Sunday, December 27, 2015

12/20/15 - 12/26/15

12/20/15 - 12/26/15

Sunday
Rising in the midst of night
To do Your will is my delight
When no one in the house is stirred
Much clearer then, I hear Your word.

Monday
A new era comes this season
Complimenting faith and reason
Proofs that even blind can see
Proofs of how things came to be.

In spite of this some choose to say
It happened quite some other way
Defying logic and the facts
Continuing their vain attacks.

In this year of grace and mercy
Lead the blind and doubtful to see
In that humble domicile
Love has come to reconcile.

Tuesday
No sacrifice that I would make
Could compensate for what I take
For what I offer, Lord to Thee,
Is only what You've given me.

Tuesday PM
This night a humble man passed on
To find eternal day
He changed the world he lived upon
In one important way.

He brought the light of faith to me
Though less than ten years old.
He taught me what a man should be 
If he be young or old.

Wednesday
Lord bring on me Your furnace fire
And burn away the muck and mire
So when at last, I thee behold
My heart be purified as gold.

Thursday
The lustrous pearl of night descends
Without perceiving, starlight ends
Then beauty of the morning sun
Brings light and life to everyone.

Friday
In the darkness of the night
A star has come, now shining bright
A quiet stillness in the air
A tiny babe in manger there.

Can it be that one so small
Is truly here to save us all?
In this humble stable born
The Son of God, this Christmas morn.

Saturday
Trust in God in times of trial
When the end appears so bleak
Refining for a little while
Reveals the perfect love we seek.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

12/13/15 through 12/19A/15

12/13/15 through 12/19/15

Sunday
How is it John the Baptist
The greatest man alive
Would think himself not worthy 
For assistance to provide?

He saw the true Messiah
The One to save the earth
Come from the highest heaven
to lowly manger birth.

Monday
A prophet, Balaam, claimed to be
A man of high integrity
A man that sees what God can see
A man that sees what comes to be.

But that prophet, old and silly,
Beat his donkey willy nilly.
He couldn't see upon the pass,
Angels seen by his simple ass.

Dear Lord, my eyes, like Balaam's, clear
And let me know that You are near
Speak to me throughout the day
And guard me in the things I say.

Tuesday 1
How easily we let in pride
It's always waiting at our side
Humility we have to choose
Or risk eternal life to lose.

Tuesday 2
What good is anger in my soul
It keeps my soul from getting full
A foolish grasp at happiness
A sinful act I must confess.

A child of lacking gratitude
A selfish sinning attitude
Impatient burst of pride and shame
The way to earn a tarnished name.

Tuesday 3
This time I spend with you for love
To draw your heart towards Him above
To One who fashioned you alone
To do the things His will made known.

The way to find a happy life
Is not just find a man or wife,
But find the reason you were made
And nevermore His will evade.

This time, I pray, you will not waste
Soon with decisions, you'll be faced.
To find the best way you were made
To live and love, BE NOT AFRAID!

Wednesday
Must you ask, "Are you the One"
Just look and see the work I've done
The lame can walk, the blind can see,
Those trapped by sin have been set free.

Thursday
More than mind can hope to fathom
Farther than the eye can see
Wonders all, and You have made them
Let the glory, be to Thee.

Friday
Dear Joseph with the virgin pure
You had a love to long endure
No sordid lust to cloud the view
Of perfect beauty close to you.

Saturday
Don't shave the head.  Take no strong drink.
Be set apart and clean.
Stay close to Him, is what I think
The vow is meant to mean.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

12/6/15 Through 12/12/15

12/6/15 through 12/12/15

Sunday
Every path that leads to Him
Will cross the desert sand
It's there we learn to trust in Him
Like in the promised land.

Monday
A stretcher lowered through the tiles
By faith, the trip was worth the miles.
Hearing words of mercy spoken
Chains of sin are finally broken.

Tuesday
Mary pure and spotless mother
Purest member of our race
Sinless virgin, like no other
Filled with beauty, charm, and grace.

Wednesday
Holy virgin, full of grace,
Let your presence fill this place.
Pure and spotless, favored one
Who bore within, God's only son.

Conceived without the stain of sin
The font of grace you held within
A ready fiat on your lips
A zeal for souls none can eclipse.

The prophets feared to see His face
Or enter in that holy place.
For if they looked upon the  light
Their death would come by holy fright.

