Litany for the Ordinary
About this article
This beautiful litany from Irene Zimmerman's book Woman Unbent begins by calling Mary the queen of the ordinary. This litany is easily used with students and adults, and it offers a beautiful perspective on the image of Mary as mother.
Mary, queen of the ordinary--
queen of spinning wheel and loom
who wove from ordinary stuff
the flawless fabric of
God's humanness;
queen whose pregnancy
put Joseph's other plans aside
and sent his saw singing
into cradlewood;
queen of water jars daily filled,
of swaddling clothes spread outdoors
to dry, of scrubbed floors
and everlastingly sawdusty son;
queen of skinned knees,
splintered fingers,
aching stomach, fevered head,
herbal teas;
queen of fresh-baked bread
whose wheaty power
put flesh on growing boy
and joy at evening meal--
Mary, queen of ordinary time and space,
thank you for your ordinary grace.
Acknowledgments
Saint Mary's Press book excerpt © 2000 Saint Mary's Press. Permission is granted for this book excerpt to be freely used for classroom or campus ministry purposes; however, it may not be republished in any form without the explicit permission of Saint Mary's Press. This book is currently out of print.Published February 29, 2000.
