EASTER AT EMMAUS

Our heads hung low,

Saddened and perplexed

By the troubling events just

Three days prior in Jerusalem;

My companion and I were

Searching for the missing piece

Of the Messianic puzzle,

Not realizing that it was less

Than a stone’s throw away;

Then, when we turned around,

We found a man who was both

Wise and friendly, and He too

Was on the road to Emmaus;

As He spoke to us over the

Next several miles, the fire of

Heavenly hope began to rekindle

Within our souls once again,

So we invited Him to sup with us

When we arrived in Emmaus;

After the sun set over the hills,

The stars twinkled with delight as

The Son suddenly rose in our hearts,

For when He broke the bread,

He smiled His very gentle smile, 

And we felt as if we had been

Born again.

THE AGONY OF UNREQUITED LOVE

I love you, I love you

so very much,

more than you

can possibly imagine,

yet you carelessly

turn your back on me

and you ignore me,

living your busy life

as if I never existed;

now I kneel here

in this olive garden,

with my warm hands

clasped tightly together,

so deeply and so greatly

in love with you,

and my heart is breaking

because I want to share

my life with you,

my heart is nearly broken 

because I love you,

and I painfully weep

hot tears for you,

and my sweat turns into

drops of blood --

all because of you.

SILENT NIGHT: AN ANGEL'S PERSPECTIVE

Here we find the epicenter of the holy earthquake

that destroys the sin of the centuries.

In jubilation, I swiftly and silently cruise through

the cool, crisp air on this holiest of holy nights,

Up above, high in the heavens, is the star of all stars,

powerfully pulsating with bursts of joy;

Below, in the countryside, the shepherds’ fires

crackle with contentment near Bethlehem,

For the Christ child, the Prince of Peace, has been

born in a lowly little stable in the city of David.

I am flanked by a merry multitude of fellow angels,

as we prepare for our descent into little Bethlehem,

From the cloud tops we cascade downward towards

the manger, like a waterfall of invisible light;

The shuffling shepherds who were so startled to

behold us now adore their newborn king on bent knees,

And the majestic magi marvel at the humility of the

Blessed Babe, the long-awaited holy Messiah.

St. Joseph thoughtfully covers the mild mother Mary,

to help heat her on this very chilly night,

The joyful Virgin warmly welcomes little Jesus,

covering Him with her tender kisses and caresses;

Blissful baby Jesus beams a bright smile, covering all

present with His most peaceful benevolence,

And we angels swirl and dance, and exultantly sing

and rejoice and praise the glory of the good God.

The holy family will live in the dark night of the unseen,

centered in the Light of Limitless Love.

TOWER OF IVORY

Lady of Lourdes, compassionately collect

  My prayers in your soft, gentle hands;

Transform them into multicolored rose petals,

  And lay them at the feet of the King.

Keep me as the apple of your amiable eyes,

  And oh so lovingly, please care for me;

Help change the black bludgeon of bleakness

  Into the sparkling emerald of elation.

In Jesus’ name, courageously crush

  Under your feet the head of my evil enemy;

Pour the Holy Spirit’s humble honey

  Into the emptiness of my soul.

Teach me to know that sweet devotion

  Is possible in every vocation;

Enlighten me that I will know that holiness

  Can be the center of every profession.

THE HOURGLASS

As I begin the day,

My guardian angel

Turns over the hourglass,

So now I have a full hour

To start my day in calm,

With the little grains of sand

Falling gently upon me;

But then The Enemy

Abruptly turns me upside-down

By flipping the hourglass

Back over, and with the 

Suddenness of a desert storm,

Fear has decapitated Time,

Now the little grains of sand

Rain down upon me like

Splattering drops of blood,

As I carry my cross;

Our Lady of Love whispers

In my ear and encouragingly

Reminds me to approach

The Sea of Mercy

With great trust —  

Just then Our Blessed Lord,

With a carpenter’s strong hands,

Gently yet firmly places

The hourglass back into 

An upright position and

Time is resurrected to new life,

And so I continue to meditate upon

The Miracle of Divine Mercy.

GATE OF HEAVEN

Lovely Lady, I call upon you, I who am

  Lost and languishing in the forest of fear;

Humbly step down from your royal throne,

  Rouse and rally my heavy heart.

Ask Jesus to powerfully punish my enemies

  And rescue me from these boisterous beasts;

These deadly devils wish to devour me,

  But your perpetual prayers rout them.

