Church and State

Monasticism was the church’s base Its austere living had no room for wealth.

The anchorite and the king have ever been hostile; One has humility; the other an exalted power.

Church and state were separated at last; The revered priest was rendered powerless.

When church and state parted the ways for ever, It set in the rule of avarice and greed.

This split is a disaster both for country and faith, And shows the culture’s blind lack of vision.

It is the miracle of a desert-dweller To make the grace a mirror to power.

Mankind’s deliverance lies in the unity Of those who rule the body and those who rule the soul.