JUBILEE 2000: THE PIETÀ

Inspired by Michelangelo’s masterpiece

As I look up at the statue, I see Santa Maria,

  as white as virgin milk, holding her Jesus;

She is the elegant embodiment of humble

  Obedience and selfless compassion.

The Savior lay in the stately surrender of

  Sacrificial love, in His mother’s majestic arms;

He is crushed, the weight of the world’s

  Woes heavy upon His wounded body.

On the surrounding walls, the magnificent

  Marble is a multicolored whirlwind;

The Holy Spirit beautifully swirls and

  Soars through it in grace-ful agape.

RANSOMED BY THE DIVINE MERCY

I really deserve to die,

for all of my sins are more

multitudinous even than the

grains of sand in the Sahara.

On my execution day, I stand

before the cross, terrified,

but then you ransom me and,

amazingly, take my place.

Your holy blood rushes in a river

of Divine Mercy from the cross,

and, behold, you miraculously

make me new, and I’m born again.

HIS SORROWFUL PASSION

Act I

The Saint remains silent,

so that The Enemy will not

aggressively grab any

of his unguarded words

and twist them

into steel-jaw traps

in order to cruelly

cripple him.

Act II

The Invader sends forth

his insidious spies,

trying to pressure The Saint

with the phantom of fear

and treacherously trick him into

thoughtlessly rushing headlong

into the Stygian swamp of sin,

but with the joy of holy laughter

The Saint scatters the darkness of doom

with the luminous light of

the divine sense of humor.

Act III

The Dark One returns yet again,

but he changes his strategy

against his valiant opponent:

this time he brings a

sinister squadron of deadly

black-hearted soldiers

to wickedly wage war

against The Saint,

but crushed under the weight

of this wooden cross,

The Saint gives The Father

a total gift of himself and

freely surrenders all in a

prayer of total abandonment --

at that very instant

he notices that the cross

is now much easier to carry,

but he doesn’t know why.

Act IV

The Malicious One is terrified

when his foul bloodshot eyes see

The Lady, Queen of All Hearts,

in dazzling and majestic beauty,

standing in stately elegance

very close to The Saint,

and with a smile on her lips

she whispers to him

a heartfelt command

of loving compassion:

“Do whatever He tells you.”

Act V

The Evil One, infuriated,

is seething in hot hatred,

but he falls back into the Black Void

when Jesus, The Lord of Love,

appears next to The Saint saying,

“Come to Me, all you who are weary,

and I will refresh you” --

with this, The Saint’s devout soul

is soothed by The Divine Mercy,

and The Saint realizes that the more

he surrenders to The Savior,

the more He takes onto Himself

the weight of The Cross,

the more he is wondrously saved by

The Blood of the The Lamb.

DIVINE MERCY PRAYER AFTER HOLY COMMUNION

Holy God,

Holy Mighty One,

Holy Immortal One,

I pray for myself,

I pray for my family,

I pray for my faith community,

I pray for the world,

Bless us, O Lord, and save us,

And give us today what we

Most need from you.

Jesus, I trust in You!

PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR

A DIVINE MERCY PRAYER

O Victorious Virgin,

In the dawn of this

Glorious new year,

Take my hand, gently,

And sweetly lead me

On the path to Truth;

Then joyfully unlock

The Gate of Heaven

Which opens wide

To the Prince of Peace,

To the King of Kindness,

To the Lord of Love;

As your Son rises

Deep in my heart,

May Divine Mercy rays

Of red and white

Shine through me

And warm the world!

Amen.

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.

TO JESUS THROUGH MARY

A DIVINE MERCY PRAYER

Dearest Mary, Queen of All Hearts,

Star of Love in the dark night,

Have mercy on us,

And on the whole world:

Pray for us!

Precious Jesus, King of the Universe,

Lord of Love and Lord of Light,

Have mercy on us,

And on the whole world:

I trust in You!

ST. MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE

You were added to the Eleven just a little bit later,

but it’s sad that you’re 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.

HEALED BY DIVINE MERCY

My intellect puffs with pride,

but as I kneel before Jesus

hanging on the cross,

I am cut by contrition

as if by a crown of thorns;

then, the blood of Divine Mercy

cleanses my corrupt soul,

and I am born again.

My hot veins boil with anger,

but as I kneel before Jesus

hanging on the cross,

I am punctured by penitence

as if by knife-like nails;

then, the water of Divine Mercy

purifies my putrid soul,

and I am born again.

