9/4/16 Through 9/10/16

9/4/16 Through 9/10/16

Sunday

I often sit and there opine

How short this memory of mine

Your written and Your spoken word

Forgotten as if never heard

So quickly lost in earthly care

That springs from almost anywhere

I flit and flutter through the day

Forgetting all the words You say

But Mercy comes anew each morn

And once again new hope is born

You whisper once again to me

And briefly open eyes to see

Someday it will be different when

The Word is fully present then

And sharing in the life divine

The knowledge of the Word is mine.

Monday

I'd rather have a withered hand

And faithful trust in Him

Than find my house was built on sand

When come the rain and wind

Tuesday

We claim it's justice that we seek

But not the justice of the meek

Instead of suffering some pain

We go to court for earth;y gain

Before the procurator stood

The source of all that is that's good

In justice He should be adored

Yet by the judges was abhorred

Wednesday

I've found that in the ways of Christ

The path of life is highly priced

When poverty I freely choose

So many things I also lose

Greed and gluttony, avarice

The things I lose are much like this

The Spirit works inside of me

Replacing pride, humility

A paradox it seems to be

That life requires death in me

But yet this feeds and makes me whole

And lust indulged just starves the soul.

Thursday

The child resembles mom and dad

With features those before him had

That curly hair or dimpled chin

By many ways they're known as kin

But Mary like no other one

Is found resembling her Son

In perfect love, and highly priced

We see in her the gift of Christ

A giving of herself to all

In answer to her holy call

A willingness to suffer shame

In honor of His precious name

I pray that I may one day be

A child in whom the world can see

Resemblance to the One above

Resemblance in the ways of love

Friday

With filth and squalor all around

A single ray of light is found

St.  Peter Claver pray for me

And help me set the captive free

But first I need to lose this chain

That makes me seek for earthly gain

Repent of many sins I own

And then be fit to make Him known.

Saturday

Have I been attentive Lord

And listened to Your word

Or have I been just like the hoard

And those that never heard?

Does it make a difference

Because I hear Your voice

Does it give me confidence

When life demands a choice?

8/28/16 Through 9/3/16

8/28/16 Through 9/3/16

Sunday

Your word, it comes in varied ways

To meet the challenge of the days

Attentive ear and watchful eye

Will recognize and prophesy

But pride will blind the way we see

Through simple, plain, humility

And arrogance will close the ear

To what alone, the lowly hear.

Lord, crucify this mortal flesh

And with a patient love refresh

With eyes that see and ears that hear

Let me always find You near.

Monday

Bewildered in his prison cell

The Baptist asked the Lord to tell

If He was the promised One,

Messiah, and God's only son?

The lame can walk, the blind can see,

Those captive in their sin set free

No longer think your earthly way

But pay great heed to what I say.

Tuesday

With great authority He speaks

And wonders at His hand He piques

The interest of the average man

And starts the Pharisees to plan.

Wednesday

What can the young and weak be fed?

For men of flesh are nearly dead

A solid meal they can't digest

But bread and milk, I would suggest.

Thursday

His sovereignty extends to all

The things that we can see

And far beyond our earthly ball

To all eternity

For to the Lord, belongs the earth

And all with which it's filled

So love Him now for all you're worth

And so His kingdom build.

Friday

Lord grant the wisdom that I seek

Replace the anger, make me meek.

Replace my greed and avarice

With ready love that's generous

Turn envy to contentedness

And gluttony, to wanting less

Instead of flesh that's filled with lust

Give me a heart of love and trust.

Procrastinating, lazy ways

Replace with fertile, fruitful days

Destroy in me, that evil pride

And keep me humbly at Your side

Saturday

What wonder in the skies above

That all up there was made for love

The worlds within the stars that shine,

the smallness of this life of mine.

