FREEDOM

When liberty is

divorced from responsibility,

it dreadfully descends in a

dizzying death spiral of

selfishness.

But when liberty

is married to responsibility,

it courageously spirals upward

in a heroic flight of

freedom.

TO SAN PASCHAL BAYLON

You are a simple shepherd,

A poor Franciscan in the

True spirit of Father Francis,

Your respect for the Eucharist

Is profoundly beautiful,

For when the church bell rings —

No matter where you are

At that particular moment —

You cannot help but fall,

Fall to your knees in love,

Oh so madly in love,

With the Good Shepherd.

THE BATTLE

Like an aggressive squadron of

Enemy fighter jets, a flurry of

Problems is rapidly approaching

My sector in attack formation;

In my anxiety I am tempted to take

Them on all at once, but, instead, 

I veer off to the right and one breaks

Off from the pack and follows me;

I take my adversary into the Light

And he is utterly blinded by it, so

I launch the missiles of patience

And love until he is destroyed;

One by one, I do the same with

The other challenges until, finally,

The spiritual airspace is clear, then

I praise the King of the Universe.

EXECUTION AND EXILE

We all deserve execution,

To be nailed on a cross of wood,

We all deserve exile in hell,

For only God is purely good;

He chose to take our place in death,

Bloodily stabbed into the tree,

He paid the price to rescue us,

For only He can set us free.

THE TERROR OF DEMONS

Pride is a black dragon that tries

To kindle our sinful souls with

The flaming fires of falsehood,

Causing our egos to swell with

The helium of haughtiness;

But thanksgiving is a weapon,

A weapon of heavenly wonder,

Used by the Holy Family when

There was arrogance in the air;

So when we are praised for some

Fine worldly accomplishment,

Then we too should turn to the

Lord God, and, with a little smile,

We should frequently thank Him

For each of His gracious gifts,

And seeing our happy hearts filled

To the brim with gratitude, behold,

The devil dragon flees in terror.

FALLING

At the Last Supper,

Judas left you.

He betrayed you.

But don’t we

Betray you too? -- 

When we make excuses,

And skip the prayers,

And skip the masses,

And skip the Eucharist?

For then we are falling,

Down, down, down,

Headlong towards

The open-throated

Abyss of doom

Which vomits forth

The flames of folly.

Instead, let us

Return to Him, 

Our Father of Love,

To make a fresh

New start to our

Broken lives,

Let us fall

To our knees

And surrender to Him,

Let us fall

Into His loving arms

And embrace Him,

Let us fall,

Fall in love with Him,

Down in adoration falling.

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,

You scatter my enemies,

Coming to my aid,

Embracing me with love.

I rejoice in the source

Of your most powerful light,

Christ the Courageous,

Your only Sun.

MARIAN SYMPHONY NO. 4

Mother Most Chaste, I will always love

  You as my generous, gentle guide;

Our Father in Heaven has healed my

  Troubled heart through your holy hands.

I honor you, Jesus’ happy helper, who

  Wishes to bring harmony into my life;

Dear amiable advocate, pray that your

  Son will strengthen me against evil.

Let me sip of the cool refreshment

  Of your spouse, the Holy Spirit;

As the Messiah’s mother, you teach me

  The path that leads to total truth.

Marvelous Madonnina, let your dulcet

  Voice rise to God on our behalf;

Please petition His Divine Majesty, that

  He may annihilate all affection for sin.

MARIAN SYMPHONY NO. 3

Mother of Divine Grace, ever so kindly

  Preserve me in humble piety and patience;

Ask the gentle Jesus to pour upon me

  His heavenly hope and gladdening grace.

You merit praise for being a perfect mirror,

  Reflecting His merciful compassion;

Because of you, divine favors fall upon me

  Like starry raindrops from the sky.

I am a little candle in the cave, and the

  Birth of the blessed Babe is mystical to me;

Pray that your sovereign Son will help me

  To be single-hearted in the Spirit.

The Timeless One is triumphantly shoehorned

  Into Time, and He totally transfigures it;

Guide me and show me how to live in the

  Eternal present of the loving Lamb.