Then I enthusiastically extol your majesty,

  As you placidly pour His mercy over me;

The dry, parched wilderness of my soul

  Is refreshed by the Lord’s living water.

Pray for me, that I may learn to appreciate

  The excellence of devotion;

That I may be wondrously warmed

  By the lavish light of your Sun’s rays.

MORNING STAR

Dear Lady, problems completely surround us,

  Like brash battalions of demonic soldiers;

But wielding the sword of the Spirit,

  You courageously destroy them all.

Unlock the hellish handcuffs of impiety,

  That bind us in the dungeon of selfishness;

With Jesus’ kingdom keys of love, release us,

  That we may find true heavenly freedom.

The evil one tries to blind us with

  Woeful worry and festering fear;

Moisten our eyes with the Spirit’s balm,

  In order to restore our spiritual sight.

Pray that we find holy devotion, by

  Following the marvelous Messiah;

Steer the brave battleship of our souls

  Toward the holy harbor of Heaven.

HOUSE OF GOLD

Dearest Queen of All Hearts, our evil, eel-like

   Enemies rage because of our love for you;

They tantalizingly tempt us, to trip us,

   With so many vain valueless things.

With your ready right hand protect us,

   Through the power of your holy Son;

Courageously battle for us on the front line,

   Wisely wielding the sword of the Spirit.

May your serene countenance and sweet smile

   Bring us peace and confidence;

May His Divine Majesty bountifully bless

   And fill the Earth with His magnificent mercy.

Please pray for us when our thinking

   Is twisted and tangled by selfishness;

Quench our thirst by letting us drink

   From the cup of Our Lord's living water.

MYSTICAL ROSE

Sweet Queen, I glory in your gracious goodness,

  With my whole soul I delight in you;

I declare with a dancing heart that you bring

  Me ever nearer to the joys of Jesus.

Through you I thrive, in a life filled with

  Thanksgiving, as you invite me to Heaven;

With you as my guide, I gladly glide along

  The river of life closer to the Messiah.

You are the heavenly funnel through

  Which the fountain of the Spirit flows;

With excitement in your eyes, you point me

  Towards your Son, who patiently awaits us.

I run with you through the fields of grace,

  With your hand clasped in mine;

We laugh with elation, our hearts filled

  With the ecstatic love of the Holy Spirit.

THE LADY OF FATIMA

O Lighthouse of Love, you shine as a beacon

  Of God’s mercy to deliver us from darkness;

In your sublime sweetness, teach us

  To share this mercy with the world.

Our meddlesome enemy muddles our

  Daily lives with intoxicating idols;

May the Lord’s renewing rain rinse us

  Clean of corrosive, inordinate desires.

From His youth, and through the years,

  Jesus offered Himself to you in obedience;

May we too listen to the merry melody

  Of your delicate, dulcet voice.

Reach out and rescue us who are in need

  Of the refreshment of God’s love;

Pray that as overwhelmed outcasts we may find

  Favor and holy hope in the triumphant Trinity.

SPIRALING THROUGH THE FOUR SEASONS

Spiritual springtime blooms

With God’s sweet consolations,

As the holy breeze of the Spirit

Caresses our vine branches.

Spiritual summertime ripens with

The delicious fruit of the Spirit,

Bringing to our hungry world

God’s immeasurable love.

Spiritual autumn is a time to

Fall, on our knees in humility,

Understanding that death --

And resurrection -- are nearer.

Spiritual winter brings blessings,

Snowflakes both red and white,

Nourishing our needy souls with

Divine Mercy in the dark night.

Then, behold, the resurrection,

As spiritual springtime returns --

Yet sweeter -- and each year we

Spiral higher up towards Heaven.

THE LADY OF LOURDES

Dear Lady of Lourdes,

   Luminous star of the majestic morning,

You have unending, unwavering

   Faith in our Heavenly Father.

In the glorious grandeur of Heaven,

   Your aquamarine eyes twinkle

And reflect the dazzling light

   Of your holy Sun.

By the excellence of your

   Exemplary sanctity, you surpass

All the splendid saints

   In the Heavenly Kingdom. 

Victorious Virgin, please pray

   That we receive the gift of

Prudence, to resist this world's

   Empty promises.

TOTUS TUUS

Sweet Santa Maria,

   Sweetest Queen of All Hearts,

How blessed are we who treasure

   Your humble holy heart.

Through you, we can allow

   God's grace to sublimely soak into our souls,

So that we can be refreshed as if by

   Cool cascades of pure pristine water.

