Q-war-reling:
even the fearful word
forebodes a future filled
with deep darkness;
impatience heats to
simmering anger
then it boils over into
raging revenge
then it ignites into
bloody battles
then it explodes into
world wars.
DIVINE MERCY: THE LEADOFF HITTER IN THE DARK NIGHT /
My heart is ready, O God:
Tuus totus ego sum;
I take batting practice,
and the crisp crackle of
my maple-wood bat echoes
throughout the stadium.
Later, I hear a soft sweet voice say,
“Do whatever He tells you”;
therefore, when I see the Spirit signal,
I gently lay down a regal bunt that
humbly dies to itself in the grass as I run
to first base like a strong driving wind.
As I stand on first base, with a
smile on my face from ear to ear,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for in my surrender I start to love;
however, The Beast, seething in hot
anger, already plans his revenge.
When I return to home plate,
The Beast strikes me out
over and over and over again
with the flaming fastballs of fear,
and I fall, carrying a heavy cross,
dizzy with discouragement.
My Manager benches me in the chapel,
but lovingly teaches me to fast from fear
and leave my worries in His loving hands,
so for three days I return to the chapel,
for ten minutes daily, to ask for His guidance,
and receive the Spirit's gift of Divine Mercy.
When I'm back in the lineup, The Beast
scornfully glares at me from the mound
with his mean menacing black eyes;
But I hear a voice encourage me:
“Non abbiate paura,” and again,
louder, “Non abbiate paura!”
By God's grace, I stand again in the
batter’s box, and I hit a shooting star
whose sparkling trail is red and white,
quickly shattering the dark night,
and the line drive swiftly sizzles over
the shortstop and into left field.
Then, in my next at-bat, filled with
the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit,
I swing and barrel a flaming missile,
that brightly lights up the dark night,
and as the ball soars high over the wall,
the angels playfully dance around it.
DIVINE MERCY: THE BUNT SINGLE IN THE DARK NIGHT /
For years and years
I stubbornly bought
my own baseball bats,
because I always
wanted to be in control,
but very much like
my big-shot dreams,
they all shattered,
splintering and
bloodying my hands;
at last, I listened
to You,
and I let You
choose one for me,
a powerful bat
of strong
Virgin wood,
perfectly formed,
and as regal
as a princess;
she isn’t a
heavy bat
but a light one --
and she doesn’t
weigh me down
with worry,
for she is filled
with The Light;
her lovely name is
“La Madonnina”
and as I surrender
to the Spirit,
she guides my hands
with sweet humility,
and thunder crackles
upon impact with adversity
as the ball hits the bat,
and I gently lay down a
simple bunt single,
exasperating the ego
of our enemy from hell.
DIVINE MERCY: THE STADIUM IN THE DARK NIGHT /
I quietly and invisibly
live my faith,
and accept life’s
incessant curveballs;
I am obedient to my
Manager’s wish for
bunt singles
instead of home runs.
The people of the world
are sitting in the box seats,
busied with food
and entertainment;
living in another world,
they have no idea
what I’m doing
in the batter’s box.
But Our Lord, Our Lady,
and the heavenly court
happily cheer me on
from the upper deck;
I live my life in the
shadow of the cross,
living in the dark night
of the unseen.
TO ST. PHILIP NERI /
Your happy heart desired to go abroad,
On a mission to the exotic Far East;
Where you might convert lots of souls,
And become a holy Jesuit priest.
But as a merry man with natural goodness,
You were drawn by God to Rome;
You had no money and you had no plan,
Yet the Eternal City became your home.
With Socratic discussions on street corners,
You most pleasantly evangelized;
Yet you did it in such a fun-loving way,
That the people never felt chastised.
One Pentecost something special happened --
You felt the peace of The Dove;
When a globe of fire entered your mouth,
You almost died of ecstatic love.
You inspired many in the confessional,
So that the truth they understood,
And the people always heard you saying,
“When shall we begin to do good?”
