He Chora Tou Achoretou
He Chora Tou Achoretou
Ryan Keating
An ancient mosaic in a church in Istanbul describes
Mary as “The Container of the Uncontainable.”
She held within her him who holds
every body in heaven and on earth,
the planets and the people in orbit
around the virgin full of grace
to bear a baby without borders
or boundaries, uncomprehended
inside a fragile vessel favored,
and overflowing for generations
like an infinite vineyard swirling
in her glass and flooding the world
with wine for gladdening human hearts
and saving them from the hour of death.
Mary magnified the Lord and treasured
in her heart the word of God made flesh
who makes space for all of us and speaks
the borders and boundaries and orbits
into place and chose a woman to become
the container of the uncontainable.
Ryan Keating
Pastor & Winemaker
Ryan is a writer, pastor, and winemaker on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. His work can be found in publications such as Saint Katherine Review, Amethyst Review, Macrina Magazine, Fathom, Vocivia, Roi Fainéant, and Miras Dergi, where he is a regular contributor in English and Turkish.
Photography by Daniel Burka