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.

10/10/21 Through 10/16/21

 10/10/21 Through 10/16/21

Sunday

Give wisdom for the ALL to give.

Let ALL be how we choose to live,

For ALL is what Your love demands,

And ALL is more than just commands.

Another thing, it's time to see

Is what He always asks of me.

Yet somehow in His holy will

He blesses evermore me still.

Perhaps that's why you promise all

To grant them wisdom when they call.

For wisdom grants the light to see

The call of love You place on me.

To see You gaze at me with love,

And call me forth to life above,

To see that what I grasp is straw,

And stand before my God in awe.

Monday

In wisdom is the Father's word

Repentance when His voice is heard.

The call to hear and then obey,

And follow in the Master's way.

He asks not what He would not do,

He suffered and He died for you.

Then rose to show death cannot bind

The peace and joy in love we find.

For wisdom pulls the veil away

And shows in clearest light of day

We must repent and learn to love

To find our home with God above.

Tuesday

Amazing will be when at last He has come,

All our foolishness shown, to every last one.

How we traded His glory for creatures He made,

And let pride be for us a darkening shade.

Concerned every day for the matters of show,

We miss the great things that He wants us to know.

Humility seems so distasteful you see,

But that be the lesson the Lord has for me.

Wednesday

Woe to me who think I'm holy

Just because I want to be.

Is it true, I love Him wholly,

Or is love for only me?

Look and see with eyes unjaded.

How can I be more like He,

When in pride I have paraded

Just for glory given me?

Cleanse me, Lord, by sins forgiven.

Reconcile this wayward soul.

Let me be one grace is given.

Make, at last, this sinner whole.

Thursday

Righteous when in fact a sinner,

Leader where one should not go.

Danger to the young beginner

Following one just for show.

Lead me to a faith redeeming,

Void of selfish pride and greed.

Though forgotten, lowly, seeming,

One with precious sprouting seed.

Prophets for the newer ages

As before, despised and seen

One the evil soul outrages,

One intolerant and mean.

Be the victor for the weaker.

Give them courage, steel their nerve.

Call to You the humble seeker,

Give reward to all who serve.

Friday

Valued more than many sparrows,

Gifted with a love divine.

Rocky field He plows and harrows,

Till the soil's soft and fine.

Saturday

Holy Spirit, come to me,

In time of desperate need.

Grant me eyes that mysteries see,

And will, to promptings heed.

Let faith my staunch companion be

In every time and place.

That others come to plainly see

Response by me to grace.

10/3/21 Through 10/9/21

 10/3/21 Through 10/9/21

Sunday

Man and woman joined as one.

Through the act, new life begun.

Total giving of their seed

Flames of love to always feed.

From the core, the rib removed

By the woman, man improved.

Two as one forever bound

Total giving love is found.

Monday

How often I have turned away

From duty that is mine.

Direct me Lord, and show the way

For me to go this time.

So full of what I want to do

Without a thought for God

I miss His blatant, glaring cue,

And try to run abroad.

Sometime within the belly of 

A whale would change my mind,

And maybe teach me how to love,

Or how true peace to find.

To listen and obey the key

To peace and pure delight,

For in His will the love we see

That brings the morning light.

Tuesday

Repent and turn away from sin

Is still the battle cry.

For years we've let it grow within,

But now, to cleanse, we try.

If true, a change of heart we've had,

The change will cause some pain.

But pain, if we persist, will add

To heaven, then obtain.

So at the Master's feet recline

Absorbing every word,

Then try to make your will align

With all that you have heard.

Wednesday

In conversation every day

I hear You speak and point the way,

Yet still a path of mine desire

That leads unto unholy fire.

I must be made afresh and new

And make my heart as one with You.

Oh Father in the highest height

Come help me in this daily fight.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,

Shall be the way for everyone,

And when the final day arrives,

Reward for how we lived our lives.

Oh mercy much, I plead for me,

And all who did me harm, I free.

I dread the loss of life with Thee,

And pray Your glory I may see.