FIRST TRIP /
Dedicated to my father
Me and Dad were at
Knott’s Berry Farm and
he couldn’t wait to share
his favorite attractions with me;
the torch of his enthusiasm
burned even hotter
than the fiery ashes
of his cigarettes;
but I was like a wet match,
soaking wet,
and Dad had no chance,
no chance at all --
my whole world was
Disneyland;
hot words of anger
gathered in his mouth
like fierce storm winds,
but then he hesitated,
thought pensively for a moment,
and, finally, swallowed them;
with a smile of selfless surrender,
he took my hand in his own
and, together, we walked
towards the parking lot.
TO ST. FAUSTINA /
You, the mystical
missionary of mercy,
are honored as
the first saint
of the Great Jubilee,
the first saint
of the new millennium;
you serenely smile
as the blessed blood
and the blessed water
kiss and mingle
in the infinite ocean
of Divine Mercy;
you see the barque
of St. Peter as it
faithfully floats on
the beautiful waves,
protected from the
storm winds of worry,
free from all fear;
like the warm welcoming
arms of the Bernini Colonnade,
Divine Mercy is ready to
earnestly embrace every
hardened sinner who
hungers for healing and
thirsts for generous love:
Jezu ufam Tobie!
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.
TO ST. MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE /
You were added to the Eleven just a little bit later,
you’re the one who is known for replacing the traitor;
You were a part of the mission of the seventy-two,
and you saw how Jesus’ power made all things new;
On Pentecost you received the promised Paraclete,
and heard the first papal speech of good old St. Pete;
You mortified your flesh to kill your desire,
coupled with virtue, it helped put out the fire;
As a martyr, you were stoned in the year 80 A.D.,
now surrounded by Love, you’re finally free.
MILLION-DOLLAR DOUGHNUTS /
Year in and year out she went to
Million-Dollar Doughnuts
and ate thousands and thousands
of their incredibly popular
one-of-a-kind doughnuts,
because people said
that sooner or later
they would make her
unbelievably happy.
But every single day she had
the same experience:
she took bite after tasty bite of
those irresistible doughnuts,
which were soaked in a
mysterious magical potion,
and then vivid visions
pulsated and rushed
through her intense imagination;
those decadent doughnuts
inebriated her mind with dreams
of wealth and riches
and silver and gold --
and she was drunk with delight;
but as soon as she reached
the hole in the middle,
the visions suddenly vanished and
she felt a desolate emptiness and
a depressing loneliness
which always left her
hungrier and thirstier
than she had been before.
In the end,
she died as she lived,
starved for love,
and when she was buried,
there was a hole in her body --
like the hole of a doughnut --
where once her heart had been.
TO ST. PHILIP THE APOSTLE /
Maybe like Falstaff you were a “practical” man,
It’s even possible that from danger you ran;
Perhaps you were very timid and shy,
Then Jesus called you to life on high;
Did you fear the Holy Spirit’s fire?
If so, even introverts God can inspire!
In Bethsaida born and in Phrygia killed,
Even the meek God’s kingdom can build.
TO ST. JAMES THE LESSER, THE APOSTLE /
You were the first bishop of Jerusalem,
And were known as James the Just,
As Jesus’ cousin and St. Jude’s brother,
People knew that you they could trust;
Your knees thickened like a camel’s,
From all your time kneeling in prayer,
You had a long beard and lots of hair,
And you always treated people fair.
The Jewish leaders failed with St. Paul,
So they turned their ire towards you,
Their raging revenge was out of control,
And their delirious desire grew;
They wanted to crush the New Way,
So they pursued you like angry apes,
Christians were sprouting up everywhere,
Like vineyards full of plenteous grapes.
You bravely refused to reject the Christ,
So they threw you from the temple’s pinnacle,
Their grotesque expressions were ghastly,
As they chose to be stubbornly cynical;
Then they hurled jagged stones at you,
And with a mallet broke your bones,
But you uttered prayers for your attackers,
In between your painful groans.
