7/11/21 Through 7/17/21

 7/11/21 Through 7/17/21

Sunday

From following, I was removed,

And made to lead the way

For so the world was unimproved, 

And darkness ruled the day.

But light You gave for me to shine

As each a torch receive.

In rhyme, Your chosen torch of mine

To hidden things perceive.

To pass along the wisdom gained

From spending time with You,

And loose the one in prison chained

That they may start anew.

Monday

Do not think that peace I bring,

Division is My given thing.

To set apart the good from ill,

And find the ones that do My will.

Unworthy those who shun the cross,

Unwilling those to suffer loss,

For what they save will waste away.

Not so, the humble who obey.

For simple things the Father sees.

The one a righteous man receives,

Or one who simply offers drink,

And does not from the burden shrink.

Tuesday

With miracles the blind shall see,

And wicked come to know

The end of all our sinful spree,

Not where we want to go.

So we must turn around to find

The path to Heaven's door

Where gems of love each day are mined,

And pilgrims search for more.

Wednesday

In the humble holy one

The gifts of God reveal the Son.

As fire burning, not consumed,

A lily from the Mohawks bloomed.

A shepherd in the desert sun

Where burning bush had just begun

Deliverance for those enslaved,

On humble heart, His word engraved.

The Lily too was thus engraved,

And so to love was thus enslaved.

A virgin pure and undefiled,

With loving heart, a little child.

A leader too for all her kin,

A love that many hearts would win.

To childlike our God revealed

What heretofore had been concealed.

Be not afraid to lead the way

When chosen you must now obey.

Then trust in all you say and do,

It's all for Him and naught for you.

Thursday

We all are slaves in some respect.

We choose to love or be stiff-necked.

The pride of men fools many folk,

But love's a light and easy yoke.

The burdens of a sinful way

Will promise much, but little pay.

While love appears to lessen me,

But makes of me a fruitful tree.

Learn from Him they crucified,

And wash in water from His side.

By giving all, we all receive,

So let not selfishness deceive.

While pride slaves on in search of more,

Its efforts yield an empty store.

But slaves of love have restful sleep,

Renewing slumber, calm and deep.

Friday

Passing o'er those marked in blood,

The awesome might of God in flood.

That night forever recollected,

To each Mass, that day connected.

Lord of all who gives the grain,

Ground it in the mill of pain,

Makes of it a Living Bread

On which the faithful all are fed.

Saturday

The flame is gone, a glow remains,

Yet still the smold'ring wick contains

A spark of life abandoned not,

A fading hope, but not forgot.

With gentleness, He treats the stray

The chosen ones, who lost their way.

Those seen by most as useless fare

He shows the Father's loving care.

Freeing those enslaved by sin,

Welcoming repentant in.

Restoring withered hands and such,

With words of pow'r and gentle touch.

7/4/21 Through 7/10/21

 7/4/21 Through 7/10/21

Sunday (Dependence Day)

This day the word comes loud and clear,

There is no room for doubt or fear.

He sends us to a stubborn race

With hardened hearts, refusing grace.

Ill prepared, without the gifts,

Through the weak and low He sifts,

Finding one who well obeys,

One boasting not, who often prays.

He promises to fill their need.

If trust they will, they will succeed.

He chooses weak and lowly kinds

For in the weak His glory shines.

Monday

Truly God is present here 
I’ve seen enough to know He’s near
The grandeur and the beauty of 
Our God of mercy, and of love.

In all He makes His presence known
With stunning order clearly shown.
He heals the faithful trusting soul,
Restoring life that sin had stole.

Those that know Him ask for more.
They recognize His bounty store
And limit not what He can do,
But always ask to be made new.

Tuesday
So many tongues, by evil tied,
It seems as though to stem the tide
A miracle would have to be
The only way to set them free.

Abundant harvest waits for You,
But laborers are very few.
Beseech the Master, send more here
To gather in the ripened ear.

By evil, many bound in chains,
But overall the Master reigns,
And should they just to Him appeal,
His single word would bless and heal.

Wednesday
When famine comes we seek the grain
To feed upon the bread.
Now humbled by the hunger’s pain, 
Before the wise, we’re led.

Our deeds exposed in starkest light,
Now comes the punishment.
No deed be covered by the night,
So we must all repent.

Exposed for what we’ve always been
No way to hide our guilt.
The liars caught in deadly sin
That lie on lie has built.

So bow before the Savior King
Bend low and kiss the ground.
For all your wretched soul can bring
Is sorrow finally found.

Thursday
A longing for the Father here
Beyond what words explain
A tender spot for one so dear
That truly is arcane.

The source of all, and origin
Of everything that is.
So far away, and yet our kin,
A precious child of His.

The draw to be as one with Him,
Our primal yearning core.
A love that overflows the rim
And offers evermore.

Yet creeping in at every crack
Is evil, selfish sin.
That sets the progress always back,
To once again, begin.

Receive this day my firm desire,
For nothing less than You.
Set my heart and soul afire,
And bid my sin adieu.

Friday
Among the wolves, You sent us out,
With fear and trembling all about.
Flogged and beaten, left for dead,
Yet in our suffering, we’re fed.

For all the pain the martyrs faced,
Was met with love, and thus embraced,
As sharing in the cross of Christ,
Whose love unbound their soul enticed.

Not threatened here as such, but though
The way we’ve left our country go,
As bit by bit, the morals shift,
Away from God, we slowly drift.

And someday in the land of free,
Religion, folks may come to see
As threatening their right to sin,
And persecutions, thus begin.

So change a heart with love today.
A martyr, yes, but white the way.
It’s not too late to change the mind,
And open eyes that sin made blind.

Saturday
Though you intended harm for me,
The Lord intended good.
To bring about that you would see,
And listen as you should.

