2/10/19 Through 2/16/19

2/10/19 Through 2/16/19

Sunday
When I see Him face to face
I'll understand my sin.
How far away I strayed from grace,
And sin's effect within.

The weight of these can crush the bone
And lead one to despair.
Forgiveness comes from Christ alone
Who answers every prayer.

Monday
Each day is better than before,
Our God is giving evermore.
New graces everyday received,
Through one immaculate conceived.

The light of day and stars of night
Portend a future ever bright
For those, by grace, who's hearts are stirred,
Who learn to trust His every word!

Tuesday
Is my heart near or far away?
Did I just hear and not obey?
Is my heart where my lips proclaim,
Or mired in a land of shame?

Wednesday
That from within defiles the man
As nothing touched, or eaten can.
When pride controls what we would do
Our hearts grow far away from You.

Those fallen as the Devil's prey
Would doubt the things the Lord will say
And follow their misguided will
To wallow in the Devil's swill.

But love desires only good
And wisdom sees what all men should.
That God made man to live in love,
And dwell in heaven's light above.

Thursday
Flesh of flesh and bone of bone
Made so man was not alone.
Given to the man as wife.
Given for the gift of life.

Though naked with no shame or lust,
The two in purity and trust.
Become one flesh as meant to be,
And thus a child comes to be.

This beauty God has made for man
Within His Trinitary plan.
Reflecting wonders of the love
Among the Godhead, up above.

Friday
With that first sin we chose our shame.
A lying serpent, now we blame.
But what, in truth, has caused the fall
Are pride and hubris, most of all.

The gates were closed and man shut out,
Then sin was raging all about,
But One was promised from above
To show again the ways of love.

He came as one akin to man
According to the Father's plan.
In poverty he grew to be
Our model of humility.

He opened ears, and loosed the tongue
Of deaf and mute He walked among.
Then on the cross He opened wide
The gates once shut by sinful pride.

Saturday
How sad, for all, the Garden lost.
For every sin a frightful cost!
What looks attractive to the eye,
May not be something we should try.

March for Life 2019

March for Life 2019

A crisis at the border looms.

Society at large presumes

Invaders never count for much

Those inconvenient, weak, and such.

So they dispose this human trash

In hope to fix things in a flash.

But when at last they clearly see,

A precious life has ceased to be.

The womb is now the border wall

For all those feared, yet oh so small.

This wall should mean it's safe within,

But that is far from how it's been.

This wall, they say belongs to me

And strips the child of dignity.

No one can govern what is mine,

So put away your protest sign.

For happiness they make a choice

Denying little ones a voice.

Indulgence, never brings such mirth

As when a child comes to birth.

And so we walk again this year,

In hope that those in power hear,

That love is needed in this time

To end, at last, this heinous crime.

A million LEGAL immigrants

This year alone will die.

Much more we need, than signs and chants,

Or just to wonder why.

An active plan that's far beyond

What ere we've done before.

A love to show that morn has dawned,

That hate cannot ignore.

A demonstration everyday

That all are due respect.

Sincerity in all we say,

Not soon, they will forget.

Lord grant this grace that we may see

One day Your will be done.

Then here on earth the cry will be,

Lord let Your kingdom come!

2/3/19 Through 2/8/19

2/3/19 Through 2/8/19

Sunday

Lord of love our task today

Is love according to your way,

To love the evildoer here

And cast away our useless fear.

The end we know, You conquered sin

So we should not let evil win,

But love until the bitter end,

And truth and justice, here defend.

Monday

Proclaim what God has done for you

What mighty works this faith can do,

For those enduring to the end

Our blessed Lord will more than mend.

What glory waits is yet unseen

Where every soul is pure and clean.

Where sin is banished far away,

And evermore is light of day.

Tuesday

If I but touch upon His cloak,

His love will break this heavy yoke.

If I but near myself to Him

He'll clear the eyes and strengthen limb.

Not satisfied to leave it there

He bids us come and know Him where

In ordinary bread and wine

He offers flesh and blood divine.