TO ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT /
You are a man in love,
oh so deeply in love
with Our Lady,
so with strength
and with courage
as a knight of Christ,
you cavalierly show us
the short way,
the easy way,
to the Queen of All Hearts;
as we follow the illustrious example
of John Paul the Great
and mild Mother Teresa,
you very confidently lead us
to the Blessed Virgin
so that she might
graciously guide us to
the Babe of Bethlehem;
the jealous Jansenists,
irked by your missionary success,
perniciously plot against you,
and you are banished --
but the flames of divine love,
like tongues of fire,
sweetly sweep throughout France
in the strong driving wind
of the serene Spirit;
even now in the new millenium
our lives continue to be
refreshed and renewed
by this burning blaze
as we make our consecration
to Jesus through Mary:
totus tuus.
SURRENDERING TO DIVINE MERCY /
When I wave the white flag
in the serene surrender of prayer,
I allow the water of my soul
to be poured freely into
His chalice of gold;
there I am baptized by Love
and born again,
transformed by the Transfigured,
changed forever by the sweet
new wine of the Spirit.
A MISSION OF DIVINE MERCY /
As I gradually look up,
I see luminous rose petals
Fall gently and delicately
From the sky like snow,
Eucharistic-white
In the deep dark night.
My mission is prayer
In the dark night of the unseen,
My mission is surrender
In the dark night of unknowing,
My mission is love
In the dark night of the cross.
The path before me is
Strewn with radiant roses that
Glow like glorious lamps,
So I faithfully travel it and find
The Eucharistic Light
That transfigures the dark night.
DIVINE MERCY AT MORAINE LAKE /
It is a bright beautiful morning in the
crisp clean air of the Canadian Rockies,
We ascend as I drive up a wonderfully
windy road past babbling brooks;
I am driving the “Tin Can” (the affectionate
name that we have given our car),
After reaching the sunny summit,
we gently roll into the Valley of the Ten Peaks;
We finally arrive at the large lake and
look up at the regal ring of mountains,
Yet I feel slightly saddened because
somehow it’s less than I expected;
A lodge that looks like a big log cabin
stands silently like a sentinel near the water,
We decide to dine there and enjoy a
delightful bit of roast beef for lunch;
The savory flavor of my sandwich lingers
in my mouth, as I think about my morning,
I try to cunningly convince myself that
I’m not disappointed, but I know that I am.
Departing for our next destination,
I wistfully walk towards our little car,
But as I look to the right, I see a
tar-black hill with a winding trail upon it;
The people look like pilgrims as they
make their way up the mysterious mound,
Curiosity gradually grows within me as I
ponder, puzzled, where the path leads;
So I investigate and struggle up the steep
trail, tripping occasionally on rock and rubble,
But when I get to the top, I am frozen
with fascination as I behold the view;
Above me is a diadem of snow-tipped peaks,
gleaming with the glory of God,
Below me is the pristine lake, and it is
shimmering and sparkling like a gemstone;
It appears as if millions of sapphires
and emeralds have melted into liquid,
And the blue-green color of the
lovely lake is luminous in the sunshine.
My senses are suddenly soaked in Your
Holy Spirit’s lasting love, and I feel Your beauty,
At this moment, nothing else matters,
and I only long to be close to You;
At this moment, I am oblivious to my past,
and I am oblivious to my future,
I am living in the eternal and
mystical present of the great I AM;
You are Holy Humility, You are
Magnificent Mercy, You are Limitless Love,
And with Your divine sense of humor,
You really are the God of surprises.
DIVINE MERCY IN THE DARK NIGHT OF UNKNOWING /
It’s early morning and
the crafty enemy
crouches and waits,
like a hungry lion ready
to devour my world,
with worthless worries;
in the neutral zone,
transitioning out of sleep,
I lie in bed with my eyes closed,
and my mind gradually
awakens into the
nebulous fog
of fear.
My day begins
in the dark night of unknowing.
The enemy tries to strangle me
with multitudinous doubts:
about time,
about interruptions,
about irate people,
about conflicts,
about coertion,
about expectations,
about performance,
about success,
about reputation,
about ability,
about sales,
about money,
about choices,
about decisions,
about relationships,
about rejection,
about knowledge,
about honesty,
about truth.
The fog of failure threatens
in the dark night of unknowing.