Blessed are you among the peoples

   Of the world; by following your

Simple example, fresh fruit will

   Richly ripen on our trees.

God's magnificent mercy and

   Grace flow through you;

Lovely Madonnina, 

   Please pray for us.

OUR LADY, UNTIER OF KNOTS

Their perplexed brows are

knitted into knots

as they impatiently try to

conquer the unconquerable,

and so they slowly slide down,

down the slippery slope

of depression and despair

into the murky darkness

of melancholic misery;

but Our Lady touches their hearts,

and most lovingly leads them

along a path trustworthy and true,

through the White Way of Light,

and up the majestic mountain;

then as they drink the delicious

new wine of Divine Mercy,

their wrinkles of worry dissolve,

their souls serenely smile,

their hearts are made whole,

and, to their utter amazement,

they are absolutely and totally

born again.

SILENT NIGHT: AN ANGEL'S PERSPECTIVE

Here we find the epicenter of the holy earthquake

that destroys the sin of the centuries.

In jubilation, I swiftly and silently cruise through

the cool, crisp air on this holiest of holy nights,

Up above, high in the heavens, is the star of all stars,

powerfully pulsating with bursts of joy;

Below, in the countryside, the shepherds’ fires

crackle with contentment near Bethlehem,

For the Christ child, the Prince of Peace, has been

born in a lowly little stable in the city of David.

I am flanked by a merry multitude of fellow angels,

as we prepare for our descent into little Bethlehem,

From the cloud tops we cascade downward towards

the manger, like a waterfall of invisible light;

The shuffling shepherds who were so startled to

behold us now adore their newborn king on bent knees,

And the majestic magi marvel at the humility of the

Blessed Babe, the long-awaited holy Messiah.

St. Joseph thoughtfully covers the mild mother Mary,

to help heat her on this very chilly night,

The joyful Virgin warmly welcomes little Jesus,

covering Him with her tender kisses and caresses;

Blissful baby Jesus beams a bright smile, covering all

present with His most peaceful benevolence,

And we angels swirl and dance, and exultantly sing

and rejoice and praise the glory of the good God.

The holy family will live in the dark night of the unseen,

centered in the Light of Limitless Love.

THE STARTING PITCHER IN THE DARK NIGHT

San Padre Pio: “Lord, give me my weapon.”

When I squeezed the rosary with my

Tense fingers, my soul was bone dry;

I pitched too fast, in a hurry to get the

Game over with as soon as possible.

I pitched my prayers with fear, and they

Wildly eluded the spiritual strike zone;

I needed you, Madonnina, to teach me how

To more effectively pray the most holy rosary.

You taught me to pray in the Holy Spirit:

Swift sparkling fastballs in holy meditation,

Sweet spiraling curveballs in holy proclamation,

Soft swirling knuckleballs in holy contemplation.

So I’m learning to pitch my prayers with

Sincere love, for all nine innings,

And you, my darling catcher, faithfully

Bring my prayers to The Divine Mercy.

THE VIRGIN MOON

The Virgin moon    

shines in splendor    

in the dark night,    

but in humility she    

recognizes that the true    

glory really belongs to her

Sun, whose Divine Mercy

rays of red and white

shine in dazzling brilliance        

through all eternity.

DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU

O Lady of Love,

   my holy queen,

Your lively faith

   by few is seen;

Point me to the

   light of your Son,

He is my king,

   the Holy One.

THE STAR IN THE DARK NIGHT

O heavenly Star,

I am living in the dark night

Of unknowing,

Searching for peace in uncertainty. 

O Lighthouse in the sky,

I am living in the dark night

Of the unseen,

Trying so hard to die to myself.

With your beacon of light,

Like a laser sword from Heaven,

You strike and slay

All my enemies.

I rejoice in the source

Of your powerful light,

Christ the Courageous,

Your only Sun.

THE KISS IN THE DARK NIGHT

As I awaken in the

Dark Night,

The swirling, twirling

Tempest of menacing fear

Violently threatens to

Throttle me.

But brimming with

The Messiah’s magnificent mercy,

Our Lady appears and

Gazes at me with a

Sweet, serene smile

And sparkling aquamarine eyes;

Then, with her soft, rosy lips,

She wonderfully warms my cheek

With a pure, gentle, loving

Kiss.

Suddenly the surging

Tornado of terror

Silently ceases as

The Holy Spirit

Blows in the breeze

And soars through

My soul.