Though some may scoff and wonder why

We place on this, such value high,

But once you recognize this bread

It's where your very soul is fed.

Wednesday

In love the martyrs shed their blood

Amidst the overwhelming flood

Of suffering and gruesome pain

To win the prize of heaven's gain

He grants the grace to meet the need.

And through the pain He plants a seed

To soften hearts of hardened stone

And let the love of God be known.

You too can win a martyr's crown,

Be clothed in white with flowing gown,

By meeting well temptation's threat

And using every grace you get.

Thursday

Rejection causes bitterness

And sinfulness I must confess.

So shake it off as useless dust,

And look to Him with total trust.

He who was rejected first,

Hung on the cross, and said, "I Thirst",

His love drove out all bitterness,

So hardened hearts might acquiesce.

We too, must love without reserve,

And faithfully, our brothers serve.

So when rejected, let it fall,

That love might be our all in all.

Friday

For sure the oil's running low

That which keeps our lamps aglow

We mustn't wait to fill the flask,

As that should be a daily task.

The Bridegroom comes here unannounced.

Those in dark will be denounced.

Sorrow for the unprepared

That sloth and lethargy ensnared.

Saturday

The sheep must have a shepherd,

A teacher, loving, kind.

Protector from the leopard, 

And teeth of roaring lion.

Overwhelmed by needy ones

Without the time to pray.

That's the way the story runs

For parents everyday.

Yet sometime in the busy day

There'll be a moment's rest

When one can look to heav'n and say

Lord come and be my guest.

The work they do shall be a prayer

An offering of praise

The best that they can offer where

Their loving fills the days.

1/27/19 Through 2/2/19

1/27/19 Through 2/2/19

Sunday

For old enough to understand

We study well what God has planned.

Attractive as the faith might be,

It calls for dread humility.

The order and stability

Of those with faith appeals to me,

But not the thought of the unknown,

Or moving from my comfort zone.

With fear and longing intertwined,

Faith is not for weak, I find.

No room for those who store and save,

The realm of faith is meant for brave.

So if you will, then take the plunge,

And useless fear, from life, expunge.

Then find the grand stability,

That flows from true humility.

Monday

Entering the sanctuary,

Sheep or goat He did not carry.

But His precious blood divine,

He offers as the sacred wine.

Pleading mercy and forgiveness,

Freeing man from all his illness,

Perfect sacrifice was made,

Debt of all our sins was paid.

Tuesday

Stronger than the ties of blood,

Love abounds in lavish flood,

For those who do the Father's will,

And thus, the great command fulfill.

To do His will is such delight,

To watch His hand of love rewrite

The story in a better way,

That leads to light of endless day.

Wednesday

Break the path and clear the thorn.

Rocks be gone, this blessed morn.

Hoe and fertilize the ground,

So that which welcomes can be found.

A deep, and soft, and welcome earth,

Prepared to bring the seed to birth

That it may grow and richly bear

A harvest well beyond compare.

Thursday

The lamp stand is a fitting place

To put the light of truth and grace.

Not hidden, or just kept for one,

But giving light to everyone.

Don't say your gifts don't count for much.

The Beast would have you think as much.

But give, and then be given more,

And then, to greater depths explore.

His love is there to light the path,

And save us from the sinful wrath.

So all must use the gifts He gives

To prove to darkness that He lives!

Friday

To persevere, the word today,

Enduring troubles on the way,

But weakness causes me to sin,

Relying on just strength within.

His grace is key to understand

The wonders that our God has planned.

For grace will simply multiply

When troubles start to amplify.

The tiny seed of grace will grow,

And shelter little birds that know,

In weakness God is glorified,

And saves us from our sin of pride.

Saturday

Light of lights, light up my way,

Dispel the darkness of the day.

Salvation now my eyes have seen,

By prophets, long ago foreseen.

The day is here, the hour is now.

Our God has kept His holy vow.

Though many sorrows yet to come,

All darkness, He will overcome.

1/20/19 Through 1/26/19

1/20/19 Through 1/26/19

Sunday

May this empty jar be filled,

Let me act as God has willed.