The ear attentive to His word
That hears and then obeys.
His humble prayer is always heard,
And answered many ways.

So persevere and you will hear,
But then you must obey.
For if you hear and turn deaf ear,
You’ll never find your way.

6/27/21 Through 7/3/21

 6/27/21 Through 7/3/21

Sunday

All life is in the Master's hand,

He issues breath at His command.

The trials that we face each day

Will guide our path along the way.

So many times we've heard it said,

"Give up the useless fear and dread."

Trust in Him whose touch can heal,

And to the Lord, make your appeal.

The One who fashioned every soul

Has died and rose to make men whole.

Death is gone and over-powered.

From the cross, His grace is showered.

To One alone all praise is due,

The One who died and rose for you.

The Author of the life you live

All praise and honor we must give.

Monday

As scarlet though our many sins,

His patient love the vict'ry wins.

He spares the wicked for the good

And takes their place upon the wood.

May no excuse delay reply,

Or cause the will to go awry.

The time is now that we decide

To answer yes, or go and hide.

Let me not in words alone

Assent to what the Son has shown,

But let my will be formed as Thine

And ever light within me shine.

Tuesday

Unworthy servants though we be,

The Lord has chosen you and me.

To make disciples of all men

And turn them towards their God again.

For all have talents given thee

To help the blind to clearly see.

To pass along the faith to all

In answer to the Master's call.

Wednesday

The spirit world I fail to see,

But angels watching over me

Have saved me many times from sin

Inviting evil demons in.

I see in retrospect the ways

My angel guards, protects, and saves.

I see as well when flesh has won,

In all the evil things I've done.

Lord, drive the demons far away

And clear the room for You to stay.

Let Your angel be my guide

And keep me ever at Your side.

Forgive the wrong that I have done.

Cleanse my soul, let it become

Your dwelling place forevermore

With peace and love its greatest store.

Thursday

"Rise and walk." He says to me.

All thy sins forgiven thee.

Take your mat and carry home

The faithful joy that now you own.

No greater gift than being free

Of all the sins that cripple me.

Anger, pride, and boastful greed,

Are those on which the flesh will feed.

But if we're taught to love and learn,

Somehow we see and then discern

That right before our very eyes

Is God within a flesh disguise.

At Mass it happens every time

They consecrate the bread and wine.

Sins forgiven, hearts made new,

Hard to fathom, yet but true.

Friday

He came not for the righteous one,

But came to make a sinner son.

That all with Christ, a brother be,

And all their sinfulness would see.

With empty hands we stand before

The One we worship and adore.

With sins as scarlet, bright and full,

The blood of Jesus makes as wool.

.

In death the source of life is found.

With love, the power of sin is bound.

We must the way of mercy learn

As to the cross, in shame we turn.

No thing we offer is our own.

For all to us is but a loan,

A talent that we must invest

To praise the One our lips confessed.

Saturday

"My Lord and God." as Thomas said,

In truth, You're risen from the dead!

No power on earth can hold You down,

You are True God of great renown.

My fingers probe Your sacred hands.

My heart receives what Yours commands.

A love that's full, entire, complete,

A love the world cannot defeat.

Your side where blood and water flowed,

To all mankind, Your mercy showed.

Your heart of love afire within

Forgiveness brings my heart of sin.

6/20/21 Through 6/26/21

 6/20/21 Through 6/26/21

Sunday

He whom wind and water stills,

With grace and mercy, Spirit fills.

The awesome God of things above,

Is God of wisdom, truth, and love.

No need to fear on stormy days,

A word from Him will calm the waves.

And bring ashore to quiet rest,

The trusting souls so richly blessed.

Monday

The plank or beam that hinders me

Is pride that blocks what I can see.

What feeds the flesh, is all it knows,

And given rein, will lead to woes.

For ages long, the saints have tried

To tame this selfish, boastful, pride.

Not one has conquered every time,

Save She who bore the King Divine.

Oh Mary, spotless, virgin, pure,

Plead for me and thus secure

The grace to see myself as least,

And find my way to heaven's feast.

Tuesday

Destruction's road is clear and wide,

Inviting to the eye.

But those who take this road decide

To narrow way pass by.

To leave behind the sacrifice

And hope for better days,

Rejecting now, the Lord's advice

To follow in His ways.

The narrow way of self-control,

And seeing others' need

Is how we reach our final goal,

 To love like Him indeed.

Wednesday

What fruit is borne upon this tree?

The question to be asked of me.

The question too, for everyone

Who walks beneath the shining sun.

One day accounts will all be drawn

And nothing left to draw upon,

Except for fruit that each has grown

Throughout their life by what was sown.

The tree that bore the greatest fruit,

A cross once thought of ill-repute

That bore a Saving Sacrifice

Who, resurrected, paid the price.

So too, good fruit, we bear each day

By what we freely give away,

And how our love reflects the Son,

Who on the cross, salvation won.

Thursday

John the greatest born of woman

Paved the way of God to man.

Voice in wilderness a crying,

He to self was always dying.

Both prophet and the saving Son

In simple loving ways have won

The hearts of those that long to see

The Lord of all eternity.

Friday

No laughing matter, death or sin.

One from without, one from within.

As leprosy, the flesh destroys,

Our sin a likewise tack employs.

Each day another bit decays,

Our health is lost in tiny ways

That all combine to show our need

For healing from our selfish greed.

A word from Love addressed to me

Could heal and set this sinner free.

Lord, if it is within Your will,

Please cleanse me of this dreadful ill.

Saturday

You pass me by throughout the day,

Though rarely offered, "Come and stay.",

And when your word is spoken true,

I laugh it off as nothing new.

So crass, the chosen ones can be

That what's in front they fail to see.

While those despised will see and know,

Then find the gifts that you bestow.