MARIAN SYMPHONY NO. 2

Mother of Christ, you are the treasured

  Tabernacle of the Most High;

The brilliant Sun magnificently shines

  Forth from you in spiritual direction.

Pray that we may be poor in spirit,

  Surrendering to Christ the Compassionate;

Pray that we may be pure in heart,

  Like the precious Poverello of Assisi.

Your luminous light-brown hair cascades

  Over your shoulders like a waterfall;

Your radiant smile lights up my soul,

  As I hold your soft, gentle hand.

You lead me in His holy footsteps, showing

  Me the short way, the easy way, to Jesus;

From the depths of my soul I love you,

  My Heavenly guide, my darling friend.

MARIAN SYMPHONY NO. 1

Holy Virgin of Virgins, the foolish enemy

  Feverishly and frantically pursues me;

Bravely brandish the sword of the Spirit,

  And courageously cut him down.

Scatter his seditious stratagems, and

  Utterly destroy his devilish plans;

Through your lovely, delicate hands,

  May my prayers arise to Jesus’ throne.

The humble beauty of your sweet smile

  Eclipses the light of both sun and moon;

Your pristine prayers for me perfume

  Highest Heaven with the fragrance of roses.

Ask the Father to teach me truth: that holy

  Devotion is possible in any profession;

Quiet queen, ignite the little candle

  Of my heart with the fire of compassion.

THE MYSTICAL MONASTERY IN THE DESERT

Dedicated to my Delightful Daughter

The long, arduous journey

  was finally over,

More challenging than going

  from London to Dover;

Clarissa Candela opened

  her deep, dark eyes,

She got out of bed not

  expecting any surprise;

For the last 33 days it’s been

  a time for new prayers,

Almost like climbing a beautiful

  resort’s elegant stairs;

Going upward towards God

  in an imperceptible way,

She didn’t notice any spiritual growth

  when she knelt down to pray.

As the beacon of dawn

  gradually conquered the night,

The sinful, fearful darkness

  was very quickly put to flight;

The angels unfurled the banner

  of God’s light across the sky,

As on the freeway Clarissa

  calmly drove in the desert so dry;

Her pilgrimage was to the beauteous

  chapel of Our Lady of Solitude,

And since she could see the cupola,

  her arrival was a certitude;

With holy sunbeams striking a

  stained glass window from afar,

The chapel looked like a lighthouse

  reflecting Bethlehem’s star.

Clarissa got out of her car, and a

  sweet smile danced across her lips,

Her long, dark hair through the comforting

  breeze ever so gently whips;

Looking at the chapel, she saw arches

  and columns in a style European,

The dappled desert stone, rustically

  elegant, made it look Galilean;

The cupola, topped with a simple cross,

  was Our Lady’s jeweled crown,

And the t-shaped tau on the gable

  declared good St. Francis’ renown;

Clarissa looked up, twirled around,

  and saw an immense sky so blue,

She had never seen such beauty clothed

  in such peace, ‘tis so very true.

Then she entered the chapel

  experiencing a spiritual thirst,

Truly there were not many people

  at mass on this January First;

Their few voices were humbly and

  quietly raised almost inaudibly aloft,

And the Franciscan priest said mass

  in a voice that was very, very soft;

The devout Poor Clare nuns were

  all engaged in the deepest prayer,

And, honestly, the mass was so silent

  that it was exceedingly rare;

When Clarissa’s 33 days of prayers

  of consecration were finally done,

Might she be in danger of ending

  as uneventfully as she had begun?

But St. Louis de Montfort’s

  Consecration to Jesus through Mary,

Was recommended by her wise old

  Irish pastor Monsignor O’Clary;

He had preached quite a fine homily

  about this special devotion,

Saying, “It can really change your life,

  if you have the notion”;

But now let me share with you

  one rather noteworthy fact,

St. Louis’ closing prayer is

  really a form of holy contract;

She knelt before Our Lord’s

  beautiful crucifix near the altar,

And she dearly hoped that her

  heart would not ever falter.