Spirit fill my emptiness,

Bring me to Your place of rest.

No longer called "Forgotten One",

But one for whom gold robes are spun,

For King has come to call His bride,

And break the chains of sin from pride.

Monday

A gem within the word today

That teaches how to fast and pray

With perseverance to the end

To thus obtain our dividend.

To draw our strength from God as man

And act within the Father's plan

Accepting troubles day by day

To learn obedience on the way.

Tuesday

The gift of life, the breath of God,

A gift that's high and deep and broad.

So little man does comprehend,

Whenever choosing life to end.

His work of art and masterpiece,

Imbued with soul to never cease.

Now treated just as common trash

By those audacious, bold, and brash.

How can the human heart be changed,

And this vast folly rearranged,

To cherish life at every stage,

And such a tragedy assuage?

The only way, is follow Truth,

And teach it well to old and youth,

That as the next duration dawns,

No more will serve as Evil's pawns.

Wednesday

What's withered in my soul today,

Where I have left sin have its way?

What part of me must be restored

By Mercy's gracious love out poured?

Desiring some recognition

Feeding pride in this position.

Show me how to listen well

To Wisdom, that my heart will swell.

Thursday

Around Him pressed an anxious crowd

To hear the words of Him endowed

With pow'r to heal the blind and lame,

And even raise the dead of Nain.

Unlike the haughty Pharisee,

This one would speak with love, you see.

Rejecting honors of the day

To with His Father, kneel and pray.

No man e're spoke as He would speak

So bold, yet always, mild and meek.

Authority His words possess

And every one will heal or bless.

Let me hang upon that word,

And act in haste on what I've heard.

For that will heal and mend my sin,

Inviting love to dwell within.

Friday

If many more would see the light,

And join us in the ardent fight,

The world would change and be renewed,

And wickedness, be much subdued.

For love has conquered over sin,

And only love can change within,

To bring about the peace we seek,

And give the flesh to words we speak.

Saturday

How has darkness grown this deep?

Why is faith considered cheap?

How can I become a light,

To rend the veils of sin and night?

By answering Your every plea

And thus by growing close to Thee.

By sacrificing foolish pride,

And taking You to be my guide.

Be not afraid to speak the truth,

To educate both old and youth,

For I will save the pure of heart,

If you but do your given part.

1/13/19 Through 1/19/19

1/13/19 Through 1/19/19

Sunday

That day He cleansed what water flows

Between the banks that Jordan knows

Forever holy found is thee,

Which flows from Sea of Galilee.

And flow it must, if life be found

In trees that flourish all around.

For when it fails new life to spread,

What's left are waters, simply dead.

So too the baptized life must be

A vessel clean and flowing free.

To water well the thirsty earth,

And spread the gifts of our new birth.

Monday

Come follow Me, the call of Christ,

Who's invitation seems high priced.

Abandon nets that feed you well,

And listen to the words I tell.

Those nets can just, your belly fill

But if with me, you just be still,

I'll fill your heart and satisfy.

Then grace, in you, I'll amplify.

Tuesday

Such humility unknown

As by the Lord of Lords was shown

To condescend to human form

That men could sinful lives reform.

To show the pow'r of love prevails

Where haughtiness and malice fails.

To bring forgiveness of our sin

And teach us love, to welcome in.

Wednesday

The healing He desires to give

Would teach the multitudes to live

In faith and total trust each day,

And follow on the narrow way.

All sickness that assails my heart

Would fade away and then depart,

If in His presence I would call,

Upon His grace to stop my fall.

Thursday

Blessed are those along the way

Who learn to listen and obey.

Who harden not their sinful hearts,

But learn to love what grace imparts.

For those who turn disdainful eye

To simple words for living by

May never know the promised land

Of love and peace that God has planned.

Their casual defiance of 

His call for self-restraint

Is really just rejecting love,

And choosing that which aint.

Friday

Four friends whose faith was strong that day

Would carry him along the way.

They found no way to get him in, 

Nor thought his need, forgiven sin.

