Stranger Standing at my Door

From the desk of Fr. Ignatius Waters, cp

Sunday, 22nd November 2015

(This song is often sung by the Folk Group. This song describes Christ our King in many strange guises. It needs to be read many times. It needs to be prayed many times. But most of all, it needs to disturb us into compassion.)

Stranger, standing at my door,
you disturb me in the night:
you have needs I can’t ignore,
you have eyes that speak your plight.

Do I know you, nameless face,
battered woman, detainee,
hungry youth or sickness case,
jobless parent, refugee—
Do I know you, nameless face?

You are strange in speech and dress,
you have children at your side,
you are not like one of us—
you have begged away your pride.

If you passed across my screen
I might switch you out of sight,
worlds away you might have been,
yet you stand here in the night.
Do I know you, nameless face?

I am fearful of your claim,
yet I cannot turn away.
Stranger with the foreign name,
are you angel come to stay?

You are messenger and guest,
you the Christ I can’t ignore,
you my own compassion’s test,
stranger, standing at my door.
You the Christ I can’t ignore

Text by Shirley Erena Murray

Music by Ian Callanan