Yet somehow in this vast expanse

Amid this fine and ordered dance

The One who made this speckled sea

Has come to save and die for me

For love beyond the breadth of skies

To every man this love applies

If I could learn to love like this

My life would be eternal bliss

8/21/16 Through 8/27/16

8/21/16 Through 8/27/16

Sunday

The narrow path is hard to find

The broad way is quite clear

The pleasure way may twist and wind

But nothing there to fear

I know the Lord, I'm good to go

He loves me all the time

No doubt the Lord will surely know

I wrote some holy rhyme

If doors are closed, to my surprise

He'll surely let me in

But when I finally meet His eyes, 

I recognize my sin

Repent, I must while still a chance

To change my way on earth

In humble stance receive His glance

And find in Him new birth.

Monday

Queen of Angels, Queen of Saints

Queen no hint of evil taints

Queen of all that is above

Pure reflection of His love.

Come to me and guide my way

Be my help throughout the day

Make my heart as pure as you

Grant His grace in all I do.

Tuesday

A blinded guide is of no use

A guide that binds and won't set loose

Straining gnats, they swallow still

A camel in their evil swill.

Neglecting that which lies within

They polish up their evil skin

Inside that artificial shine

There dwells an evil vicious swine

Wednesday

The truest child of Israel

Was flayed for Christ, the stories tell

Grant me a faith to his akin

That I would gladly lose my skin

Thursday

Make ready for the Lord's return

On any given day

In faithfulness and trust we learn

To prosper on the way

And prosper not in terms of gold

But in this simple way

To recognize the hands that hold

Our key to every day

Friday

Know we not the day or hour

But we know the strong will cower

Shame will fill the hearts of those
Who willful un-repentance chose.

Hold not against me all my sin

For my remorse cannot begin

To save the beauty that I lost

Except that You have paid the cost.

Restore in me a sinless heart

And once again to me impart

A beauty that is pure and kind

Warm-heartedness, that others find.

Saturday

A given gift that's never found

A talent buried in the ground

Useless and alike are these

For no one will they ever please

8/14/16 through 8/20/16

8/14/16 through 8/20/16

Sunday

Don't stir the pot, but wait on Me

The plan I have is best, you'll see

The Lord knows well what's best for you

For He's the Master of the stew

Now fix your eyes upon the cross

And all the rest just count as loss

For Christ endured the cross and shame

To win for us eternal gain

Monday

Arrayed in gold, at Your right hand

The queen in glorious splendor stands

Our model of obedient love

In glory with our God above

Tuesday

A boastful heart so easy found

yet humble ones are true and sound

For all we have is purely gift

In thankfulness our praises lift.

Wednesday

Should envy rule within the heart

Of those who worked all day,

Or joy, that Master does impart

To others equal pay?

Thursday

Our stony hearts must be removed

For that's the way His love is proved

When idols and all filth are spurned

A heart of flesh is then returned.

Friday

When bones are dry and in the grave

They seem impossible to save

But You can give them flesh and skin

And cause a changing from within

But flesh and bone alone are weak

And far yet more is what we seek

We need the breath of life to rise

And meet our maker in the skies

Friday PM

The faith of all the saints in glory

Tells a resurrection story

For with the blood of martyrs spent

He calls the masses to repent.

Saturday

May we turn from wicked ways

That we may find much brighter days

Then make our land of fruited plains

A land that's free of sinful chains

With humble and repentant hearts

A true prosperity then starts

Raise up an apostolic band

Then bring Your glory to this land.

8/7/16 Through 8/13/16

8/7/16 Through 8/13/16

Sunday

Hard at work for what can't last

The same old story as the past

Hanging on to that which flees

Will never be the way to please.

Monday

Does not the Teacher pay the tax?

If you, but only, knew the facts.

The subjects are exempt, you see

The foreigners, must pay the fee.

But it will be just as you wish

We'll get the coin from in the fish.

Tuesday

The Word can sweet as honey be

The nourishment of those who see

But most will never read the book,

And judge the Word by how we look.

