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Five Poems Every Catholic Should Memorize

Tradition and Sanity

I believe that the cultivation of wonder, of a desire to be more and more open to the marvel of what is, is one of the primary reasons we ought to read and memorize poetry. We need a mental and spiritual ointment to rub on our stiffened imaginations and limber them up again so that our hearts do indeed “leap up” when we “behold a rainbow in the sky.” The poet’s task could be put this way: to capture beauty whenever he sees it jump out of the dustbin, or sock drawer, or rotten forest log, or crimson-lined sunset cloud, and remind others to look there themselves. The marvelous thing about poetry is that it allows us to get in on another’s moment of wonder; and then we have a little piece of his wonder to view the world through. Imagine each great poem you learn as if it is a sliver of stained glass: once your pocket is full of them, you have many lenses you can view the world through. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.traditionsanity.com/subscribe