Words of Institutionalism

I've been praying my way into the tension between the radical, real, challenging table "prepared before me in the presence of my enemies" (Psalm 23) and the temptation to force my enemies to the table on my terms. Which prayer do we pray: Words of Institution or Words of Institutionalism?

I don't know when

the non-conformist

Words of Institution—

spoken revolution

of a poet-prophet-

harbinger of God—

became the lockstep 

magic Words of

Institutionalism, 

the cross a tool of schism, 

Caesar's domination:

"Go and buy a sword." 

Coopted now, 

the counterculture

vision cataracted, 

purpose counteracted

flimflam shaman shimming 

up esprit de corps,

the whim of him

or her, but rarely

her, still patriarchal

(ugh), the high ideal 

of "freedom from" becomes

the rule of thumb, of war.

The mystery 

of hoc est corpus 

meum*  loses focus,

decays to hocus pocus,

insubstantial banter

pooling on the floor.

I wonder when

my Corporate Christ

will set the sword aside,

becoming Jesus' body:

extending broken bread 

to share and wine to pour.

*"This is my body," a parody of which some linguists suggest to be origin of the old magical phrase, hocus pocus.

(Photo shamelessly acquired from Lauren Shockey's Fork in the Road blog at The Village Voice, http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/08/battle_of_the_baguettes.php)