The greatest pages that they see

Will be the children close to Thee

For know the Kingdom that they seek

Is filled with humble and with meek

Wednesday

A given life, the seed that's sown

The surest way of love that's known

To sway a heart, and change a mind

In hopes that faith, they also find.

When scarcely sown we scarcely reap

To others then the faith looks cheap

But when we pay the greatest price

The faith is found much more than nice.

Thursday

Forgiving calls us to repent

And with this call, we all are sent

To let the world know how to live

To turn from sin, and sin forgive.

Friday

Found naked and without a home

Left on the streets and all alone

I bathed and dressed you, called you Mine

Prepared you for a love divine

Your hair I set with braids and curls

Your neck I draped in finest pearls

In robes of silk embroidery

I made you more than royalty

A beauty pure, but not complete

Your beauty squandered on the street

A beauty made for love divine

Your beauty cast among the swine

One made for love, but lost in lust

Finds no one on this earth to trust

But shame and silence enter in

When out of love, I pardon sin.

Friday PM

Here I come not just to pray

But here to listen and obey.

A quiet place to hear Your voice

And ponder how to make a choice

Lord strip away the greed and pride

And all that clings to me inside

Let me detach from all these things

And see what pure devotion brings.

Saturday

The childlike You call Your own

In them we find Your joy made known

No care on earth disturbs them when

They find Your favor once again

7/31/16 Through 8/6/16

7/31/16 Through 8/6/16

Sunday

Oh vanity of vanities

No creature here on earth can please

No wealth or riches, fortune, fame

To rival what the poor can claim

Though seeming here so destitute
Possessing joy one can't refute

For when love permeates the soul

We are complete, we are made whole.

Monday

With bread of life may I be fed

Attachment to the world be shed

And then within Your presence find

The treasure of my heart refined.

Tuesday

What little faith I have in Him 

Who walked across the sea

When stepping out to sink or swim

He reaches out to me.

I want to find that solid rock

But waves beneath my feet

Create in me a mental block

That leads me to defeat

Someday I may be strong enough

To do it on my own

But that's the day when sure enough

I find myself alone

My gaze must fix upon His eyes

That beckon, "Come to Me."

For what will steady one who tries

Is grace that comes from Thee.

Wednesday

The greatest strength in every man

Is weakness to the king,

But lean on Him, the faithful can

And He refreshment brings.

Our every care is His concern

There's none too large or small

By trusting Him the faithful learn

He cares for one and all.

Thursday

Jesus help my will conform

According to your way

From sinfulness my life reform

To follow and obey

For now I think as mortal man

Not in Your loving way

Help me to work within Your plan

And guide the things I say.

Friday

Oh mother spark within your child

The grace to never be defiled

The grace to love my daily cross

The grace to count the world as loss.

Saturday

Transfigured right before their eyes

On mountaintop, removed disguise

The Father's voice from in the cloud

This is my Son of whom I'm proud

Yet on the plain, down here below

The plot took shape we've come to know

A shameful death the elders say

Will rid our nation of this Way.

So marred beyond the face of man,

How could this be within the plan?

Yet what the elders saw as loss,

Became the Triumph of the Cross.

And now in glory shining bright

He reigns in victory o're the night

No longer must we walk in fright,

But be transfigured by His light.

7/24/16 Through 7/31/16

7/24/16 Through 7/31/16

Sunday

Our Father find in me the will

To follow You each day

And listen close each morn until

I hear the words You say

Monday

In jars of clay the word abides

The vessel holds no sway

Surpassing power the Lord provides

Afflicted every way.

Perplexed, not driven to despair

Struck down, but not destroyed

Of Christ in us, become aware

And see new life enjoyed

Tuesday

Saints Joahchim and Ann received

Their child, immaculate conceived

The one in all the human race

That we should know as Full of Grace.

This girl who grew so meek and mild

This girl who bore the saving child

The one who counted all as loss

And stood with Him before His cross.