So through the roof they let him down

Before the Lord, and then they found

A controversy taking place

O're blasphemy, or holy grace.

But when He made it plain to see,

The Son of Man's authority

Was that of God's in flesh below,

One stood and grabbed his mat to go.

The crowd astounded, glorified!

Yet one stood there just horrified.  

While all were giddy and aloof,

He wondered, who would fix the roof?

Saturday

Grace will come when need arises

Wisdom, font of love advises.

In obedience, Christ amassing

Grace on grace with love surpassing.

To the ones who hear His voice

He grants the grace to make a choice,

To follow Him in ways unknown

Until we find our final home.

1/6/19 Through 1/12/19

1/6/19 Through 1/12/19

Sunday

If answered well when ere He calls

The grace of wisdom then befalls

The docile and the pliant one

Who comes to greet the newborn Son.

But wicked and defiant men

Who plot their evil once again

Are filled with pow'r and yet afraid

Of just a little newborn babe.

Monday

In darkest valley light has dawned

And all are called now to respond

Repent!, for now is close at hand

The day, at last, the Father planned.

The love unlike we ever knew

Would cure the blind and crippled too.

The call went out to all the land,

Behold redemption near at hand!

Tuesday

Love is not mere tolerance,

Or spoken words of elegance

Not dutiful endurance

Or gifts of great expense.

All of love that I have known

Is superficial, time has shown.

For self has kept to self the time,

That should be spent in making rhyme.

Wednesday

Imperfect in love because of my fear,

Unable to love the one I hold dear.

Unwilling to give whatever it takes,

Now shown as one of my biggest mistakes.

So where do I go from this awful place,

In hope to again receive the embrace?

Pray for perfection of this sinful soul

In hope, one day, that it be made whole.

Thursday

Love so little understood

By one purporting to be good.

The stamina found lacking where

Reciprocation is quite rare.

The holy ones could pass the test,

But what about the average rest,

Who long for consolation known,

But only find indifference shown?

If love is truly their desire,

They must accept the holy fire

To burn away the sinful dross,

And count such gain as only loss.

For love is not conditioned on

 The pleasure once, that now is gone.

True satisfaction only comes

To persevering, holy ones.

Friday

A sickness fills the body now,

That must be cleansed and purged somehow.

So bowing low, and bending knee

I ask if He would set me free.

A weak and weary man am I,

Whose looks for other folks belie,

A man of appetites untamed, 

Who begs the Lord to be unchained.

Saturday

Be on guard against the idol.

Know the One whose word is true.

Make His love, your passion's bridle.

Let His love increase in you.

When no longer I am needed

As a prophet for the King

When the ground is firmly seeded,

Christ will come and healing bring.

He must increase, I must decrease,

So the world can plainly see,

I am but a simple mouthpiece,

He, the King to set you free.

12/30/18 Through 1/5/19

12/30/18 Through 1/5/19

Sunday

The family forms the basic cell

Of culture and the world as well.

Societies are said to be

Reflections of the family.

So look around and see its true,

There's quite a lot of work to do,

If we would like a culture free

Of evil and iniquity.

So turn again and start today

To change the world in some small way

A well-completed daily chore

Could be the key we're looking for.

Monday

Before there was, there was I AM.

He came not for, the world to damn.

But came for life, that it be filled,

As first the Father's thought had willed.

Along with John we testify

He's not some prophet passing by,

But light, true light, that shows to all

The wonderous nature of their call.

Tuesday

A heart that ponders all He does

The heart of Mary always was.

And so she found the Father's will

Whose every wish she follows still.

We too could glimpse the Father's mind

If we became the pond'ring kind

And ruminated on the Word

Then acted on the voice we heard.

The key to hearing well His word

Is acting on each one we've heard.

For each is like a stair that brings

Us closer to the King of kings.

But if we hear and don't obey

It's like we stop along the way.

Then back again begin to slide

As we again succumb to pride.

Wednesday

We he comes, the Savior named

How could I help, but not be shamed,

To see the One who died for me

That came in such humility?

Our God who took on human form,

When in the lowly stable born.

