In this post I will answer some questions I think a person might have about my posting Daily Readings Couplets on X.
What are you doing?
I am coming up with rhyming couplets about the daily readings of the Roman Catholic Church's lectionary used in America. The calendar of readings is available at the USCCB's website.
Why are you doing this?
Ultimately for the greater glory of God. My hope is that these little rhymes will serve as an invitation to read the daily readings and maybe even attend daily Mass.
The most significant personal reason is a bit more involved. I love to write, and I see a need for good Catholic content that is different from everything else out there. As far as I am aware, no one is writing couplets about the daily readings of the USCCB!
I hope to build an audience over the course of time so that I can share my other writing (and maybe some day, board and card games) with them. I think people could find my fiction entertaining and, more importantly, spiritually beneficial (or at least inoffensive). I also recognize that my writing is not exactly mainstream (couplets about the Roman Catholic lectionary and a Catholic superhero drama in novel form are a bit… niche). I have to find my audience. Hopefully these posts will help me do that.
It would be great to generate income from my work, but that's a long way off, if it is possible at all. I have a really good job already, so this effort is relegated to the category of "serious hobby" at present.
Who is your target audience?
English-speaking American Catholics on X, and the myriad fans of lectionary-based poetry that are out there, of course.
What are your qualifications?
Qualifications? This is the internet.
But I am not just a random liturgical calendar fan. I do have some relevant experience.
First and foremost I am a believing Catholic.
Beyond that, I do have two degrees in Religious Studies and nearly twenty years of working in or adjacent to the Church in jobs requiring theological competence. I am not coming to the readings completely untrained.
It is not like I am fluent in Greek or Hebrew, though. "Educated layman" is probably a good label for me if it matters.
Your writing reminds me of (the thing it reminds you of), is that intentional?
Probably not. I am not very well-read in poetry, so any similarities to actually good poetry are almost certainly unconscious and unintended.
If I write something and think, "this is decent, therefore an actual poet might have already written it," I will toss it in a Google search to see if anything like it pops up, but I don't look beyond the top ten entries.
In my Googling I did discover that an author has put together books of poems for the Sundays of the Revised Common Lectionary, possibly from a Protestant perspective. I think what I am doing is quite different from what he did, though I have not read his books.
I do not want to copy anyone else's work, so if you see something you think is suspicious, please tell me and I will take a look and make changes if necessary.
How long are you going to do this?
A year. If it does not gain any traction after that long it will be time to stop.
Why did you start on September 18th, 2023?
That's what worked for me. The date has no personal significance to me beyond that.
It seems like you've tried a few different times to get established online and failed. Why is this time different?
I bit off more than I could chew that last few times. This time I can actually do what I intend in the limited time I have to do it.
How can I support your efforts?
Prayer is best, so if you really like what I am doing, please pray for me and my family.
Also, please engage with the posts. Like, share, comment, etc. And please follow me on X. You know, the standard internet stuff.
Thanks for reading this far, I appreciate it very much. I will end with a couplet.
A shameless plug is oh so very near:
To find my stuff on X, please do click here.