If they, but dared, to touch the Ark
The wrath of God, on them would spark.
For oxen stumbled, Uzzah tried,
To steady things, but then he died.

But not for you, oh Privileged One,
Upon your breast, you fed God's Son.
For nine full months, oh Full of Grace,
He made of you His dwelling place.

Without concupiscence they say
It sure did palliate your way.
But, au contraire, is my belief
The serpent gave you no relief.

The one who knows the devil's strength
Is one who fights to any length.
You watched and waited while He bled
And there you crushed the serpent's head.

How many times you thought it plain
But then, His will was not the same,
Yet every time you'd acquiesce
And utter once again that yes.

Thursday
The worm cannot conceive a plan.
The maggot cannot think or stand.
When I am he that makes the plan
Then I AM does not grasp the hand.

Friday
The Lord He teaches what is good
He leads us to the Way
We'd have it all if we but would
Just listen, and obey.

Saturday
 (To the Tune of Come O long Expected Jesus)
Virgin of the Tilma save us
Make our land be truly free
Save us from the sin that harms us 
Lead us to thy Son through thee.

Open eyes entrapped in darkness
Shine the light that they may see.
Rescue those in evil's harness
Grant the gift of faith through thee.



Monday, December 7, 2015

11/29/15 Through 12/5/15

11/29/15 Through 12/5/15

Sunday
A Happy New Year may this be,
That I would grow and learn to see,
That I must put myself aside
And patiently, in love, abide

Monday
Since Mercy granted ministry
Discouraged, now we cannot be
But persevering in the cause
We ask the Lord to fix our flaws.

Tuesday
Blessed the eyes that see His face
Blessed the hearts He fills with grace.
The prophets longed to see this day
When Christ would come to show the way.

Tuesday PM
Stupid One

I feel like such a stupid one,
I don't know how to get things done.
What's simple for the younger crowd
Can start me cursing things out loud.

The senses dull, the mind is slow,
I've got no clue which way to go.
I search for things to fill the gap,
But find in each new thing, a trap.

Every day I try and then,
I only find I've failed again.
So filled with things, I ought to burst,
But none of them can slake this thirst.

Maybe now has come the time
For me to hear the church bells chime,
And ask the Lord, what's on His mind.
Perhaps He knows, what I should find.

I've tried for years to give His due
But even there had failure too.
For pride can stain the goodness where
We're like the pharisee in prayer.

I want to say this very night,
"To do Your will is my delight."
Just ask of me and I will do
Whatever, Lord, that pleases You.

Have mercy on Your sinful son
And finish now, Your work begun.
Let me, in silence, beat my breast
And in repentance, face each test.

Wednesday
At banquet feast He feeds the least
With choicest wine and meat.
He breaks the net, and cancels debt,
His loved ones there to greet.

Thursday
Take the Word and spread it out
To people far and near.
Then act on it, so all about
The folks both see and hear.

For action is the factor that
We see across the land
Shows them that your house, in fact,
Is built on rock, not sand.

Friday
Unless, for sure, we want to see
The blindness will remain.
But in the search for Truth will be,
The light that will sustain.

Saturday
The path to tread not always clear,
For children of this day
But if we listen we can hear
His voice that calls, "This way".



Sunday, November 29, 2015

11/22/15 Through 11/28/15

11/22/15 through 11/28/15

Sunday
Oh Lord of Lords, and King of Kings,
To You this day our praises ring
The maker of the stars at night
The One who reigns in power and might.

Monday
They trusted God, the youthful wise
And let the Word become their guide.
When suffering their captor's pride
The angel kept the flames aside.

Tuesday
Changes happen everyday
In what we do, or what we say.
We fail to act, neglect to pray,
Then wonder how things got this way.

Wednesday
So plain the writing on the wall
It's there for one and there for all.
Expressing all the rules we've bent
And calling all now to repent.

There is but precious little time
To sit and play with silly rhyme.
The Master's coming to the feast
To shame the proud and raise the least.

Thursday
We thank you for these blessings Lord
For life with You in one accord
We thank you for such love from You
A grateful heart is blessing too.

Friday
The triumph of the King at last
Will wipe away our sinful past
and we'll be changed by living for
A Love that reigns forevermore.

Saturday
We ask the Holy Virgin pure
The grace to now, and death endure
Two crucial times in just one breath
Both now and at the hour of death.