Midway through this closing prayer,

  Clarissa’s heart was passionately,

Preciously pierced by the sweet sword

  of the Spirit; her soul, suddenly

Brimming with God’s majestic mercy,

  soared in a spiraling celestial

Crescendo of God’s love for her;

  fearing that her heart, like a fiery

Supernova, might explode with emotion,

  she silently slipped out

And sat quietly, alone, on the sofa

  located in the pilgrims' parlor;

Here she serenely surrendered all

  to the Spirit, like a noble

Knight of Christ, Through Our Lady,

  The Queen of All Hearts.

Then like a giddy geyser she gushed

  torrents of light-hearted laughter

And happy, heavenly tears; this golden

  cascade of pure love poured

Over her soul like a warm, wonderful

  waterfall of holy honey; deep down

Inside, the Spirit was strumming on

  the harmonic harp of her heart, and

She was deliciously, delightfully deluged

  by this overwhelming ocean of God’s love for her.

Afterwards, Clarissa softly strolled

  back into the chapel to finish her

Closing prayer; approaching the altar,

  with awe, she beheld the crucifix

Where Christ the Courageous heroically

  hangs; from the back of the church

She felt his love as a light, blissful,

  balmy breeze; but as she

Drew closer to that crucifix, she felt

  His love magnificently magnified as it

Ignited into an intense, surging storm

  of explosive, electric joy;

Kneeling before that same crucifix,

  as a bold, brave warrior, she battled

Through her emotions until

   word by word, slowly,

Meaningfully, she finished

   her prayer of consecration.

Every year for the rest of her life

  this holy devotion she would pray,

She would always return to Our Lady

  of Solitude on the very same day;

Just as Our Lady had very few truly

  remarkable days in her saintly life,

Clarissa had few days in which intense

  joy pierced her soul like a knife;

Although she never again experienced

  a cascading heavenly waterfall,

Every so often a raindrop of pure,

  holy love her heart would enthrall;

In the twinkling of an eye the sword

  of the Spirit would pierce her soul,

As if to remind her that perfect love

  in Heaven must always be her goal.

MIRROR OF JUSTICE

Heavenly Queen, God’s flaming fire

  Blazed in the bush on Mt. Horeb;

Similarly, the Spirit gloriously glows

Like a candle as baby Jesus is conceived.

His Divine Majesty fills you bountifully

  With the finest of all fruits;

More valuable than millions of mountains

  Of glistening gold nuggets.

As the beautiful Babe is born, the Light

  Of the world shines forth in a remarkable way;

In heavenly humility, the sweet Savior

  Shines as the miraculous Morning Star.

Modest, mild Mother of God, you are

  A precious, priceless pearl of purity;

Pray that, like you, I may find rest on

  The ineffable, indelible isle of innocence.

OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

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 was drained of all my energy,

For I pitched my prayers with fear,

Wildly eluding the spiritual strike zone;

I needed you, Madonnina, so you taught me

How to more effectively pray the Holy Rosary:

Swift sparkling fastballs, passionate

And powerful, in holy proclamation,

Sweet spiraling curveballs, mystical

And merciful, in holy meditation;

So as I’m learning to pitch my prayers

With sincere love, you, my Darling Catcher,

Faithfully bring my prayers to our King,

The Lord of Love, The Divine Mercy.

SPIRITUAL VESSEL

O Blessed Virgin Maria, with the shining

  Shield of the Spirit, guard us from anger;

Let your prayers be propitious to us,

  Keep us from the horrid house of hell.

Unlock the golden gates of Heaven with

  The sparkling key of God’s manifold mercy;

Let our petitions rise up to Heaven like

  Sweet smoke from our little candles.

Deadly demons try to destroy us by hiding

  Terrible traps for us on the spiritual battlefield;

Your calm countenance inspires confidence

  As we bravely fight the good fight.

Please guide us with your holy love to

  Find a solid, sensible spiritual director;

A warrior of wisdom who will help us

  Recognize the evil one’s subtle subterfuges.

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.

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.