By Sara Goodyear
Malcolm Guite is my favorite poet! In this poem entitled “Through the Gate” he captures a vision of true freedom and joy in Christ, and how our honesty with what is true about ourselves opens the gate. He prefaces his poem by saying, “We, who build so many Hells on earth, need to know that there is no place so dark, no situation so seemingly hopeless, that cannot be opened to the light of Christ for rescue and redemption.
Through the Gate – Malcolm Guite
Begin the song exactly where you are
For where you are contains where you have been
And holds the vision of your final sphere
And do not fear the memory of sin;
There is a light that heals, and, where it falls,
Transfigures and redeems the darkest stain
Into translucent color. Loose the veils
And draw the curtains back, unbar the doors,
Of that dread threshold where your spirit fails,
The hopeless gate that holds in all the fears
That haunt your shadowed city, fling it wide
And open to the light that finds and fares
Through the dark pathways where you run and hide,
through all the alleys of your riddled heart,
As pierced and open as His wounded side.
Open the map to Him and make a start,
And down the dizzy spirals, through the dark
His light will go before you, let Him chart
And name and heal. Expose the hidden ache
To him, the stinging fires and smoke that blind
Your judgement, carry you away, the mirk
And muted gloom in which you cannot find
The love that you once thought worth dying for.
Call Him to all you cannot call to mind
He comes to harrow Hell and now to your
Well guarded fortress let His love descend.
The icy ego at your frozen core
Can hear His call at last. Will you respond?
This poem is used with Poet’s permission and may be found in his book “The Word in the Wilderness,” as well as “The Singing Bowl.”
Also see his blog at malcolmguite.wordpress.com “On Reading the Commedia 2: Through the Gate.”
Another painting which comes to my mind as I read Malcolm Guite’s poem, is this painting from 1442 by Fra Angelico, entitled “Christ in Limbo.” It was a popular theme in the middle ages, to depict scenes of Jesus Christ descending into hell to release the prisoners. This all-powerful Jesus is purposeful and strong, and kicks the door off its hinges to rescue God’s people from Satan’s imprisonment. There is a comical element in the unfortunate demon who is squished under the force of the door being blown open.
Prayer of St. Dimitri of Rostov
Open, O doors and bolts of my heart,
That Christ the King of Glory may enter!
Enter, O my Light, and enlighten my darkness;
Enter, O my Life, and resurrect my deadness;
Enter, O my Physician, and heal my wounds;
Enter, O Divine Fire, and burn up the thorns of my sins;
Ignite my inward parts and my heart with the flame of Thy love;
Enter, O my King, and destroy in me the kingdom of sin;
Sit on the throne of my heart and reign in me alone,
O Thou, my King and Lord.
– Sara