The maker of the universe,

In flesh, took on the human curse.

And broke the chains that bind us in

Our lives of selfishness and sin,

To set us free in love to know

What God intended long ago.

Thursday

If John had testified so clear

Why is it then, they did not hear?

Why listen and then circumvent

The clear and simple call, repent?

Our hope lies not in righteousness

But in our will to now confess

Our wickedness and haughty crimes,

Committed now so many times.

No hope is found in hanging on

To that in me that should be gone,

But hope is found in One who came

To shoulder all our sinful blame.

Friday

Behold the Lamb of God

Corrects in us what's flawed

So you must come and see

The gifts He has for thee.

No sinner can enjoy

The gifts that we employ

But come, and you will see

The gifts he has for thee

And bring the ones you know,

To them, Messiah show

For they must also see

The gifts He has for thee.

Saturday

The way to know love is to look at the cross

Creator of all, counting all as but loss.

Esteem of the soul far surpassing all things

Through passion and death, to salvation, He brings.

What are we to know, but to love all we can,

And to humble ourselves to fulfill His great plan.

He works through the lowly, with love as their goal,

To guide, and to teach us just how to be whole.

12/23/18 Through 12/29/18

12/23/18 Through 12/29/18

Sunday
Fourth Sunday of Advent - Mary visits Elizabeth

There within the waters warm

Before I saw the light of morn

I heard the voice of one so sweet

Who traveled to my mother greet.

And then a presence strong and bold

I felt within my heart take hold.

For there within the womb I leapt

As all through me the Spirit swept.

Monday
Christmas Eve

The chains of sin, on earth, once loosed

Have every man, in time, seduced,

And bound him with their lust and greed

Creating such a Savior's need.

A helpless babe in stable born

To Mary on that Christmas morn.

Warmed by breath of ox and ass,

As starry hours of night would pass.

Our Savior humbly came to be,

That man might come to plainly see,

What satisfies the empty heart,

Is love that freely we impart.

Such love that every eye could see,

Reflecting pure humility,

That God should love each wretched one,

By sending us His precious Son.

Tuesday - Christmas Day

(This can be sung to the tune of  "Lo How a Rose Ere Blooming"

Amidst the cold of winter, 

The warmth of love arrives.

Our selfishness to splinter,

And change our sinful lives.

Humility unknown.

Before our blessed Savior,

Took manger as His throne.

There shepherds came to worship,

This King the angels hailed.

Before the swaddled baby,

All other lights are paled.

Our God in flesh behold.

With ox and ass to warm Him,

And save Him from the cold.

Wednesday
Feast of St. Stephen

Confound the enemy with love

And draw your strength from God above.

No weapon here on earth can stand

If we would love as God had planned.

Each act of love will blaze a path

Away from selfishness and wrath

And toward a place of peace and joy

If we, this strategy, employ.

Thursday
Feast of St. John the evangelist

Incarnate in flesh, yet incredibly true,

Our God came for people like me and like you.

He dwelt on the earth, and we heard and we saw,

Great wonders that filled us with love and with awe.

He ate and He drank, and He taught us each day,

Of loving each other, and just how to pray.

We touched Him and felt in the warmth of His heart,

Each beat a new burst of His love would impart.

You too have encountered this fountain of love

Who set aside glory with Father above,

To teach us and show us the path to His peace,

So share it with all that the joy may increase.

Friday
Feast of the Holy Innocents

In love and innocence are born

The faces of the coming morn,

But many never see the day

For wicked men have had their way.

To innocence no thought they give

Though little ones all want to live.

Convenience!, their battle cry,

As babe is torn from mom to die.

How have we let such wickedness,

Our hearts and souls and minds possess?

In shame we must repent and see

What God intended us to be.

Saturday
Prophecy of Simeon - Sorrows of Mary

And you, a sword shall pierce your heart,

The prophet spoke that day.

For soon, with child, you must depart,

To Egypt, on your way.

For three days lost, a foretaste of

His time within the tomb.

A call to ever greater love,

That you may fully bloom.