Thursday

What profit in His service be,

The proud will ask the weak.

For we control the gold, you see,

While you still pray and seek.

But God has promised peace for those

Who trust upon His name,

With poverty and vicious woes,

For those of wealth and fame.

Without a branch, without a root

The fire leaves us all

Alone and naked, shamed and mute

Once great, now poor and small.

Then those that fear the Lord shall see

The sun of justice rise,

With healing rays, and voices praise

The Lord of earth and skies.

Friday

Cast out the demons plaguing me

Then fill me with reality,

For otherwise the lie returns,

And seven more my spirit earns.

Each void will beckon to be filled

The trampled earth be plowed and tilled

So seed can sprout and then will spread,

And bring new life to what was dead.

I need Your presence always near

To cast away the doubt and fear.

Assuring if I just return,

A greater depth of love I'll learn.

Saturday

Is the sickle ready now

To harvest from this stalk somehow,

Or shall this one be bundled with

The weed sent to the fire forthwith?

One steadfast in so many ways,

But one anemic, many days,

Who turns away for worthless things,

And loses what allegiance brings.

But You are One of mercy Lord

For blood and water, You outpoured

To make this more than just a dream,

And wash me in that precious stream. 

9/26/21 Through 10/2/21

 9/26/21 Through 10/2/21

Sunday

See what jealousy can do,

It draws the reason far from you,

And leads to where the sins abound,

Where love and trust are never found.

The good in all is good for all,

And all must answer well the call.

For when the call is acted on

Is grace to all, bestowed upon.

Monday

Hope for better days to come,

See what pride and lust have done.

Gaining all we lost the best,

In the Lord is found our rest.

Greatest in His eyes will know

Service is the way to go.

In the least, the great is found.

In the weak, the strong and sound.

All be gained, but all is lost

Soul of man the heavy cost.

When all within the world gained,

Slavery is all obtained.

Tuesday

Lord send Your fire from above.

Fill our hearts with peace and love.

Make of me a life anew,

Let all in me, reflect of You.

Let me suffer well for Thee

That stony hearts observe and see,

How true it is, as often seems,

The undeserving Love redeems.

Wednesday

Unseen in realms of earthly light,

Still rages the angelic fight

For souls to serve or turn away,

To heed the call, or go astray.

Yet man is blessed with such as these

Who show the simple man the keys

Of serving Him, beyond all fame

And trembling at His Holy Name.

For only in His presence there

Is peace and joy beyond compare.

And trusting Him in all we do

Will always be what's best for you.

Thursday

The mother lode is here at hand

If we obey His each command.

A nugget in His every word

For those who act on what is heard.

See how every word is true

Let it sink down deep in you.

Ponder well each morsel there,

Then in love, the beauty share.

Endless are the ways He speaks

All revealed to one who seeks.

One who practices will see

Transformative the word will be.

Ageless, timeless words of love

Given from our Lord above.

Ever old, but ever new

Always with a word for you.

Correction when it's needed most

Our guidance from the Holy Ghost.

To steer the ship and stay the course,

To love, our never-ending source.

Adoration 9/9/21

Here I sit with You today

Afraid to take the time away

From mundane chores that pass the time,

But fail to break the paradigm.

So, why prefer such boring things

To sitting with the King of kings,

And there absorb His loving gaze

In bread made flesh to prize and praise?

I rest within Your presence Lord.

To pass You by I can't afford.

The time I'm face to face with You

I always find is overdue.

Yet every moment cherished there

For none on earth can quite compare,

Where time is stopped a moment while,

My heart and soul Your love beguile.

Friday

How true the prophet's words today

This people fails to God obey

So many blessings squandered here

Upon a people insincere.

To heed the call and Him obey,

Instead we bend the truth our way.

But truth we find will not comply,

And all we have is just a lie.

I hope and pray it's not too late

To alter course and change our fate.

To bring about a change within,

And turn from all ths sordid sin.

War rages on in every soul

And evil takes a mighty toll,

But those that humbly turn to love

Will find at last their home above.