Wednesday

How do I grow within Your call 

But listen and obey,

How do You speak to one so small

What are the words You say?

They come to me in varied ways

At different times throughout the days

So I must be attentive to

The whispers that I hear from You

Not wasting time with petty pleasure

But seeking You, my truest treasure

Burning bush or potter's wheel

A truth they often will reveal

Let me devour all You give

Become my joy, that I may live

Of sinfulness, I now repent

That in Your name I may be sent

Dear mother, take my offering

And make of it a precious thing

Teach me how to reconcile

Remove from me what's base and vile.

Thursday

The old is pointing to the new

The new fulfills the old

Both proclaim the Word to you

And help us to be bold

Friday

Work is but a blessing for

Me to participate

And learn to love the Father more

In what He did create.

Saturday

The Baptist listened and obeyed

The king with wickedness dismayed

Now time has shown the great as small

And truly great who gave their all.

Saturday

If by design or accident

A story's told how time is spent

We leave behind a legacy

For all who follow here to see

A quilt to warm both bed and heart

A written word or work of art

Though colors fade and beauty wanes

But never lost, the love remains

So take some time to make a gift

And so, a loved one's spirits lift

Say not that time is in the way

You haven't time to think that way

7/17/16 Through 7/23/16

7/17/16 Through 7/23/16

Sunday

Martha worked, but Mary kept

A vigil at His feet

But as she cooked, and cleaned, and swept

She missed the love replete

To work, we must attentive be

To make our daily bread

but more than hospitality

Must let our souls be fed

Monday

All around and every day

Are found, His blessings on the way

But often yet I fail to see

His answer right in front of me.

Tuesday

Much like the flower of the field

So fleeting is the life we yield

And since the time we came to birth

Have we helped beautify the earth?

Wednesday

Say not I am too young

Say not I am too old

I've given you a tongue

To man-up and be bold.

Thursday

Remember how you loved Me so.

With all your heart and soul,

Why did you ever let me go

And never then be whole?

You turned away to play the whore

The Fountain at your back

And traded lavish waters for

A cistern with a crack.

Friday

Forgiven much, the Magdalene

Could not forget what she had seen.

Her blessed Lord they crucified

Stood there before her glorified.

Saturday

Make of me a soil deep

And rich beyond compare

Sow in me Your precious wheat

That choice and luscious fare.

7/10/16 Through 7/16/16

7/10/16 Through 7/16/16

Sunday

If we just avoid the sin

No change will happen deep within

Avoiding evil's understood

But better yet is doing good

Deliver him a crushing blow

By loving more the ones you know

For this is how the battle's won,

By virtue, sin is overcome.

Monday

Retreating to the desert find

The only truth and peace of mind

In the quiet solitude

Discover this new attitude

Tuesday

Woe to you who've seen such things

The force of condemnation brings

The weight of sin to pull you down

And in your stubbornness to drown.

You've seen His mighty works yet still

The base desire controls your will

For you His precious Son was sent

And now it's time that you repent.

Wednesday

I am weak, but Thou art strong

Save me from a life of wrong

As the childlike, let me see

All the good You've done for me.

Thursday

The yoke of One so strong yet meek

Most precious burden that I seek

To carry Him throughout the day

In all I do and all I say

Friday

Why should I ask to stay on earth

If trust be truly mine,

Why not receive a second birth

And drink of Heaven's wine?

Friday PM

A steadfast heart create in me

Detached, and truly, one set free

From all the trappings of the day

To spend a while with You and pray.

So many things to sway the heart

So many ways to then depart

From recognizing all that is

He gave for us, this Son of His.

Saturday

Purest mother, virgin kind

In you the poor and helpless find

A guiding hand along the way

To lead them to the light of day.

7/3/16 Through 7/9/16

7/3/16 Through 7/9/16

Sunday

Can people tell by looking here

If faith in Jesus Christ is near;

Can people look, and then discern

A peace and calm they'd like to learn?