Sunday, November 22, 2015

11/15/15 Through 11/21/15

11/15/15 Through 11/21/15

Sunday
Can I last until the end,
Will truth and right I still defend?
Enticing beauty can I see,
With eyes of love and purity?

Will I look beyond the now
To see a life of love somehow,
Will bring about the holy state
That all the saints so long await?

Monday
Lord I ask for eyes to see
The poor and needy close to me
That they would see, in me, a light 
To make their day a bit more bright.

Tuesday
The joy of others stirred in me
A simple curiosity
What had they found that I had not?
This part of faith I never got.

The scripture was a foreign land
Not visited by modern man
But I found within that book,
A man of love with baited hook.

He set it deep within my soul,
Through love He made my quiver full.
A mate to help me on the way
To find the path to brighter days

A grateful heart looks back to find
Religion of a different kind
Remembering forevermore
The climbing of that sycamore.

Then coming down to sup with Him
To chase the dark and light the dim
I found the joy that I had sought.
Now others seek what I have got.

Wednesday
The ones who torture and defile
Refuse to love or reconcile
No demand that's ever met
Will give them what they want to get.

For evil, peace cannot be found.
Their enemies are all around.
Conversion is the only way
To fight the terror of this day.

For only when we forfeit pride
Can different ones live side by side.
When stinginess and egos cease
Is only when we live in peace.

Thursday
When missed the opportunity,
Is gone with it, felicity.
If we but knew the joy we lost
Would it be worth so great a cost?

Friday
Drive away each evil thought
And cleanse this soul which You have bought.
Take my anger, lust, and greed
And make me pure in word and deed.

Saturday
Mary's gift at Presentation
Brought so great a consolation
That forever she may be
United with the Trinity.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

11/8/15 Through 11/14/15

11/8/15 Through 11/14/15

Sunday
The widow gave her final cent
But only One knew what it meant
We hear the others' money fall,
But this poor woman gave her all.

Monday
From the temple water flows
That all around the tree that grows
May bear its fruit the whole year round
And healing in its leaves be found.

Oh make of me a fruitful tree
That food for others I may be.
And let me give to those around
The healing love that I have found.

Tuesday
The humble heart that's supple
Will dart about through stubble
Though for a time they were chastised
They have become the gold that's tried.

To do as we're obliged to do
Deserves no great reward
For we are worthless servants who 
Deserve to be ignored.

Wednesday
The day will come when morning dawns
And Christ himself will right the wrongs
The blind shall see the shining Son
And all is well my faithful one.

But oh, the wicked, oh for those
Who face the frightful judgement woes
Great torment now in certainty
Awaits for all eternity.

Thursday
Confusion reigns within my soul
For wisdom needs to make me whole
Firm, secure, and tranquil light
The aura of the the God of might.

Fairer beauty than the Sun
A spotless mirror of the One
Shining victor in the fight
Refulgent beauty conquers night.

Friday
Oh how foolish are the wise
Who see His works, but in disguise
Amidst the great complexity
In search of how it came to be.

Discern in Him the origin,
And let the doubting mind begin
To comprehend how small are we
How vast the strength and charm of He.

Saturday
Persistent prayer the only hope
For one so weak as me
Who in the darkness only grope
And say, Lord let me see.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

11/1/15 through 11/7/15

11/1/15 Through 11/7/15

Sunday
Who are these ones in robes of white
Please tell me Mighty One
Blood from the Lamb has made them bright
Disciples of the Son

Monday
Beloved dead have run the race
Their lot in life is cast
No chance to find another grace
Or mend a sinful past

They hope in us from here below
Through prayer and sacrifice
That God, on them, will soon bestow
The gift of endless light

Tuesday/Wednesday
If I've but just one gift to give
Let it be faith that you might live
For all is naught without the Lord
Accept the gift wealth can't afford

Dear children of my wedding vow
I wish to spend with you somehow
More than some time along the way
Eternity in endless day.

I didn't know when we first met
What blessings I, through love, would get
For love was then two souls embraced,
But grew to many trials faced.

The tiny seed was planted then
And watered with commitment when
Each difficulty we would face
Would bring with it sufficient grace.

To love, the challenge for each life
For celibate, or man and wife
And know, in spite of times we fall
The Lord, in time, will conquer all.

Thursday
We foolishly stray from the Word
And leave the safety of the herd
Then in our lost and wandering way
The Shepherd comes to find the stray.

Friday
The crafty steward knows the way
Of dealing with his kind
But commendation brings dismay
Dishonesty enshrined.