His passiontide, a grief beyond

What mind could ere conceive.

But graces won when morning dawned

You children now receive.

A mother's sorrows long endured

That we could plainly see,

And all her children be assured

Of love she has for thee.

12/16/18 Through 12/22/18

12/16/18 Through 12/22/18

Sunday

The only Son of God most high

To sinful men on earth draws nigh

If you would just repent you'd see 

The difference Christ would make for thee.

So do your duty and be sure

If motive and intent are pure,

The holy fire will come to you 

And sanctify the things you do.

Monday

With saints and sinners in the line,

We see the roots of One divine.

Akin to every man on earth,

Our blessed savior comes to birth.

The ones remembered most of all

Are those who answered to the call,

And trusted to the bitter end

To good and righteousness defend.

Each generation takes a stand

To do as God, or they have planned.

With action as their loudest voice

Each generation makes their choice.

To serve, or not to serve, the poll.

Eternal happiness the goal.

In plain humility we find

The heart becomes, with Him aligned.

So take a stand and don't look back.

He'll give you strength for each attack,

And pick you up when e're you fall,

If you but hearken to the call.

Tuesday

To live according to His plan,

And not the ways of sinful man

Will bring contentment, peace and joy

That trial and trouble can't destroy.

For God has chosen every man

To play a part within His plan

To carry forth a life of grace

In every time and every place.

Lord, help me answer well the call

With You the large, and me the small.

Help me turn my back on sin,

And make me with the saints akin.

Wednesday

The life of many children proves

That age is not why Spirit moves, 

But to the willing heart He comes,

And saint or prophet it becomes.

For Samson, John and David too

Were all obedient to You

And if they fell would e're repent,

Then on another task be sent.

For Samuel and Mary too

The both, in youth, were called by You.

Their greatness found in being small

And answering when e're You call.

At Fatima the children three

Were chosen as the ones to see.

Their littleness would breed despite,

Yet none would cower in the fright.

Let many young now answer well,

And see the ranks of faithful swell

To turn the tide of sinfulness

Into a tide of righteousness

Thursday

Put not the Lord to any test

Or else your land will not be blest.

But when He bids you, ask a sign,

Be sure your will and His align.

Friday

Blest who heeds the spoken word

By others, in the noise, not heard,

Who takes the time to speak to You,

And follow what You ask to do.

For graces flow within Your will,

Your voice be heard in quiet still.

Like Mary may I straightened be,

That grace would freely flow through me.

Saturday

What a wasted emptiness

Before the Savior came

A sad and dreary hollowness

With only me to blame.

Without a hope, and in despair

Mere pleasure as the goal

A wanderer yet unaware

Of what would make me whole.

But lo, beyond the darkness came

A morn with brighter skies

One who shouldered all my shame

And opened up my eyes.

12/9/18 Through 12/15/18

12/9/18 Through 12/15/18

Sunday

Mountains shaved and valleys filled

Ancient prophecies fulfilled.

Height and depth are made to meet

Sinners now their Savior greet.

Repentance is the word today

From all our sins, must turn away,

And know we've found in Him the one

The persevering precious Son.

Monday

The chains of sin will paralyze

And hide salvation from our eyes.

Then all we see is desert waste,

And find quite soon despair embraced.

But One who made the desert bloom

Prepares for us a special room

If we, in haste, confess our sin,

And then a life of faith begin.

Tuesday

Lord, ninety nine have gone astray

And only one remains.

It seems a hopeless cause to pray

Where pride and boasting reigns.

But you have said to cry aloud

From every mountain height

That all the lost may be allowed

To turn towards future bright.

We chase the flow'r that quickly fades,

And shun the lasting word.

Foolishness, in man pervades

For only few have heard.

The voice among the wilderness

Or cry in desert land,

And thought it more than silliness,

That God is near at hand.

Wednesday

Humility surpasses pride

And mercy comes in flowing tide.

The fragrance and the song portend

That love will bring the evil's end.

Thursday

In my desert, plant Your trees

See that dreary darkness flees.

Make this dry deserted place

A source of love and purest grace.