Saturday

Become like one of these and see

The value of humility.

For they appear a trifling sort,

But truth be known, of great import.

Their angels guard throughout the day

And guide them on the Master's way,

But pride will lead the soul astray

Creating quite a bill to pay.

So listen for the angel's voice

Make true and beautiful your choice,

And you will find the humble way

Your path to everlasting day

9/19/21 Through 9/25/21

 9/19/21 Through 9/25/21

Sunday

He tried to tell them on the road

Of how the crown would get bestowed,

But eyes were blinded then by pride,

The truth of love to shrewdly hide.

The great must take the place of least

And humble well the inner beast

To see what lies beyond the grave,

And how He treats the humble slave.

Exalted to the highest height

The lowly who refused to fight,

Except with forces deep within

To conquer over death and sin.

Monday

From the exile now returning,

Trust in providence now learning,

As the Lord has moved the leaders

Through the prayer of faithful pleaders.

Blood of martyrs change the mind

Of even the most heinous kind,

And when the word to love is clear

It's no surprise, great things are near.

So carry on and stay the course,

Your love becomes a driving force,

And even though your flesh be torn,

Eternal life in you is born.

Tuesday

What does it mean to follow You,

To use the gifts in all I do?

I need Your light to see the way, 

And spur me to each word obey.

To follow means to leave behind

What used to occupy the mind

And see in ever clearer light

The words upon my soul You write.

Those to heal and those to bless,

Those of sin I must confess

Words that guide my path to You,

And words instructing what to do.

Wednesday

Ashamed of how we've turned away

Each one determining his way,

And thinking we can make what's true

Instead of listening to You.

Yet patient love You still display

And grant relief along the way.

Lord help me vow again to be

A faithful spouse, in love with Thee.

Thursday

Seek to see Him not for thrill,

But seek to know His holy will,

And follow well on every road.

You'll see, it's He that bears the load.

As Pio saw for fifty years,

The ever-present cause for tears.

How Jesus, on the cross was torn,

And how the age of love was born.

Let not be lost a single stripe.

The time for love is fully ripe.

So seize the moment, pluck the fruit,

Make love of God your main pursuit.

A sacrifice for everyday

A joining in His cross some way.

Will build a temple gilt with gold

For saint and sinner to behold.

Friday

Once we know He is the Christ,

The pearl becomes so highly-priced.

For He that made the sea and skies

Is He that stands before our eyes.

Saturday

What are you afraid to ask?

What word of His does pride unmask?

What false assurance must you keep?

What corner that you dread to sweep?

He claims to be the strength we need.

We see the food, but fail to feed.

The cross exposed His all to man,

For all is in the Father's plan.

So why hold back what holds you back?

Just offer all, and none you'll lack.

Come see beyond the cross and grave,

And meet the One with pow'r to save.

Encircling fire, His love aflame

For all who bless His Holy Name.

He wipes away our every tear,

And puts an end to useless fear.

9/12/21 Through 9/18/21

 9/12/21 Through 9/18/21

Sunday

The question still remains today. 

Who do You say I am?

Don't simply try to get away,

Or bypass this exam.

The answer sets the very tone

For how to live each day.

If He is God, and God alone,

His word we must obey.

Oh happy fault that Christ should come,

Redeeming all from sin.

To show the depth that Christ would plumb

That we might enter in.

But still today, the question plied,

Just who this man could be.

The saints alone on Him relied,

That's good enough for me.

Monday

What kind of faith do I possess,

A faith enough to heal and bless?

Or faith that only shows its face

When needy of some special grace?

A faith at every twist and turn

Will help the steadfast ones discern

He works all for the good He chose,

So pray you may be one of those.

Tuesday

Such love I cannot comprehend

One patient till the bitter end.

Not shrinking from the stripe or thorn

Our Savior did the cross adorn.

That we might lift Him high to see

The love He has for each of thee,

And join our burdens there to His

For sacrifice is what love is.