Saturday
Sadness over something lost
Should be for us a sign
A warning that attachments cost
Connection to the Vine.



Sunday, November 1, 2015

10/25/15 Through 10/31/15

10/25/15 Through 10/31/15

Sunday
I recognize this prison now
Of sinful selfish ways
The weight of guilt upon my brow
Has darkened light of day.

Then finding that You travel near
With faith my guarantee
I call aloud in hopes You'll hear
"Dear Lord, I want to see"

Monday
Bent and crippled eighteen years
She passed the temple gate
Then by His touch dispelling fears
She started standing straight.

Tuesday
To suffer now cannot compare
To glories yet unseen
The time when mortal men can share
What those in heav'n have seen.

Wednesday
The heavens declare His glory
The stars proclaim His praise
We hear the ancient story
And holy hands we raise.

Thursday
No power now can separate
The living soul God did create
No heinous crime or grave offence
From blazing love that's so intense.

Friday
Lord I offer You this day
The things I do and things I say
May I make for all around
A place where peace and love are found.

Saturday
With the humble and the kind
The Spirit of the Lord we find
For at the banquet or the feast
We find Him sitting with the least.

10/18/15 Through 10/24/15

10/18/15 Through 10/24/15

Sunday
To ask to be with Christ the king
Is asking Him for suffering
To share His cup and serve the least
To join in His eternal feast.

Monday
What good are barns stacked high with wheat
For those who have no chance to eat?
The pocket filled with currency
Cannot provide security.

True faith provides the guaranty
Of living life eternally
A life with Love, on whom we feed,
The God who meets our every need.

Tuesday
One sin condemned the world to die
And bound us all in chain.
By act of love, the crucified,
Repurchased Heaven's gain.

Wednesday
Quite much will be demanded 
From dwellers in this land
For we have been entrusted 
To follow His command.

But we who have this blessing
Must bring a fine return
If there's no yield at threshing
We all, like chaff, will burn.

Wednesday PM
The beauty of this world around
In many varied ways is found.
Each creature with its special place
Its separate measure of God's grace.

Thursday
By wisdom now the Truth is seen
Discernment of the senses keen.
When nothing else will satisfy, 
The Truth is always standing by.

In patient love forgiving wrong
Then teaching how to suffer long.
This beauty that attracts the soul
Will satisfy, and make you whole.

Friday
In prison born, for slavery bound
The lot of every man around
In Christ the only Hope we see
To break the fetters and set free.

Saturday
If there's no fruit, then cut it down.
He heard the Master say
I've looked for years and never found.
Why should I let it stay?

In patience, just another year
With special food and care
It may begin a new career
And then produce its share.

Miscellaneous
Teach me, oh Lord, just how to live,
Of me, a faithful servant make.
Accepting all you choose to give
And freely giving all You take.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

10/11/15 Through 10/17/15

10/11/15 Through 10/17/15

Monday
How easy we attachments make
to simple temporal chattel
Forgetting such disorders take
Our eyes off of the battle.

Another trinket, toy, or tool
We simply must obtain
Another item blinds the fool
Obscuring heaven's gain.

Tuesday
Called by God to now become
The members of His body one.
To share with all, His gift of grace
In every village, town, or place.

Wednesday
We cleanse the outside all in vain
If on the inside part
Is found the stench, and awful stain
Of rotten, greedy heart.

Thursday AM
A servant's heart, what I desire
A heart of love, with flames of fire
A heart to always lead the way
From darkest night to endless day.

Thursday PM
How can You bear to suffer so,
To hear the constant sound of, No?
Rejected by the ones You made
Repentance evermore delayed.

Your Mother and some women too,
Beside the cross to weep with You,
But of the the twelve, there's only John.
The others all, in fear, have gone.

Each labored breath, each anguished sigh,
An offering to God on high,
In reparation for my sin
That salvation, I may win.

How can I bear You suffer so,
When every time I answer, No?
How can I fail to put You first
When, from the cross, I hear, "I thirst"?

A thirst for every human soul
A thirst to love and make me whole
A thirst to break the bonds of sin
A thirst we would salvation win.

Friday
There's nothing that we have concealed
That will not, one day, be revealed.
In darkness, whispered, things we say
Will be proclaimed, in light of day.

Fear not, my friend, the wicked one,
Who kills the body then he's done.
But fear the One whom love desires
May cast into eternal fires.