Are the marks of love quite clear

To those who worry, fret, and fear;

Can they see that we possess

The love of Christ that we profess?

Monday

Freedom in this blessed land

Was granted by His guiding hand

To shine for all the world to see

The fruitfulness of liberty.

But with this freedom all men should

Be striving for the common good

Or else this land of liberty 

Becomes another poverty.

Tuesday

The unity of God's desire

Communion with His heart afire

Love enough to conquer sin

And foster then, a change within.

Wednesday

This fair young maiden close to Thee

Became a light of purity

Preserving love as clean and fresh

She offered up her mortal flesh

Thursday

Uncanny, how the more we give

Improves in all, the way we live

For when we trust Him to provide

We find He always will abide.

Friday

Repentance turns the wrath away

And lets us see the light of day

The error of our sinful way

That we might learn to love and pray

Friday PM

A little pencil make of me

That Your true servant, I may be

And write with me a little rhyme

Just like Your mother's love sublime.

Saturday

A burning ember cleanses lips

The fire of love refines and strips

Our sinfulness and foolish pride

To clearly see the other side.

The Eucharist, an ember now

To bring about a change somehow

A daily cleansing of the heart

So that His love, we may impart.

6/26/16 Through 7/2/16

6/26/16 Through 7/2/16

Sunday

How worthless what I left behind

The yoke of sinfulness

For there a soul could never find

True peace and happiness.

Monday

All that's good is from Your gift

The things that make my spirits lift

A barren and a salted waste

The things I often long to taste.

Tuesday

Your prophecy will come to me

At times throughout the day

But cloudy eyes must recognize

Then listen, and obey.

Wednesday

The faith was spread by holy men

Like Peter, and St. Paul

The ones who trusted God and when

Were called, they gave their all.

Thursday

Rise and walk the Master said

Forgiven is your sin

Have courage and pick up your bed

By faith in God you win

No blasphemy within His word

For all authority

Is in the voice the cripple heard

That beckoned, "Come to Me".

Friday

A famine of God's word will be

The payment for our apathy

The Word which is our salt and light

Will vanish into darkest night.

But that is how it needn't be

If we repent and be set free

For if we listen and obey

The Lord will give the light of day

And open up to greater still

New life to those who seek His will

For happiness and peace abound

Where following His will is found.

Saturday

Veiled in our humanity

His fire of love we fail to see

Concupiscence now clouds the view

Of that true love that man once knew.

A dim reflection we now see

Of that extreme reality

But in a marriage find a clue

Of what self-giving love can do.

6/19/25 Through 6/25/16

6/19/25 Through 6/25/16

Sunday

Look upon His hands and feet

The piercing in His side

There we find the mercy seat

And precious cleansing tide

Monday

A splinter in your eye annoys

And my corrective word employs

A tone of righteousness that seems

To just ignore my wooden beams

Tuesday

Discard the trappings of the day

And enter through the narrow way

For we can carry nothing there

Not even fancy underwear

Wednesday

His mercy hasn't reached the end

His strength on which the weak depend

But evermore He grants the grace

To meet the trial that we face

Now the fruit of every trial

Is rarely known in that first mile

But clearer seen when down the road

The blessing of that heavy load.

Thursday

The captive taken far away

The land now left in disarray

Abandoning the narrow path

We face the consequence of wrath

The sands of pleasure, wealth, and fame

For those unfaithful ones became

A worthless place to build upon

For all they trusted now is gone.

Friday

Prepare the way by turning back

Recovering what hearts now lack

His love and mercy without end

The sinner cannot comprehend

Saturday

From God the messengers were sent

Each with the message to repent

For easily we've come to see

Our wandering has come to be

Reminded we must always be

Of simple human frailty

And how often through the day

We turn from him and start to stray

In luxury and comfort blessed

The Giver often not confessed

Sometimes a crisis blesses too

For then we see it's all from You.