Fasting, prayer, and giving alms,

All are precious healing balms.

Make me one detached from sin,

One of steadfast love within.

Friday

Many know that God exists,

Yet still their obstinence persists.

They wish to craft the rules to say

What e're their fancy be that day.

Saturday

The great are those that hear the call,

And then decide to give their all.

Refusing comforts of the day

To stay the course upon His way.

Not haughty towards the least of men,

But loving every one of them,

And helping others see the path

To righteousness instead of wrath.

12/2/18 Through 12/8/18

12/2/18 Through 12/8/18

Sunday

The dry and barren land will bear

Great fruit in days to come.

The parched and desert land is where 

The seed of life is from.

Our sin has made this land a waste

Where nothing can survive,

But Christ shall come that day with haste,

And show that He's alive.

The grass shall grow, the steppe shall burst

To verdant pasture where, 

Clean water flows to quench our thirst,

No longer land is bare.

Forever seated on the throne

Of David is our King.

The One, the source of life alone,

To whom our homage bring.

Monday

Imagine how the world would be

If all would live in harmony

If peace would reign in every heart

And none, from love, would e're depart.

Each soul infused with grace divine,

And firmly rooted in the Vine.

Prosperity in every home,

And everywhere His word made known.

Tuesday

When peace and harmony shall reign

The bear and lion be made tame.

The child and the cobra play

Together on that coming day.

The eyes are blest of those that see

The truth contained in mystery.

For prophets saw in dimmest light 

What's there before us in plain sight.

So now we see and understand

The wonder of what God has planned.

And though it still be far away,

Can taste the sweetness of that day.

We hasten when that day will come

If we will follow with the Son,

And love until the bitter end

To then, in glory, rise again.

Wednesday

All who come shall see,

And all who come shall hear.

The captives all set free,

And lost are all drawn near.

We see Him on the mount,

And flock to where He goes,

A teeming endless fount,

From Him, of mercy, flows.

Thursday

Foundations must be solid rock,

And we must sure obey

In order to withstand the shock,

And stand that fateful day.

All other walls will crumble down

And fall amidst the dust.

The only way to wear the crown,

Is follow as you must.

So listen well and then obey,

And follow close His word.

Be careful what you do and say,

And act on what you've heard.

Friday

Brighten eyes and open ears.

Dispel the darkness and the fears.

Grant us understanding when

Our minds are but of mortal men.

Let us see Your ways above,

And marvel at Your depth of love.

Let us hear the sound quite clear

When ere You call us to draw near.

Grant that we might taste and know

The Eucharist, the place to go,

To find what ere on earth we need,

And water well His precious seed.

Saturday

The sin that opened eyes to see

Our nakedness and fraility,

Has blinded us to better things

With pride and selfishness that clings.

But as a woman first was fell,

Another woman broke the spell.

In all humility she prayed,

Let it be done, as You have bade.

Obedience her only goal 

In answer to the Father's knoll.

A path to freedom only known

To those docility has shown.

11/25/18 Through 12/1/18

11/25/18 Through 12/1/18

Sunday

Blessings come from Christ the King

The one to whom our praises sing

No earthly ruler can compare

To Him on whom we cast our care.

Alone, he cares for every man 

Within His holy, righteous plan.

He suffered for each wayward soul

That each would one day be made whole.

So do your best, but have no fear

The Lord is always dwelling near.

And though the sky be darkened now,

Love will triumph o're somehow.

Monday

I want to sing the newest song.

I want to praise and join along,

But I can't sing with ransomed ones,

It's only those unblemished sons.

Where can I go.What can I do,

To rest at last with those, and You?

I must be cleansed and purged of sin,

In hope that I may enter in.

Please take away what binds my soul.

In poverty, You make me whole.

Then teach me how to sing along

With that eternal, heav'nly song.

Tuesday

Beware at any day,

If the sickle comes your way

For we know not time or place,

But our need for saving grace.

Can we boast with clarity 

Of our love and charity,

Or must we sink inside,

For our avarice, and pride?