Saturday
"Well Done!" is heard, the words of Thine
To martyrs dressed in robes that shine.
By wild beasts the wheat was ground,
And by this bread true life is found.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

10/4/15 through 10/9/15

10/4/15 through 10/9/15

Sunday
Become one flesh as man and wife
A bond to last throughout your life
The flower opens to receive
The seed is planted to conceive.

A total giving from the two
With God becomes a life brand new
A sacred gift to one another
A precious soul that's like no other

Monday
Help me to listen and obey
And cease to follow my own way
For my way leads to troubled seas
But Your way leads to lasting peace.

Tuesday
St.  Bruno found in nothingness
The key that leads to happiness
In life devoid of things around
The fullness of our Lord is found.

Wednesday
Do I, like Jonah, care much more
For things that flower and fade
When I should have compassion for
Immortal souls God made?

Reluctant to proclaim the Word
To many sinners lost
I'd rather see God's wrath incurred
Than take the time it cost

To tell them all the story of 
Our God who came to earth
Enduring much in patient love
That we might have new birth.

Thursday AM
What father would give to his precious child
A dangerous gift, or one that defiled
The Father of all when put to the test
Will always be giving what He knows is best

Thursday PM
My progeny, to show the way
To follow Him throughout the day
To honor Him in what they say
And never from His leading stray

I make a meager, paltry guide
To lead such treasure to Your side
To You my weakness I confide
And You are with me every stride.

Though many are the traps and snares
Temptations and the daily cares
I keep them in my daily prayers
That life with You is someday theirs

Friday
I  wish Lord to this day repent
Of all my sinful ways
Of selfishness and time misspent
Throughout my many days

Saturday
Oh happy womb that bore You
What blessed breast You nursed
Creation all adores You
The last as well as first.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

9/27/15 through 10/3/15

9/27/15 Through 10/3/15

Sunday
Remove the part that leads to sin
Be cleansed and holy from within
Give up the constant search for wealth
Corrupted parts cannot give health.

Monday
It's funny how we fill our days
With noise and useless chatter
Rarely finding simple ways
To do the things that matter.

A patient ear, a loving touch
With pace of life decreased
We find, in those with little, much
The greatest and the least.

Tuesday
Great angel watching over me
Remove the blinders, let me see.
The conflict now, with eyesight pure
The Devil's wicked, tempting lure.

Give me the courage in the fight
To always seek and do what's right.
Strengthen now my weakened knees
Present before the King my pleas.

Announce a new and different day
The day the Woman dared to say:
"Salvation through your servant bring,
I am the handmaid of the King."

Wednesday
No reason you should look so sad
When favored by the King
The one who gave His life for you
Will grant you everything.

Thursday
He never waters down the call
He always wants to have our all.
He promises sufficient grace
In every trying time and place.

Friday
Unless you come like little ones
No share can you receive.
The kingdom is for humble ones
Who listen and believe.

Saturday
Though littleness we try to find,
A prideful whisper comes to mind,
And if we fail to shut the door
The demon gladly offers more..

Sunday, September 27, 2015

9/20/15 through 9/26/15

9/20/15 through 9/26/15

Sunday
Could we know without the cross,
Could we count our gains as loss,
Could we find triumph in defeat,
Without a giving so complete?

Because of His reproaching breath
We sentenced Him to shameful death.
With torture and revilement
We killed the One whom Love had sent.

But three days hence, the Savior showed
As all around the tomb it glowed,
No power below or up above
Can conquer o're the power of Love.

Monday
Wealth provides a constant chatter
Masking all the things that matter
Always shouting, "Look and see!"
Drowning out, "Come follow Me."

Tuesday
In the pagan king was found
The gift to see, and turn around.
Rebuilding that which once was razed
Into the place where God is praised.

Tuesday Evening
A man of little faith in He
Who calmed the winds and split the sea,
A man who doesn't trust enough
To leave his worthless worldly stuff.

A man who wants his comfort now,
Yet wants to get to heaven somehow.
A man who wants the Lord to see,
A better way for things to be.

A man of very little brain
Complaining of his every pain
A fool in eyes that truly see,
That man of course, is known as me.

But if You choose to grace that man,
And if he but, responds he can
Fulfill Your will upon this earth
And gain at last, a brand new birth.

Wednesday
To twelve He gave authority
To cure and make the demons flee.
To all He gives the power now
To love, and change the world somehow.

