Poetry and the Sacramental Imagination

Good Morning, Fellow Book Lovers!

Today, I’m excited to share with you the following article written by Stephanie Petters from Writings in the Roots. When Stephanie suggested the topic of sacramentality in poetry for this guest post, I knew I was talking to a kindred spirit. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. Check out her page to hear more about lovely topics like this, and scroll to the bottom of this post to learn about her exciting new Kickstarter project, launching on August 25th!

Happy Reading,

Maddie

Learning how to follow God faithfully and also write poetry always felt like two separate desires in my university years. I was pursuing a degree in special education when I decided to enroll in a creative writing course focused on poetry. I figured I would learn about the various forms of poetry, read some poems to hone my craft, and of course write a lot; I didn’t realize that my decision to enroll in this course would be one step toward a deeper faith.

At the beginning of every class, the professor pulled the cap off her dry erase marker and asked us what we noticed that week. Students would take turns sharing the smallest details that struck them throughout their day: the way a pillow felt extra plush as the alarm clock summoned them, the flicker of a streetlight before it turned green, the sound of twigs breaking beneath their feet as they walked to class… One by one she would write down these “noticings” on the whiteboard. By the end of the conversation, a collage of students’ observations adorned the wall. It was always after this exercise that we would then begin writing.

There is a key lesson I believe she wanted us to learn: A poet cannot write without inspiration. Poetry specifically requires the art of noticing. The best poets open their eyes to the sensory world around them and create meaning from the details they see. They can observe the way animals and objects interact with their surroundings and relate those experiences to their own. Poets exercise these abilities because they are influenced by their keen understanding of their place in the world.

This class taught me to develop a thoughtful mindset toward my surroundings. You never know when inspiration will strike! But surely these “noticings” could serve a greater purpose? Soon after the semester ended, I began exploring my faith more. It took me many years to start seeing the connection between what I learned in that poetry class and my own faith journey. Now as a mother, I understand more deeply how the two intersect. Faith also requires the art of noticing, but it goes by a different name: the sacramental imagination.

To view the world with a sacramental imagination is to see God’s presence in every single detail. Gerard Manley Hopkins famously wrote, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” God is not a Father who hides above the clouds; His love permeates into every inch of our world. He is everywhere, always inviting us into a relationship with Him. If we keep our hearts open, everything comes alive; the leaves dance in the breeze for their Creator, the birds sing with the angels, and the wind blows God’s breath around us.

In an age of busy schedules and online activity, it’s easy for our sight to become dull. To turn our eyes away from God, however, is a temptation that has plagued humans for centuries. Saint Bonaventure took the time to write about it in the 11th century:

Every century has its own unique conflicts but always the same solution. Find God. It can feel hard, but it’s simple. He is everywhere, inviting us to enjoy life with the lens faith gives us. When I practice this art of noticing, I begin practicing gratitude more often. I feel less stressed throughout my day. I am able to love everyone around me better, and I enter into a deeper relationship with God. But how do we begin this journey of opening our eyes to God in His created world?

Poetry is the bridge between God and the restoration of sight. The Church has saved the poetry of hundreds of saints and sinners who have gone before us, all communicating God’s presence in creation through words that hold the power to open our eyes. Even Scripture is full of poetic language that uses nature as images to express God’s love for us. Poets contemplate the mystery of God and connect them to concrete images found in creation that our minds can better understand.

“Poetry is the bridge between God and the restoration of sight.”

In my motherhood, it is a mental exercise reminding myself to keep my eyes open to the grandeur of God in seemingly mundane details. Sitting outside with a simple poem while my kids play is a habit that blocks out all the noise threatening to kill my peace; my kids have even recently been enjoying poetry as I lay a blanket under our tree and allow the breeze to carry the words.

This is exactly why I created my next project. Divine World is an illustrated anthology of poems that highlight God’s presence in nature through the seasons. The Catholic poets featured in this collection used imagery from nature’s seasons to describe seasons in their own spiritual lives. These poems walk the modern day reader through the fading of fall, the bareness of winter, and the abundance of spring, bringing us consolation on our journeys to God. The nature activities and discussion questions included in the index further guide families toward the deeper themes of the poems. When we recognize how nature can play a role in our spiritual lives, the scales from our eyes begin to fall and our sight is restored to God’s presence around us.

Stephanie Petters is a Catholic wife, mother, and author behind Of Wood and Word, a publishing company that highlights poetry inspired by the Word of God and his cross. Her poetry has been featured in magazines such as St. Mary’s Messenger and Voice & Virtue. She finds time to read and write poems in the everyday moments of raising and homeschooling her three children.

Her Kickstarter project for her new poetry book launches on August 25th:

Divine World: A Poetic Journey Through the Seasons

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/foolsforheaven/divine-world