Requiem for Impossible Matter
Richard imagines life after death on an undiscovered planet in a far-flung galaxy where he can recreate his life with his beloved wife Eunice. Margaret has a message for listeners.
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O the Wonder. Wonder. Wonder of it all.
Poem developed by several Aborigine people from Australia at the International Training Institute for World Churchmen in Asia in Singapore, 1969.
Part IX.
No looking back. Our people move once more.
The way is long.
And the trail is hard.
The Secret travels too.
We’ll share our wisdom. With the earth.
Fill the future. Of the now.
With our knowing from the past.
That’s the rising. Of our sun.
Born of pain beyond compare.
O the Wonder. Wonder. Wonder of it all.
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Links
- Richard Poethig’s Obituary
- “Remembering Richard Poethig,” The Presbyterian Outlook, December 7, 2021, by Presbyterian Historical Society. “As a fraternal worker in the Philippines and a leader in the new field of urban and industrial mission, his historic ministry influenced church policies, assisted communities struggling with profound change, and impacted the lives of countless individuals.”
- “Rev. Richard Poethig, ally of Filipino industrial workers, dies at 96,” INQUIRER.NET US Bureau, Dec. 8, 2021).
- Recording of Richard Poethig’s Memorial Service at Lakeview Presbyterian Church in Chicago
Music Credit
- The music in this episode is the piece “Urge” by the composer and performer Chris Brown. Used with permission. https://cbmuse.com/
Conversations between a dad and his children capture the sheer joy of talking, singing, and laughing with Richard, a man of simple pleasures, expansive intelligence, historical perspective, and progressive politics. In Season 1, Richard is living under lockdown in his senior living residence during the coronavirus pandemic. It tells the story of Richard’s resilience and of the family’s efforts to ease the psychic impact of his isolation. In Season 2, Margaret asks Richard why he talked so much about vocation when she was growing up. Richard offers the wide arc of his theological understanding—from the need to care for working people to the cosmic Spirit that holds the universe together. They decided to devote an entire podcast season to vocation.