Thursday
How often thoughts are inward bound
And care for others never found.
The house of God, it's time to build,
The fallow ground must now be tilled.

Friday
Tell no more the ancient story
Of the Church's former glory
Worry not of numbers few
The Lord will freshen, and renew.

Saturday
Within the fire circling round
No enemy or foe is found.
The Lord becomes the strength and shield
For all the holy ones He sealed.


Sunday, September 20, 2015

9/13/15 through 9/19/15

9/13/15 through 9/19/15

Sunday
Change this mind and ways I think
Let me Your sacred chalice drink
Give me the will to suffer for
The Way of Love that offers more.

Monday
To look upon the tortured Lamb
I stop and wonder who I am,
That He would count the world as loss
And choose to die upon the cross.

Such love unknown before or since
The depth of which can sure convince
The hardest heart to turn around
And let eternal life be found.

Tuesday
Most surely on the day He rose
His Mother first to greet He chose
The one who freely gave up all 
In answer to His loving call.

Wednesday
Oh may I think of others first
And not my daily needs
For though the selfish one is cursed,
The humble one He heeds.

Thursday
By humble acts of service now
We show great love and then somehow
Like her of hair and ointment fame
We're snatched from that eternal flame.

Friday
To stewards of this awesome treasure
Send your wisdom without measure
Let us not be filled with greed
But let us help the ones in need.

Saturday
Make of me a fertile soil
In this land where people quarrel
Let the seed of love take root
That I may bear abundant fruit.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

9/6/15 through 9/12/15

9/6/15 through 9/12/15

Sunday
Ephphatha spoken by the King
Made sounds in quiet ears to ring
It's true!  He can do anything.
He even makes the silent sing.

What joy to now communicate
Without the need of chalk and slate
With spoken word elucidate
And thirsty souls rejuvinate.

Monday
When life itself is trumped by pride
The wickedness grows well inside
They'd rather curse and reprimand
Than see the cure of withered hand.

Have we ourselves not fallen prey
To prideful thinking of the day,
Devaluing the gift of life,
Forsaking vows of man and wife?

Tuesday
Sinless Mary came to birth
The dawn of hope for sinful earth
For through her holy child of light
The Son of God would end the night.

Wednesday
Blessed poverty, spiritual gift
To God, our pains and troubles we lift
Only when trusting He's given us all
Are we free to abandon and answer His call.

Thursday
Mary, Mary, pure and bright
Constant source of joy and light
Bring your charm to every room
Dispel the darkness, chase the gloom.

Follow in your patron's way
And seek His will for every day
Put on the dress of holy one
Be kind and meek, with blessing tongue.

When troubled by a daily trial
Just sit with Him and rest a while
There you'll find a love so deep
He cares for loved ones as they sleep.

And as you travel down life's road
No matter what the heavy load
Be sure to listen for His voice
To help you make a proper choice.

Friday
Pursuing truth, I find on the way
Faults in my deeds, and things that I say.
I find them at first, as a splinter you see
In the eye of some other, but surely, not me.

In quiet reflection, my time of great peace,
Talking to Him, I advise without cease.
When finally stopping a moment to thank,
I find that my eye has been filled with a plank.

Saturday
Reflecting on the day's events
The mind looks back, and heart repents
Failures lead to bitter sorrow
Hope is for a better morrow.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

8/30/15 through 9/5/15

8/30/15 through 9/5/15

Sunday
Oh wash me Lord and make me clean
From sinfulness in me unseen
From judgments rash, and lust inside
From selfish greed and foolish pride.

Monday
Today this passage is fulfilled
He's come to set us free
The long expectant hearts were thrilled 
His mighty works to see.

Tuesday
Let me accept with grace this day
The will of Christ my Lord
My debts no way I could repay
His gifts could not afford

Wednesday
Thank you Lord for giving me
The things that do me good.
Instead of what my thinking be
When I've misunderstood.

Thursday
No looking back with longing eyes
To former ways of life
Leave all for Him with piercing eyes
Who gives eternal life.

Friday
When pride in me, self-flattery
Invades the heart and mind
Then wisdom flies before my eyes
And folly's all you find.

Saturday
Without love how can we last 
As creatures on this earth?
A day of doom approaches when
There's judgement for our past.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

8/23/15 through 8/29/15

8/23/15 through 8/29/15

Sunday
The Eucharist is our main course
It strengthens and provides the force
To meet the challenge of each day
And help us follow in His way.