With my eyes still closed,
still in the neutral zone,
I am in the darkness;
but the Light is there,
though my mind’s eye
cannot yet see it,
so I reach out in faith and
place myself in the presence
of the good God,
then I invoke the Holy Spirit,
and in my mind
I sing a hymn of praise;
suddenly, through the cloudy mist
like a distant diamond
I see the sparkling of the
Morning Star.
The Light twinkles
in the dark night of unknowing.
Our Lady sweetly
and gently
draws near to me,
in a tunnel of dazzling
Son-shine;
she warmly smiles at me
with her angelic aquamarine eyes,
and her soft hair
and her majestic mantle
blow in the balmy breeze
of the Spirit;
and she lovingly clasps
her own warm hands
around mine,
and then tenderly
embraces me,
with the limitless love
of the Lord.
The Light shines
In the dark night of unknowing.
Next she places a radiant
little candle
in my right hand,
and points to her only Sun,
Christ the Courageous;
she sweetly whispers to me,
and then, together,
we humbly kneel down
and offer prayers
of complete surrender
to Our Lord and King --
the flame of my little candle
dances with delight.
The Light bursts forth with
merciful rays of red and white
in the dark night of unknowing.
Then the fog of fear evaporates
and my heart leaps
with confident joy.
The dark night of unknowing
has been triumphantly
transformed into
the bright light where
God’s love is flowing:
Jesus, I trust in You!
DIVINE MERCY IN THE DARK NIGHT OF THE DESERT /
I am wilfully wandering
in the woeful desert,
my blistering mind scorched
by the sizzling sun of sin;
I am oh so very lost,
eerily encircled by the
towering black sand dunes
of temptation — but then,
as the dark night falls fast,
I finally find Him, a Star,
sparkling like a diamond,
like a brilliant beacon,
and the Light of Divine Mercy
streams into the hollow center
of my humbled heart.
DIVINE MERCY IN THE DARK NIGHT OF THE CROSS /
My heart is ready, O God:
Jezu, ufam Tobie!
I take batting practice,
and the crisp crackle of
my maple-wood bat echoes
throughout the stadium.
Later, I hear a soft sweet voice say,
“Do whatever He tells you”;
therefore, when I see the Spirit signal,
I gently lay down a regal bunt that
humbly dies to itself in the grass as I run
to first base like a strong driving wind.
As I stand on first base, with a
smile on my face from ear to ear,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for in my surrender I start to love;
however, The Beast, seething in hot
anger, already plans his revenge.
When I return to home plate,
The Beast strikes me out
over and over and over again
with the flaming fastballs of fear,
and I fall, carrying a heavy cross,
dizzy with discouragement.
My Manager benches me in the chapel,
but lovingly teaches me to fast from fear
and leave my worries in His loving hands,
so for three days I return to the chapel,
for ten minutes daily, to ask for His guidance,
and to receive the Spirit's gift of wisdom.
When I'm back in the lineup, The Beast
scornfully glares at me from the mound
with his mean menacing black eyes;
But I hear a voice encourage me:
“Non abbiate paura,” and again,
louder, “Non abbiate paura!”
By God's grace, I stand again in the
batter’s box, and I hit a shooting star
whose sparkling trail is red and white,
quickly shattering the dark night,
and the line drive swiftly sizzles over
the shortstop and into left field.
Then, in my next at-bat, filled with
the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit,
I swing and barrel a flaming missile,
that brightly lights up the dark night,
and as the ball soars high over the wall,
the angels playfully dance around it.
DIVINE MERCY IN THE DARK NIGHT OF SURRENDER /
For years and years
I stubbornly bought
my own baseball bats,
because I always
wanted to be in control,
but like my
big-shot dreams,
they all shattered,
splintering and
bloodying my hands;
at last, I listened
to You,
and I let You
choose one for me,
a powerful bat
of strong
Virgin wood,
perfectly formed,
and as regal
as a princess;
she isn’t a
heavy bat
but a light one --
and she doesn’t
weigh me down
with worry,
for she is filled
with Light;
her lovely name is
“La Madonnina”
and as I surrender
to the Spirit,
she sweetly
guides my swing
and thunder crackles
upon impact with
adversity, as I hit
lightning line drives,
exasperating the enemy.