11/14/21 through 11/20/21

 11/14/21 through 11/20/21

Sunday

My fear is that I fall away

And choose the flesh that awful day.

A weakly and a troubled soul

Without the strength to be made whole.

I know beyond a doubt it's true

Yet still I turn away from You,

The source of all I know and love,

The King of kings enthroned above.

Your sacrament, my daily bread,

Your very flesh, by which I'm fed.

The angels look with awe upon

The Eucharist phenomenon.

Give me the grace through daily food

To have at last, the strength imbued.

To turn from all my earthly gain,

To You, my all, at last obtain.

Monday

We cannot make Utopia

Apart from God alone.

The fruit of such myopia

Is always overblown.

Where God is gone and man shall reign

Their "freedom" makes all slaves.

The scriptures burned, and prophets slain,

With desecrated graves.

The faithful call for eyes that see

And men that will obey,

For those that keep their eyes on Thee,

 And follow what You say.

Great wisdom that we clearly see,

And not through clouded eyes.

The errors we must quickly flee,

For truth instead of lies.

Tuesday

May I persevere in love

To gain with Christ, my place above.

I fear, in weakness, I may sin,

And choose my comfort over Him.

Saints that died in utter shame

Remembered now for steadfast fame,

For how they faced their blows in love,

To gain their place with God above.

Would I my sycamore descend,

And with my life, the faith defend,

Or cower and remain aloft,

To end as one despised and scoffed?

His call I pray to clearly hear,

And let His narrow path appear

That I might follow well and find

A place for me, above assigned.

Wednesday

A mother strong in faith and love

Who set her eyes on things above

Encouraged well her sons to serve

Their God alone with manly nerve.

She watched while each in brutal ways

Was tortured but, still God did praise.

Her life a worthy sacrifice

Her faith her key to paradise.

For eons now her story told

Her faith more rare than finest gold.

While none remember those who caved,

But only those whom faith has saved.

Thursday

How sad that men don't recognize

The Christ in bread before their eyes.

If only they could see Him there,

And lift their spirits from despair.

Days are coming soon, it's true,

When enemies encircle you

And hem you in on every side,

For none from Truth, can ever hide.

Friday

Far too long has sin had reign.

Cleanse this temple once again.

Drive the demons far away,

Rule in me with perfect sway.

Make my heart as new and pure.

Give me strength to long endure

All that evil throws my way,

Teach me fervently to pray.

Saturday

No word without a ray of hope

For those who in the darkness grope.

For mercy in their time of need

In spite of many evil deeds.

We see not as our maker does,

The all that is, and all that was.

His love surpasses all we know,

And pays the mighty debt we owe.

11/7/21 through 11/13/21

 11/7/21 through 11/13/21

Sunday

Few are asked to trust the way

The widows often do.

Each meal, or when they get their pay

They offer Him His due.

They know without a doubt He lives

And meets their every need.

In many varied ways, He gives

To help the children feed.

The generosity they show

Compassion knows it well,

But wealthy may not ever know,

Or such a story tell.

The many gifts each day received

Acknowledged from the Lord.

The price beyond what man perceived,

 Or what one could afford.

Monday

We rise or fall to meet our friends.

Truth, a lying world transcends,

For Wisdom flees deceitful hearts,

And from the fool, she soon departs.

The evil heart she enters not,

To those the rule of love forgot,

But Wisdom kindly soon forgives

The one in light of truth who lives.

Repentance be my daily road,

For she forgives and lightens load.

To flee the sin my one desire,

And Wisdom of the saints acquire.

Tuesday

The temple is that holy place

Reserved for God alone.

The site of mystery and grace

Where seeds of love are sown.

Come enter in and find the peace

That stills a restless soul.

Come find the Lord that brings release,

And makes the sinner whole.

Come see within your neighbor too

Our Lord who dwells within.

For He's a temple, as are you,

A refuge, both akin.

Wednesday

Your words in all I do I seek.

The words of One so strong, yet meek.

The guide for all I say and do,

The guide for all, because they're true.

In truth is where all peace is found.

The truth becomes that ringing sound,

Proclaiming loud to all the earth,

In truth, we have our second birth.

If you were but aware, You'd see,

His constant presence guiding thee,

And all you have a gift He gave

To you, and many others save.

His judgment on the privileged one,

Much harsher than the lowly one.

From those with much, He much demands

For truth is in all His commands.

Thursday

Mobile beyond motion,

Mirror of our God,

Deeper than the ocean,

Reflecting Him unflawed.

Intelligent and holy,

Tranquil and secure,

Aura shining boldly,

Nothing ere so pure.

Manifold and subtle,

Agile and unstained,

Glowing as a scuttle

For the truth obtained.