Monday
In every life a certain one
Shines with a special glow
A light reflective of the Son
That beckons us to grow.

A mom or dad, or family friend
That truly knows the Lord.
Who trusts in Him until the end
Relying on His Word.

Oh, let me be, so many see
In me that special light.
The light of love, from God above,
Dispelling darkest night.

Tuesday
It seems to me, in daily spats,
We often tend, to choke on gnats.
While the highest court that we impanel
Can swallow with ease the whole darn camel.

Wednesday
Receive it as the Word of God
And not the word of men.
Be not a whited sepulchre,
But living flesh! Amen.

Thursday
Be ready not to hide away
Be ready to embrace.
The Master shall return one day,
And Him we all must face.

Friday
The virgins wise, their lamps kept filled
While waiting for the groom
The foolish ones came unprepared,
No trials were assumed.

The oil within, our Faith and Hope,
Supplied by God above.
To keep the lamp flame burning bright
With fire of ardent love.

A flame of empty outward signs
Temptation blows away,
But coaxing winds make steadfast hearts
Burn brighter everyday.

Saturday
The Baptist's tongue will speak no more
His dark set eyes will pierce no hearts.
Though man could separate his parts
His words live on for evermore.

Make straight the path.  Repent.  Believe.
Be washed, and be set free.
He must increase, I must decrease.
Behold the Lamb of God.

8/16/15 through 8/22/15

8/16/15 Through 8/22/15

Sunday
This bread becomes our very breath
The body of our Lord.
Redemption from our certain death
A price could none afford.

The wine, His blood, our saving drink
For parched and thirsty souls
The sinners saved from darkest brink,
The lowly ones consoled.

Monday
Before you lies a blessing
Before you lies a curse
The freedom from confessing,
Or lies to make things worse.

Tuesday
Least in all Manasseh
He hides to thresh his wheat
But called by God to challenge, and
Bring Midian defeat.

The angel of the Lord he saw
And spoke to face to face
Behold, oh mighty one said he
You're called to cleanse this place

Wednesday
With leadership comes sacrifice
A gift of one to all
Controlling of our appetites
And answering the call.

Thursday
Not one thing can be claimed as mine
No praise for things I do.
All I have comes from Divine
Even praise I offer You.

Friday
To love the Lord with heart and mind
The greatest of the laws, we find.
Then like yourself, to love all men
Will please the Father once again.

Saturday
Teach me to choose the lowest place
Teach me to always seek your face
Then finding in humility
Who You intended me to be.


Sunday, August 16, 2015

8/9/15 Through 8/15/15

8/9/15 through 8/15/15
Sunday
Strength for the journey
Bond with the Lord
Bread of compassion 
Life giving Word

Lord give me hunger
Lord give me thirst
For what is holy
Placing You first

For in Your Passion
Is my redemption
Life without ending
In resurrection!

Monday
The giver of the gifts should know
Just what we need to bloom and grow
He spoke the word and made it all
His grace is plenty for us all.

Tuesday
The memory of a child's embrace
Is slow to fade away
The innocence upon their face
The loving words they say.

This pure and simple, spotless love
Is how our lives should be
Reliance on our God above
Should be our path, you see.

Wednesday
A glow of light beyond the door
A thirsting soul desires more
A knock to say:  "May I come in?"
The pathway choked by years of sin.

Thursday
Oh Jesus, in this bread so fine
Great comfort, and great strength of mine,
Cleanse me Lord from all my sin
Grant that I, Your favor win.

Friday
His body offered up for her
Her will subordinate to his
Such love will demonstrate for sure
What marriage made in heaven is.

Saturday
The Ark of God, that holy place,
The lowly Virgin, Full of Grace,
The humble and obedient one,
Now reigns in splendor with her Son.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

8/2/15 Through 8/8/15

8/2/15 through 8/8/15

Sunday
Do I believe the way I should,
Have His words been understood?
The works I've seen and things I know,
Have shown quite clear the way to go.

But somehow still, I choose my way
That easy and that broad highway
Instead of trusting what He said
And finding Him within the bread.

Monday
For leeks and melons people longed
And would at once return
To slavery where their rights were wronged
If food they could discern.

What price for freedom would I pay,
Have I a will so strong
To disregard the easy way
And find where I belong?

