10/13/19 Through 10/19/19

10/13/19 Through 10/19/19

Sunday

So many are the gifts You give

To compliment the way we live

But many times we fail to see

Your love, and generosity.

Our life itself, the greatest gift

Yet we have set our minds adrift,

And fail to daily recognize

Your many gifts before our eyes.

Our blessings we may number not

See all around, and those forgot.

Even trials have served us well,

And of our loving Father tell.

Monday

What greater sign could ever be

Than Jesus Christ hung on a tree?

The lamb of God was left to die

Upon the cross, with darkened sky.

How can we turn away from love,

Forsaking light in land above,

Preferring total darkness where

Our selfishness brings more despair?

Speak to me, oh Lord this day,

And use me in some special way.

To turn the lost back to the light

And make their future ever bright.

Tuesday

Such fools the wise have now become

With blinded eye and mind that's numb.

The Maker they refuse to see

Attached to their depravity.

They worship what the Maker made

And look around as light will fade

To darkness growing ever still

And deepening their stinking swill.

The outside cleansed with shiny gleam,

But inside where the filth is seen,

Is guarded as their precious prize.

The foolish masquerade as wise.

Wednesday

Lord help me love and give your due

Not just in tithes of mint and rue

But with each simple loving deed

More to Your holy will accede.

Let my every act be yours

And let me never mind the scores

For goodness is its own reward

And forms us to our loving Lord.

Thursday

My faith and trust is lacking so

I fail quite often, as You know.

But You can change my attitude

And help me win this inner feud.

I've seen how many times before

You gave me strength to help me soar,

Above temptation to the land

Of love and peace that You have planned.

But on my own a weakness reigns

With sin and selfishness as chains.

Help me to listen and obey

The many times You speak today.

Then day by day and brick by brick

Obedience will start to click,

And change a foolish sinful man

To one who lives within Your plan.

Friday

A work for all to share some way

To gather in the lost and stray

To bring the truth to all we meet

And gather in the harvest wheat.

It's up to Him to separate

The chaff from wheat, then demonstrate

His justice, mercy, wrath, and love;

The chaff to fire, and wheat above.

He gives to all an ample chance

To join Him in a victory dance,

But in the end the wicked lose,

Receiving what they freely choose.

Saturday

Faith He renders all who will 

Believe in trial, and trust Him still,

Who risk it all to spread the word

Until the ends of earth have heard.

A gift He grants to others too

To simple ones like me and you,

Who see the folly of the side

That honors lust and boastful pride

10/6/19 Through 10/12/19

10/6/19 Through 10/12/19

Sunday

Faith an enigmatic thing

To which He calls us all to cling

To trust in spite of what we see

And let the Lord, our Shepherd be.

He leads us through the valley dim

If we but put our trust in Him,

And uses every trial faced

To prove our trust is not misplaced.

Monday

I wish to not be much involved

To live a quiet life.

For other lives be quite absolved,

And be with comforts rife.

But Priest and Levite were the same

Consumed with other cares.

Unwilling to accept the blame

For how the stranger fares.

They walked along without a thought

Of who their neighbor be.

And I must see, as well I ought,

The Levite there is me.

So waken me throughout this day

To where my neighbor lies.

And make me stop along the way

To lift his grim disguise.

Tuesday

Help me choose the better part,

A fool and weak am I.

Help me see Your work of art 

With trust, and faithful eye.

Cast off the burden of my sin

And lead me to repent.

That I may learn to enter in,

And freely give ascent.

To every word You speak to me

Throughout my every day

And come with all the saints to see

You truly are the Way!

Wednesday

Our Father on this very day

You know what I'm about to say.

Like Jonah, I have often fled

And yet with manna still You fed.

So faithful, righteous, kind, and good

Yet unrepentant there I stood.

A hundred twenty thousand there,

But in my mind, some shade the care.

Help me see as You see Lord

Who for each sinful man out-poured

Your blood upon that rugged tree

So every sinner could be free.

Let me forgive as you forgave

And let my love, be such to save.

That here Your kingdom come to be

To change them all, but also, me!

Thursday

Once again, before You Lord

To ask what I cannot afford.

To change this sinful heart of mine

And make it look much more like Thine.

Make it be on fire with love

In search of only that above.

Abandoning all base desire

Filled with blazing holy fire.

My Jesus, how I long for You 

To permeate all that I do.

And make me keenly self-aware

How much I need my daily prayer.

To reinforce it every morn

From You, is every blessing born.

From You, is every breath I take,

To You, a morning off'ring make.

Friday

What have I done, to further Your will?

The darkness and cloud envelop me still.

The demons of death and horrors of hate,

Seem never to wane, or to evil abate.

New life that we bring is more threatened each day

By the ways of the world, attempting to sway

Into darkness of selfishness, envy, and greed,

Where demons, by legions indulge and then breed.

The seven-fold terror upon us has spread

Where mothers will murder, and babies are dead.

But the day of the Lord's second coming is near

And all who have sinned should be trembling in fear.

The days of His mercy will come to an end

Where justice will reign, and the evil descend,

To darkness eternal, where flame never dies,

With no one to hear all the pleading and cries.

Oh Lord, save us now, before it's too late.

Take our hearts made of stone to the evil negate.

With a new heart of flesh turn our eyes upon You,

And daily, Your love, in our hearts please renew.

Saturday

Most precious virgin mother kind

Be still my heart, and to it bind

Your heart immaculate and pure.

Best way to meet your Son for sure!

To follow in obedience

The way of most expedience.

