Holy Prophet Philip Berrigan of Jonah House
Holy Prophet Philip Berrigan (This icon shows a ghastly nuclear fire partially blocked by the sufferings and numerous imprisonments of Holy Prophet Philip while he was on earth. But we have choices and responsibilities also. Through his intercession and example, … "Teach us your ways O Lord." Psalm 25)
5 October 1923 - 6 December 2002
Dear Lord,
Fill us with that spirit of courage which gave your Holy Prophet Philip Berrigan strength to offer his life in faithful witness. Help us to learn from him to cherish your law and to obey you rather than men and women.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
A Time for Prayer"In apocalyptic literature, quite often, silence is a sign of the end or the fulfillment of time. But in biblical literature, silence is the presence of the all-powerful Lord".
By Philip Berrigan
"But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret." Mt. 6:16
I've been reading an excellent book on Gandhi, compiled by John Dear, S.J.. Gandhi himself prayed two hours every day, and he concluded that prayer was nourishment for the soul, even as food was for the body, that prayer engendered the essentials of faith and humility, and that prayer, sincerely done, was more valuable than any action.
The following occur to me as worthwhile subjects of prayer.
o that we disarm our hearts and our society
o that the Holy Spirit subvert, stalemate, and expose preparation for the invasion of Iraq
o that God intervene in the ecological crisis as Lord of Creation, because we refuse to change our abuse of the earth
o that Americans begin to understand and resist the three-pronged aims for the Bush Administration: the trashing of civil liberties, perpetual war, and world domination
o that the swindle of "foreknowledge" by the Bushites of 9/11 be fully disclosed
o that the "crime" of 57 years of nuclearism, and its consequent wasting of our lives and planet be revealed
o that Americans grasp that war is our #1 business; that we are violent, killer people, and that we know virtually little of the nonviolence of Jesus and the Gospel
o that the scourges of abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty be ended
o that the U.S. withdraw all economic and military aid from Israel
o that the global war against children be lifted
o that the rich west contribute medication and food to the global victims of HIV-AIDS
o that each of us become people of fidelity, nonviolence, and justice
AMEN
(This is the last writing of Philip Berrigan)
Jacques Ellul
Apocalypse, the Book of Revelation
The Death of the Servant of the Lamb:
Holy Prophet Philip Berrigan
1
A small mammal still
feeding from her Mother,
still at her side…
Jonah House in a
sea of tombs.
Exquisitely battered Victorian
gravestones and monuments rock
on the waves like buoys-
you visit and in turn,
they visit you.
Sometimes we think we are
drowning in death but
the Cornerstone and Lighthouse
draws all creatures to Himself,
the Sacred Heart of Jesus
out there,
Morning and Evening
Star.
2
Inside the infant whale lies
the Prophet waiting for
Sister Death who
with infinite tenderness
allows each of his earthly
loves and followers to come kiss
his hands or forehead,
our tears and tears and tears
on his pillow, on his
glorious hand-made
patchwork quilt.
3
At exactly 9:30 pm
(because even the clock moaned)
on the feast of
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker,
She came at last …
("and how do you like your
blue-eyed boy Sister Death?")
Amy and Dennis were the only ones
inside the room with him.
She who virtually alone
brings Truth to the air waves,
she the voice in our vast and
violent wilderness,
was given the honor of announcing
his death.
Steve read aloud the
Canticle of Simeon…
"Lord, now let your servant
depart in peace…"
and then
"…there was silence in
heaven about the space of
half and hour."
and then
the Lamb received His
Prophet and Lover
Faithful and True.
4
The Cardinal said the Prophet
could be outside in
the Irish Sea with the others,
and he said that's the least
we can do
for Philip Berrigan.
In the tender creature's belly
I could paint something
onto the wooden boat
Jerry was building
for his father's ride.
I could paint words from
the Lamb's hillside-sermon
with a twenty-one flower salute,
red and yellow roses,
and an afterthought…
forget-me-nots too.
I could also cry some,
protected by Susan and Becky and Phil,
in the privacy that the
music-from-my-walkman
gave me,
over and over I listened to
Dar's haunting "February" and,
stark Advent music.
5
On the First feast of
The Hermit of the Mother of God,
St. Juan Diego,
the funeral began with an
avenue of mourners
of every stripe.
Sonorous bagpipe led the
procession of pennants and songs
and sobs.
Inside Phil's Church of
St. Peter Claver (whose blood n' puss n'
urine stained cloak once gave off
nothing but perfume)
John, Dan, Frida, Kate
all found words-in-haiku
to touch his life and work,
and then the Supper of the
Lamb followed,
reminding us
that that
not
Second Death
is our motto and mantra
and land's end.
6
We buried him
after sunset in the
frozen sea.
You could see
the skeletons rising and
taking flesh just as
Holy Prophet Ezekiel
had been commanded,
had been promised.
Elizabeth was held
by friends,
she who already holds too much
of the world's suffering…
still more, more was asked.
Jerry and Carol held
one another
as always
as ever,
the beauty of their love,
we never tell them but
we never stop
contemplating.
I could read some flames
from Scripture
of the Early Prophets.
I could stumble in
a threnody.
Knights of the Lamb's Table
held fiery torches as
tall as a man.
We let fall our
dirt and roses onto his
Flower Boat.
We followed it with our eyes full,
into the womb of the sea
of caskets.
And then
"…there was silence
in heaven about the space
of half an hour."
William Hart McNichols
Epiphany 2003
- Other Icons by Fr. William McNichols
- Information about Fr. William McNichols and his Icons
This page is managed by
Fr. Raymond A. Bucko, S.J.
of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology
at Creighton University.E-Mail: bucko@creighton.edu
Page Last Updated: February 8, 2003