Tuesday
Majestic words cannot describe
No awesome sight could dare explain
The truth to which my heart ascribes
The blessing in His Holy Name.

Wednesday
You see but just the surface
And think you know the whole
Your lips do you no service
When God you don't extoll.

Thursday
In splendid light they heard the voice
He's my beloved Son
So listen now and make your choice
Be like this Holy One.

Friday
Take up your cross and follow me
He offers every soul
The way to find the life you seek
Is giving to the full.

Saturday
Feet on the ground, and hands up high
I ask His holy will
To give to me a loving eye
And help me speak with skill.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

7/26/15 through 8/1/15

7/26/15 through 8/1/15

Sunday
The foolish look for merely bread
When even though five thousand fed
On just five loaves, and but two fish
The multitude He gave their wish

Much more He gives to those who see
It's God who works in mystery
With not so ordinary bread
At Mass the multitude is fed.

Monday
A doer, not a hearer
Is what I'm called to be
Not one who finds a mirror
And looks, but fails to see.

But peering at perfection
With persevering stare
Our God provides protection
And blessings everywhere.

Tuesday
The prophets to our fathers spoke
In words disguised within a cloak,
But in our day, with clarity, 
He speaks direct to you and me.

Wednesday
A countenance of Holy Light
The skin of Moses shining bright
Encountering our Holy Lord
The one he worshiped and adored.

Thursday
He walked about in veiled disguise
His face too bright for normal eyes
His features glowing full of grace
When e're he left that holy place.

Friday
It's sad to see the healing art
Become an industry
Forgetting that the true healthcare
Is really ministry.

The Sabbath celebration was 
A gift from God on high
A solemn day of rest because
We need it to get by.

Saturday
He called the sinner to repent
By how he lived and what he said
But Herod, that great coward, sent
And on a whim, John lost his head.


Sunday, July 26, 2015

7/19/15 through 7/25/15

7/19/15 through 7/25/15

Sunday
With pride we often entertain
The pleasures that we seek
Instead of trying to abstain
And learning to be meek

Monday
Ignoring what they cannot hide
Creating overwhelming tide 
Denying truth they know inside
The court has ruled along gay pride

Tuesday
The waters of the Red Sea part
To freedom now the slaves depart
The people that the Lord has named
Through water now the Lord has claimed

When like the sea, His heart was split
The blood and water flowed from it
An overwhelming, precious tide
Of grace and mercy from His side.

Wednesday
Baptismal waters cleanse and bless
As we our sinful past confess
Through water now His dove descends
And sinful hearts He heals and mends

Unfading mark upon the brow
To claim one as the Lord's somehow
To wash away the stain of sin
And pave the way to Heaven win.

Thursday
How often Lord I stop to pray
But fail to practice what You say
Let Your word in  me be found
And make of me Your fertile ground

Friday
The peaceful morn a holy time
And I have learned to call it mine
A time to watch the dawn awake
And quietly reflection take

The varied birds that sing their song
The air that's cooled by darkness long
This calm before the busy day
I've found the perfect time to pray

Saturday
In jars of clay we carry gold
That you should know what we've been told
Is from the power of God, not man
And all our works are in His plan.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

7/12/15 through 7/18/15

7/12/15 through 7/18/15

Sunday
The beauty of the earth down deep
So very few have known
Such grandeur there one shouldn't keep
For just his very own

Monday
Not knowing how God's children are
The rulers try to keep
Their numbers from increasing far
And roots from growing deep

For not this world the roots were meant
Such children must increase
The ones who offer this sweet scent
Of service and of peace

Tuesday
If His voice should come to me
Attentive pray that I should be
And willing that I would repent
I offer that I would be sent

Wednesday
Thy word oh Lord and not my own
Has power to light the way
Give me the words to make You known
In all I do and say

Thursday
The first time I received the Lord 
I found uncommon grace
Somehow to me His love out poured
That special time and place.

Friday
Impatient with his lagging pace
I grumbled quietly
Forgetful of the mighty grace
I was about to see

I heard a voice as plain as day
That reprimanded me
"Look at his hands" I heard Him say
"Be blind no more, but see"

How many times this aged man
With ordinary bread
Has lifted up those holy hands
And hungry souls were fed.

"So who are you, self righteous one
Who can't afford this time
To criticize the pace of one
Whose life is fully Mine"


Saturday
The people left in hurried pace
With just unleavened bread
They left that awful slavery place
To be with manna fed.