To say as you, "Let it be done."

Will bring us closer to your Son.

9/29/19 Through 10/5/19

9/29/19 Through 10/5/19

Sunday

The Lazarus outside my door

Is not the Christ I'm looking for.

I look right by his longing face 

And hurry to my comfy place.

Enjoying wine of many pours

While dogs come lick his many sores.

With purple clothes and linen fine

Indifferent to the poor, I dine.

Come tell the story, help me see

What wretchedness is found in me,

How often I could meet a need

And from my wretchedness, be freed.

Monday

Ever seeing us and them

Christ did such a thought condemn.

Each an image of the King,

Each will something special bring.

Every one a work of art,

Each with something to impart.

Only humble, this can see

For humble will, the greatest be.

Tuesday

Jerusalem, Jerusalem,

The city of the King.

Home to all, who evil stem

And humble worship bring.

All who seek shall come to you

From lands of far away

To see the mighty works You do

With simple lumps of clay.

I came as well for I believe

This is the narrow gate,

Through which, our sufferings, You weave

And newly life create.

Wednesday

Protection from the angels came

And trust in God for all became, 

The daily call to those He led

Who were each day, with manna fed.

The angel in the furnace flame

For trusting men of God became

A coolness there amid the heat,

A guard protecting from defeat.

Each one an angel guards this day

To lead them in the proper way.

Protecting them from all that harms,

And guiding to the Father's arms.

Thursday

Those old enough to understand

Should listen well to what He planned,

And follow every word He said

To keep their soul and body fed.

The word He wishes us to spread

And in our hearts, there to embed

To bring His peace to peaceful men,

That they might raise a great Amen.

Friday

Too late when ere that time will come,

The terrors of the judgement from

The righteous one, the crucified,

Who hung by nails until He died.

Repent while yet there is some time

While mercy fills this heart of Mine.

For on that final day at dawn

The Judgement's here, and mercy's gone!

Don't wait to hear and heed My voice.

Decide this day and make your choice.

Your way you've seen enough to know

It leads to where you should not go.

To the land of love forsaken,

Where the lost and damned are taken.

Alone and empty, self-absorbed

With worthless gods, for years adored.

No longer hope for better days

But only pain amid the blaze.

With nothing left for you to lose,

Eternity, in that you choose.

Saturday

My children, come and follow Me.

The glory of the Lord you'll see,

If you but ponder well His art

You'll see His might in every part.

A plan complex, yet simple too, 

Revealing truth and love to you.

A God who gives us everything

If we will just, our homage bring.

No falsehood in His holy word

Like that in from, the serpent heard.

A love beyond the human mind

In every Eucharist we find.

9/22/19 Through 9/28/19

9/22/19 Through 9/28/19

Sunday

The riches loved destroy the peace

That we were meant to know.

Depravity and crime increase,

And wickedness will grow.

It starts in subtle little ways

So insignificant,

But grows into a mighty blaze

Of selfishness and want.

The only way to stem the tide

Of greed and avarice,

Is listen to the other side

Whose mantra goes like this:

The little matters quite a lot

For truly it reveals,

The trusted and the trusted not

Who make their shady deals.

Those faithful in the little things

Who simply work and pray,

Will bring about a peace and joy

That permeates the day.

I trust each morn to hear His voice,

A little rhyme or two.

A morsel to my spirit feed,

And maybe also you.

But time will tell how well I've heard

And if I've acted so.

No longer sight be dim or blurred

Where we are bound to go.

To darkness deep and self-absorbed,

Or light of endless day.

My prayer is but to find the Lord,

And ever there to stay.

Monday

Let us build a house for Him

And set it on a Hill.

No longer will the land be dim,

But brightened by His will.

His word be spoken everywhere

And everywhere we find,

Great peace and joy are present there

If we, His precepts, mind.

When light surrounds with darkness gone,

No obstacles perceived.

To good and holy all are drawn,

And happiness received.

Tuesday

Mother Mary, faithful one,

As virgin pure, you bore God's Son.

Temple pure and well-adorned

Mother of our Savior scorned.

Teach us all to act like you

And answer, yes, in all we do.

In humble service making way

To listen well, and then obey.

Wednesday

In every age You've sheltered those

Who followed in the way You chose.

With shoes to last for forty years,

Or comfort in their land of tears.

A faithful God who daily feeds

And grants what every child needs.

Much more than idle hopes discussed,

A Rock, in which to place our trust.

Thursday

Lord make my disposition right

To see You everyday.

To listen well and see the light,

If only but a ray.

One tiny ray can touch my heart

And bring eternal joy

To brighten up my darkest part,

And selfishness destroy.

Oh flood me with that precious gift

Of meeting You each morn.

And through my many failings sift

That Christ, in me, be born.

No other thing has satisfied

The longings of my heart.

You know how often I have tried,

But only grown apart.

A bag with holes, a pocket torn,

Can carry none worthwhile.

Let praise and thanks, my heart adorn, 

And greet You with a smile.

Friday

Who do you say that I am,

A prophet, a king, just a man?

The answer to this. No disciple should miss,

If he's living according to plan.

Saturday

Afraid to question, Lord I come.

The depth of love, in me, to plumb.

Can I but follow to the cross,

And count my wealth as none but loss?

You hook with just a simple word

That somehow, through the din, is heard.

And draws a longing soul to hear:

"Come follow Me, and do not fear."

Come follow One they crucified,

Who freely gave His life and died

That you might live eternally,

And learn to be one truly free.