6/12/16 Through 6/18/16

6/12/16 Through 6/18/16

Sunday

Change the lens that I may see

My sins with greater clarity

Repentance and forgiveness find

And then at last, true peace of mind.

Monday

Revenge, a tool of mighty power

Destruction in the anger's hour

But love of God is stronger still

If I but exercise my will.

Tuesday

Love will overcome the sin

The darkest secrets deep within

If we but open wide the door

And hide our awful guilt no more

Wednesday

No chain can bind the sky above

No bar can hold the bounds of love

For even in the darkest place

The Lord can shine His light of grace.

Thursday

Our Father give us daily bread

For through Your goodness we are fed

Teach us to love and to forgive

That far from evil we might live.

Friday

Looking for the next new pleasure

We forget our truest treasure

Love of God, that holy treasure

Love for all, and without measure

Friday PM

Locked in prison, bound in chain

Despairing of eternal gain

The Devil's secret aspiration

Ends in utter desolation

Many of the saints were bound

But in the light of Christ they found

Forgiveness for the sins confessed

With love and mercy they were blessed.

No sin too great, He loves us all

Forgiving us each time we fall

No storm can shake that inmost calm

When Mercy plies that healing balm

Friday PM

I pray you look and Truth you find

And with it there a peace of mind

Just let the Shepherd guide the sheep

For green the pasture He will keep

A promise made by Christ the King

That safely home His sheep would bring

By giving to a mortal man

The keys to His eternal plan

Not just the learned or the wise

But also ordinary guys

Are called to know the King of Kings

And all the joy salvation brings

This ordinary guy you see

Will leave you with this humble plea

Surrender and become the meek

And there you'll find the One you seek.

Saturday

Inspired by a reading from Bishop Amadeus of Lausanne 1159AD

The wisdom of the Father 

Would cling around her neck

The Power that moved all things

Would rest upon her lap

Reclining in her bosom

The Rest of Holy Souls

She gazes on the Word of God

The angels all extol

She gently presses cheek to cheek

And kisses tiny hands and feet

The eyes of purity and Love,

In gentle gaze, there meet.

Receiving kisses from her Son

And hearing from his lips

The "Mama" cry of everyone

That pain on earth here grips

No telling how the bond of love

Grew deeper every day

No want or danger, grief or lack

Could slow how she'd obey

Most pleasing in the eyes of Him

Who made all that there is

His Mother and her constant hymn

That "All I have is His"

6/5/16 Through 6/11/16

6/5/16 Through 6/11/16

Sunday

This thing called life comes from above

From God of wisdom and of love

Without the light the Savior shed

The empty shell is simply dead

Monday

Blessed are the poor in spirit

Blessed are the peaceful ones

For the Kingdom, they are near it

They shall be His chosen sons

Tuesday

When there's nothing left to give

Give some more that you may live

Then never will the jug run dry

For love endures.  No need to cry.

Wednesday

Mount Carmel saw the fire of love

The fire coming from above

Consuming water, rock, and dust

A fire from God in whom we trust.

False prophets wail aloud in vain

Trusting money, power, and fame

Relying on the mighty Word

Elijah's voice is clearly heard.

Thursday

With his head between his knees

He sought the Lord with labored pleas

To open skies and make it rain

Alleviating people's pain

When God, they finally recognized

They would no longer be chastised

Then on the earth the water flows

Where once was dust the grain now grows

Friday

When suffering He takes away

The things we've often come to say

By lawful right to us belong

But, oh how often, we are wrong.

Our every breath is undeserved

Our consciences have turned and swerved

From knowing Him who gave us all

And answering His quiet call.

For to the Lord we turn in pain

And recognize at once again

That everything we have is His

And all He has he freely gives

Saturday

I'm thankful for the early morn

For as a brand new day is born

I have a chance to start anew

And offer lord, this day to You

???...  Found in notes on my phone

How little here on earth we know

In ignorance and lack we show

That knowledge of our final end

Our simpleness can't comprehend