Fairer than the sun or moon,

Surpassing every star.

From the Rock of ages hewn,

Endless reservoir.

Image of integrity,

Age to age, of fame.

Model of tenacity,
Wisdom, is her name.

Friday

The fool alone is blind to see

The Maker in His majesty.

For all proclaims His mighty hand,

And beauty bows to His command.

In fire, wind, and water strong

All nature sings a praising song.

Exalting One who made them all,

And acting on His every call.

What humble poor can plainly see,

The wise and learned claim to be

Colossal happenstance above,

Instead of mighty works of love.

Their willful ignorance is bliss,

But none the Master will dismiss,

For in each heart the truth is planted,

But denied, no pardon granted.

Saturday

Persistent prayer, four hundred years?

Untold the cries and many tears.

The Judge will hear, someday relent,

A One to save, from Heaven sent.

His time is not the time of men.

We see it green, but He knows when

The fruit is ripe and ready for

His mighty hand to then restore.

Persist in spite of what you see

For land will rise above the sea.

A way be made both straight and true

To all the weary souls renew.

10/31/21 Through 11/6/21

 10/31/21 Through 11/6/21

Sunday

The Lord of all, or Lord at all,

A choice we have to make.

If just a slice, what will befall

Remainder of the cake?

So offer all you have and see

The love He has for you.

Outgiven, He will never be

No matter what you do.

So take to heart the word He gives

In many varied ways,

For in your neighbor's soul He lives,

And prophecy conveys.

When Lord of all we see Him where

At times we least expect

And recognize He's everywhere,

And Him, does all  reflect.

Monday

The multitude shall sing His praise,

And all shall hear the anthem raise.

For He who sits upon the throne

Is God of all, and God alone.

The myriads that tend to Him

All singing their exultant hymn

Can see in now, their glory days,

The majesty of Him they praise.

It's funny how the poor and meek

Can now perceive the One they seek,

While proud and evil lock their gaze

Amid the dark and murky haze.

It's up to us to look beyond

The raging sea, or quiet pond,

And see in all that nature gives

Our Lord of all, and God who lives.

The way to see His sovereignty,

Is poor and humble spirits be.

For they that thirst for peace and love

Will sing in praise of God above.

Tuesday

For though their passing looked upon

As pure affliction, not as dawn.

Chastised a little, greatly blest

The ones in faith, who passed the test.

Although before men punished here,

Their hope will cast away all fear.

For immortality awaits

Within the land of golden gates.

Once proved amid the furnace flame,

The gold no longer suffers shame.

Its luster shines and darts about,

To fire in the stubble start.

His loving care with His elect

The humble He will not reject.

Forever in the land above,

The faithful will abide in love.

Wednesday

Calculate the value here

And then behold, dispel the fear.

For what is offered far exceeds

The all we have and all our needs.

The cross a daily load to bear,

But grace supplied to make it fair

A burden light, and easy yoke

Just as the Master often spoke.

But if we never pay the price,

Persisting in our ways of vice,

The tower never will complete, 

And all our efforts yield defeat.

The job complete demands our all,

Or we, as many others, fall.

Why hoard the things that will not last?

The end for all approaches fast.

Thursday

He searches daily for the lost

To bring them back at any cost.

So valuable to Him is each,

This lesson, all, He wants to teach.

No throw-aways within the flock.

Such thinking we must learn to block.

For all. their value far exceeds

Their reputation or misdeeds.

And Heaven rings with joyful sound

When ere a sinner lost, is found.

So give not up on any man,

But see the side the Savior can.

Friday

The zeal with which the wicked try

To satisfy their needs,

For everything that pleases eye,

Or boundless ego feeds,

Is zeal the Master calls us to

In spreading Gospel word,

To make believing ranks not few,

And well the Gospel heard.

Saturday

Be wise with all your earthly gain

For it, for long, shall not remain.

Trustworthy, with a temporal thing

Shall in the land eternal sing.

No way to love both God and gold,

And those detached from it behold

Their every need be met by Him,

When days are bright, or days are dim.

10/24/21 Through 10/30/21

 10/24/21 Through 10/30/21

Sunday

The cry of every heart should be,

"Oh Lord, I want to see!"

For blindness plagues our world today,

And few, the Word obey.

He pitties those that come to Him

In all humility

For when it's mostly dark and dim,

He gives the light to see.

In every situation now

I call upon His name.

For evil, yes, He will allow,

But strengthen just the same.

Monday

Bent and crippled, bound in sin,

Unforgiveness deep within.

Let the Healer cure today,

Wash the stain of sin away.

Lord I'm bent in many ways,

Sin I've had for many days.

Now is time to be renewed,

Come to me in humble food.

Come again with sin confessed.

Penitent, most highly blest.