Our work is seen quite clear

When the fateful day draws near,

So begin at once to show

That you know the way to go.

Wednesday

The problems here begin with me.

Although I'm blind, want them to see.

There may be right upon my side,

But I must use it as my guide.

Not pick and choose the piece I like,

Or inconvenient parts, just strike.

If we're to reach a brighter day,

We all must listen and obey.

Thursday

Every end begins anew

And draws us closer yet to You.

Trust and follow where He leads

His precious flock He tends and feeds.

Stand erect that final day,

Your vindication's on the way.

Mercy for the humble names,

For pride and lust, eternal flames.

Friday

No suffering was too high priced

For Andrew leading souls to Christ

For he embraced with joy the cross,

And other gains he found as loss.

The first evangelist that led

A boy with loaves and fish that fed

Five thousand on the grassy shore,

But one who searched for still yet more.

He brought so many souls to know

The joy of Christ and letting go

Of nets that bind and thus restrict

Disciples that the Lord has picked.

Saturday

To stand before the Son af Man

No crass and sinful mortal can.

It's only in humility

That strength is granted there for thee.

The proud have not the eyes to see

Nor haughty ones the might to be

How blessed a servant is for He

Who claims the final victory.

11/18/18 Through 11/24/18

11/18/18 Through 11/24/18

Sunday

Lord, how to stand that final day

When earth and heavens pass away?

So many things on earth revered,

Such base attachment then is feared.

Will I but have the fortitude

To change my selfish attitude,

And sacrifice each worthless thing

To greet my Lord, and Savior, King?

Monday

I want to see with clarity

And have conviction deep in me

To break the chains and turn away

From all that leads my soul astray.

To many things, attached I've grown,

But each of them has always shown,

This longing can't be satisfied

Except by him they crucified.

Tuesday

Blind unto my nakedness,

I ask You Lord, to see.

In shame, I daily must confess,

I fell away from Thee.

Come and dine with me today,

Remind me of the time,

I climbed to see You on the way

And You forgave my crime.

Give me the courage and the grace

To trust You once again.

Let me look upon Your face,

Becoming strengthened then.

Wednesday

Lord, how you work, I do not know.

We only get, when we let go.

And when we put to work the gift

We often see the spirits lift.

The treasure You have given me

Must not be saved, but given free

To those in need I'm called to serve

For what is saved is not deserved.

Thursday

Let my eyes become a fountain

When I look upon the mountain

And regret each passing day

That Your people fail to pray.

For the greatest gift bestowed

In a stream of love that flowed

From a heart of perfect love

One the same with God above.

Came to you in humble way

To expose the light of day,

But you rejected Him as loss,

And placed your King upon the cross.

How I long for thunder's roll

When He opens up the scroll

And reveals to every man

Stunning wonders of His plan.

But too late it then will be

For the ones who fail to see.

So please listen now and hear,

So that day you have no fear.

Friday

Have I hungered for Your scroll,

Let it change, and make me whole;

Found in there a taste so sweet,

Contentment sitting at Your feet?

Have I hung on what You say,

Cleansed my heart and changed my way;

Have I found the precious prize, 

Or just another cheap disguise?

Is Your word to me, a treasure,

Gold and silver cannot measure;

Have I yearned for your command,

To rule my heart, and all the land?

In Your ways do I rejoice,

Follow You in every choice;

Find Your law as my delight,

Great counsel in the darkest night?

At first there's sweetness in the scroll,

The words that make the sinner whole.

But when digested, bitterness,

For all the sins I must confess.

A thrashing there by whip and cord,

From justly angered God and Lord. 

A driving out in utter shame,

Of all the things, in me, profane.

Saturday

It's all about the after-life

The things we do today.

For then there is no man and wife

In that eternal day.

Our world here reflects but such

a dim and cloudy view.

But if we have the Spirit's touch,

We know what Moses knew.

He's Lord of living, not the dead.

We're only passing through.

But here on earth the Lamb has fed

His flesh to make us new.

And though we die and all appears

Our hope was but in vain,

All the snears will turn to cheers

The day we rise again!