two.
          Its light was a thing of wonder,
          and I learned something precious
          that would also be good for you.

          Though the worms kept biting and pinching
          I fell in love with this star.
          I stared at it every night—
          that light so clear and far.

          Listen, a junkyard puppy
          learns quickly how to dream.
          Listen, whatever you see and love—
          that’s where you are.