Wednesday

Heart of Jesus, Heart of Fire,

Listen to my heart's desire.

Come enflame my heart as Thine,

Make my love a love Divine.

Pierce me as Your Mother's heart

Many times Your grace impart

That my station never leave,

But my heart, to Your heart cleave.

Let me welcome with my hands

Every word of Your commands

Press Your Sacred Heart to mine

Making it a heart as Thine.

That beneath the cross I stay

Pondering the Truth, the Way.

Life Divine, love excelling,

Of Your sacrifice all telling.

Thursday

How foolish when I turn away

And choose to follow my own way.

No satisfaction I would find,

But more of darkness for the mind.

And in repentance I have seen

Forgiveness and the gap between

My ways of selfish righteousness

And humble, gentle loveliness.

Let tears of love then flood my eyes

And strip away my false disguise.

Then there in true humility

Forgiveness for my sins I see.

A fragrant love is then outpoured.

The total gift of Christ our Lord.

With none held back, He showed how love

Would lead us to our home above.

Friday

A simple life of simple means,

A life of love with strict routines,

To turn the heart to Him each day

Will lead us safely on our way.

Saturday

Avoid the rocks, avoid the thorns.

Explicitly the Sower warns

How these can hamper goodly seed

Depriving it of basic need.

The need of soil to embrace,

Receive it well, and foster grace.

To blanket and protect the seed

From bird, and rock, and thorny weed.

So, well prepare your place to grow,

That nourishment the seed would know,

And roots extend to firm and deep,

Quite far beyond the surface cheap.

Then firmly rooted, richly fed

Each seed would yield a loaf of bread,

And persevere through all ordeal

With patient love and holy zeal.

9/5/21 Through 9/11/21

 9/5/21 Through 9/11/21

Sunday 

Our faith arrives by what we hear

Through faith, we find our Lord is near,

And that of which we've come to know

Our life will soon begin to show.

Without the ear attuned to hear

The speech is never very clear.

Impeded by our failings when

Instead of God, we follow men.

So listen well to know the way,

Then you will speak as clear as day,

And others find His word in you 

Through all you say, and all you do.

Monday

Each one a labor given thee,

A way of love to come to Me.

Let each complete the work assigned 

And in the Father's presence find

The withered heart and hand restored

With grace abundantly out-poured

A Sabbath rest is good for man,

But Sabbath in the Father's plan

Is not a time for evil deeds,

But understanding well our needs.

To follow as the Lord commands,

And let Him heal our withered hands.

Tuesday

Principalities and Powers

From our God in flesh now cower.

For in His holy body shone

The humble love of God alone.

Obedience has conquered sin,

Faults forgiven, cleansed within.

Nailed upon the awful tree, 

All the evil plaguing me.

Now in turn, I must obey,

Learn to sacrifice and pray,

Seek the love that conquered death,

Praising till my dying breath.

Wednesday

From ancient times this day foretold,

Barren wife at last consoled.

The purest virgin of our race,

Dawn of mercy, dawn of grace.

Thursday

This day a gift from God above

My duty now to add the love.

To find the lowly, poor, and weak,

And give to them the love they seek.

To measure out without reserve,

To be a humble one, to serve,

To lend a hand to those in need,

And by example, sow a seed.

Friday

I see quite well the splinter there,

The speck of dirt, or misplaced hair.

Yet blinded I so often seem,

And fail to see the wooden beam.

You're at my side throughout the day,

Yet frequently I tend to stray

This beam that often blocks my view

Is pride unchecked that quickly grew.

Forgive my many failings Lord,

Be You alone, my great reward.

This beam I wish to quickly shed,

And be a humble man instead.

Saturday

Lord help me act upon Your word,

Your every call that I have heard,

And so a strong foundation build

For house of love, with wisdom filled.

So much to me, You have to say,

But busyness can fill my day.

Distractions draw my eyes from You

Alacrity, I then eschew.

Lord help me see beyond the haze.

Your Spirit set my heart ablaze.

That every word, I act upon,

And light within, be like the dawn.