Touch me with Your healing hand,

So at last, erect I stand.

Tuesday

Anticipation groans within

As we remain those steeped in sin.

Our hope is for what is not yet,

For hope is what we hope to get.

No eye has seen nor ear has heard

The promise of His faithful word.

But this we know, from death He rose,

And those who hope, are those He chose.

So wait in hope, enduring all,

For every seed that's frail and small

Contains within, as mustard seed

The fruit and flow'r to fill our need.

So germinate and spread the more

The crucified whom we adore.

He grants the grace to conquer sin

If we would just invite Him in.

Wednesday

My hope is in Your mercy Lord,

For what You have I can't afford.

The gate so narrow, hard to find

The weight of sin weighs on my mind.

But mercy is my only plan

For all I try, I never can

Obtain the holiness I need

To at Your banquet table feed.

For Yours is mercy to the last

I try, but fail to keep my fast, 

But when Your Spirit comes to me,

Great prayer and fasting will I see.

Thursday

Foundation stones both firm and true

Is what the Lord will make of you

Who listen well and then obey,

And never from His path will stray.

The call at first, just stay with Me

And listen well for eyes to see.

Then let My spirit guide your way,

And He'll provide the words to say.

The call is not for just a few,

But normal folks, like me and you.

To make disciples of all men,

And turn their hearts to God again.

The source and summit of our lives

Is more than fuel, but also drives

The faithful witness to proclaim

The wonders of His Holy Name.

Like those before us, let us try

Regardless if we live or die

To spread the love of Christ our Lord,

And find in that our great reward.

Friday

Pressured just to get along

And follow ways of men.

Ignoring when a thing is wrong,

Becoming like them then.

Who think they know what's wrong or right

By how they feel today,

Who cannot tell the black from white,

But see in only gray.

Don't take the bait of pleasure now,

And damn the way of love,

For virtue is the means of how

We find our way above.

And they that try to make the rules

Will see their ways awry

When it's too late for selfish fools

Who God to be will try.

Saturday

Humble find within a time

That which brings repose.

Haughty find within that time

What you would suppose.

All we have is given by

One no gift could give.

His providence alone that

Chooses us to live.

10/17/21 Through 10/23/21

 10/17/21 Through 10/23/21

Sunday

If suffering, Your will for me,

Oh Lord, then bring it on.

Grant me the patient eyes to see

Before this life is gone.

That which makes my body cower

Makes me more like You,

If humbly I accept the power

By doing what You do.

This prayer, I dread You answer me

For pain disturbs my mind.

But seeing what a man can be

Is where true peace I find.

Help me to serve in every way

Your will would ask of me,

And let me hear that final day,

Come share the joy with Me.

Monday

The harvest waits for willing hands,

For those who follow His commands,

But few are those who labor well,

And of the Gospel story tell.

So pray He send into the field

More laborers to sickle wield,

And gather to the harvest feast

The great as well as also least.

Tuesday

Unknown the joys of serving well

That only faithfulness can tell.

Though fleeting fancies turn the head,

By faithfulness, the soul is fed.

But all too often, temporal wins

And magnifies our many sins.

Then fear of suffering will bring

Attachment to a temporal thing.

And more will only show our need

The more our emptiness to feed,

Yet emptiness is only filled

By doing as the Master willed.

Wednesday

Before me always, there the cross

All other gain I count as loss.

No greater love that I should know,

No greater debt, than that I owe.

Be one at work on His return

Make faithful service your concern.

For we the blest with much must give,

That those less fortunate may live.

Thursday

All are slaves to some degree,

Yet Jesus Christ has set us free,

That we might freely choose to slave

For One who all our sins forgave.

The ways of sin all lead to death,

But soon enough our dying breath

When that we love will be our all,

And those that love the sin shall fall.

So let me slave for love Divine

And then, at last, all love be mine.

He offers nothing less than all

To those who answer well the call.

Division, He has come to bring

To purify the final thing,

And all shall pass through blazing heat

Before, at last, the Lord they meet.

Then what is left beyond the fire

Is love alone that we admire.

For where true love shall reign supreme

No hint of sinfulness is seen.

Friday

Far from where I'm meant to be

With many signs directing me,

Yet still I choose this path of mine,

And not His latest, clearest sign.

So who will rescue one like this

From life amid the great abyss?

Thanks be to God, it's Christ our Lord,

Who precious blood, for me out-poured.

Saturday

Your will be done in all I do

Dear Lord is what I ask of You.

My flesh be always cast aside

To make my will with Your's allied.

A task assigned to everyone.

Obedient, have that begun.

But those without the fruit to show,

Shall of the way of fire go.

With wisdom and humility

The path be lighted so I see,

How only in Your word can be

The hope for my eternity.