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.

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.

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.

MY HOLY QUEEN

O Lady of Love,

   my holy queen,

Your lively faith

   by all is seen;

Point me to the

   light of your Son,

He is my king,

   the Holy One.

MY DAILY BREAD

“Better a dry crust in peace…”

-- Proverbs 17:1

I thank you, Jesus,

For my daily bread,

And I especially thank you

For my daily sweetbread,

But help me, O Lord,

That I may learn to 

Surrender and accept –

Not whine and complain –

When you give me my 

Daily dry crust instead.

PRAYER AFTER READING SACRED SCRIPTURE

“Be doers of the word and not hearers only…” (James 1:22)

Dearest Jesus,

By the power of the Holy Spirit,

I resolve today to ___________,

For the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

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.

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. JOHN PAUL I

You were the smiling pope,

And I remember that I liked that,

I was just starting college,

Making a fresh new start

To my young immature life,

You gave me hope,

Hope that my faith could be

More alive, more meaningful,

But after only 33 days,

You suddenly departed

For our Heavenly Homeland,

Yet your papacy was significant,

Like the ornate prologue to

A magnificent epic poem,

Your papacy prepared us

For the saintly Polish pope

Who would follow you

In your warm welcoming ways.

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.

ABOVE THE CLOUDS

The depressing rain falls,

As the sky weeps sorrowfully,

And the heavy humidity

Horribly weighs me down,

For I am imprisoned in the

Dark gloom, with seemingly

No way out, and yet,

Sweet Madonnina d’Amore,

You smile upon me and are

Silently with me as I carry

My daily crosses, and so

You patiently remind me,

Over and over and over,

To fix my trusting gaze on

The Passion of your Sun,

For above the clouds

The sky is always blue, and

The weary world is warmed

By the Living Light of Love.

I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU

Almost all

Had abandoned

My sweet Son

As He hung on 

The cross,

But during His 

Sorrowful Passion,

I was with Him,

To the end.

Dearest one,

When you feel

Lost, hanging on

Your little crosses,

Have no fear,

For I am there,

I am always with you,

Always, always, 

To the end.

OUR LADY'S LASSO

I start the day with you,

Close by my side,

My hand caressing 

The pearl-white rosary

Like your soft gentle fingers,

But too soon I walk away

And foolishly forget you,

So you throw the beads of

Your holy lasso around me,

Lovingly, and oh so gently

Draw me back to your side,

To live the holy mysteries

Together, in awe and wonder.