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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Football and Poetry...

Tonight, as I am writing this, perhaps around half the priests here in this Collegio are in front of the tv in our TV room watching the match between Man U and Barcelona in the finals of the Champions League. The match is playing at the Stadio Olimpico just a few miles north of here in Rome, but I am totally unaffected by it all.

First, I have a few more notes to read up tonight before I call it a night, notes that are crucial for my exams next week. Second, it is not my soccer team playing (am still a Spurs fan...). Lastly, I needed to put this down else I won't get to write anything much later.

I need to work out an answer scheme to one of the exam preparatory questions which goes something like this:
Theology and preaching need to be down-to-earth. It does not need poetry. Discuss.

I already have some ideas on how to tackle that question and, generally, I am inclined to say that poetry can play an important role which will help theology and preaching see things afresh so as not to stay always to abstract thesis. A genuine poet, with the right theology and preaching will be able to make the common seem strange and the strange common. So, there. That has been my preoccupation for a while and needed only the closure this coming Monday when I put all that down on paper. I do have to do another surprise question on the exam day, though, which I have no inkling on what I am to write on. That is why it is called a surprise.

Meanwhile, there is also some semblance of poetry in the game mentioned above, as the players need some poetic movement and coordinated playing if they want to win the match. I welcome your views on my question I am currently working on and, so, the comments box is now open...

(pic - William Shakespeare, National Portrait Gallery)

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3 comments:

ylo said...

Re: your exam prep qn. Tell that to the late JPII. I bet he would think otherwise!

Joanne W said...

Good luck for ur exam!!

Young Minstrel said...

Poetry can be used as a form of expression even inspired by theology. Poetry is a form of Praising God, like St Francis of Assisi whose famous for his love for creation

Poetry is beautiful, but theology n Canon Laws n even Latin the language is poetry in its own ways - but that's really more of a figure of speech.

if wax poetry over it, there is a risk of..how u say..exaggerating thus misleading the Truth

A good huge of the world knows very little of the Truth. Maybe due to lack of Priests, laws that prohibit such, etc.

Furthermore for us lays who are "unofficial vocationists" XD our whole lives are obligated to see ourselves through financially by being involved in business activities in the secular environment - unlike Priests, whose lives are dedicated to learning theology, etc. So Priests knows "what's going on" cos they've "been there" but we aren't

Jesus Talks in Parables, to the simple folks' level, thus as His Representatives as He Said "Follow Me" - thus following His simple, down-to-earth ways of explaining, for us lays to understand and clear the "waaah so complex" debris off our heads.

Human tendency: "give up and ignore" if it gets too complicated

so if things are simplified that we can understand, grow n be better people for His Glory instead of vice-versa - our glory or His.

But then it all boils down to discretion, when to use n when not to. The culture of the listeners, say if u're talking to a bunch of poets, maybe one - who's learnt theology n related - may be inspired a line of poetry or two

a no...i stop here..i can't think of much liao..what's the length nya XD!!!!

 

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