My heart throbs with envy,

but as I kneel before Jesus

hanging on the cross,

I am stabbed by sorrow

as if by the soldier’s lance;

then, the light of Divine Mercy

floods my foul soul,

and I am born again.

THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN

Like Rosary beads dipped in holy water,

  Raindrops are falling from the sky,

Seventy thousand people in the roaring rain

  Who would really rather be dry;

The valley of the Cova da Iria is a black

  Blanket of umbrellas and hats,

And the drenched, dripping crowd is like

  A muddy mob of very curious cats;

Three children kneel before an outdoor altar

  As they await the promised sign,

And non-believers mockingly joke that

  The children are just tipsy with wine;

The riotous rain finally stops at noon,

  As the weather is forced to succumb,

But noon passes, and Heaven is late,

  So perhaps no miracle will come.

But then a marvelous, mystical stillness and quiet

  Come over this blessed place,

All laughter subsides and totally vanishes,

  Without even the slightest trace;

Our Lady appears to all the three children,

  Wearing garments dazzlingly white,

Her shape is graceful and delicate,

  And her clothing is brighter than light;

Her eyes are like sparkling jewels,

  And her sweet voice makes their hearts sing,

Her face is most exquisitely beautiful,

  And she is a treasure of the great King;

But after hours and hours of waiting,

  The crowd sees nothing at all,

If a Heavenly sign they don’t get,

  Then perhaps the children they’ll maul.

After speaking to the three young children,

  Our Lady casts a glance up above,

She gently points upwards to Heaven,

  With a heart filled with mercy and love;

Then Lucia quickly points at the sky,

  And tells everyone to look at the sun,

They only see a thick cloudy darkness,

  So their expectations are little or none;

But through the clouds the sun is slicing,

  And it’s spinning like a circular saw,

At this very strange and unnatural sight,

  The crowd’s nerves really feel raw;

The sun is like a gyrating sparkler,

  With sizzling sparks flitting about,

It is held by God’s invisible hand,

  He is mighty -- of this there is no doubt.

Then the fickle sun changes colors,

  And the many spectators reflect its glow,

The chamelionic sun lights up sky and land,

  Putting on an impressive show;

First the sun turns a stunning silver,

  And this is followed by a brilliant blue,

Then it turns a glorious, gleaming gold,

  Followed by a most radiant red hue;

Every so often there are stellar explosions,

  With blinding bursts of light,

The people are starting to tremble,

  And are wondering if they should take flight;

They stare at the sun for a very long time,

  Yet none of them hurt their eyes,

The whole crowd gapes in surreal wonder,

  Observing this sign in the skies.

But suddenly unbolted from the wall of clouds,

  The sun moves about in the sky,

It looks like it’s riding on a roller coaster,

  On invisible tracks way up high;

The blazing orb dances in a fiery frenzy,

  Although there’s not a lot of wind,

And glacial hearts are melting below,

  Of those who have seriously sinned;

But now, like a menacing molten meteor,

  The sun falls down towards the Earth,

Thousands of people cry out in terror,

  Not experiencing any kind of mirth;

Alarmed atheists pray Our Fathers,

  As their hearts’ flag of surrender is unfurled,

And agnostics stagger and stumble for cover,

  Fearing it’s the end of the world.

Approaching at a frightful velocity,

  The sun gradually drinks the dark sky,

As the speeding star draws ever nearer,

  The people are preparing to die;

The red giant now fills the heavens,

  And the situation is exceedingly dire,

The surface of the sun is a seething solar ocean

  Of fantastical flaming fire;

But all this time the three good children

  Have visions from the Heavenly realm,

They experience ecstatic joy and peace,

  Since the good God is at the helm;

Then, in the twinkling of an eye,

  The crowd looks up through happy tears,

They’re stunned because their nightmarish vision

  Very suddenly disappears.

Just ten minutes earlier, the spectators in the

  Cova were standing in the mire,

But now, in a flash, it is completely dry --

  Faster than anyone could ever desire;

Ten miraculous minutes…

  Have forever softened many thousands of souls,

Their lives are totally transformed,

  And they no longer seek secular goals;

October 13, 1917…

  Will be remembered throughout all of history,

Though for skeptics who read of Fatima,

  This day may always be a mystery;

Many atheists and agnostics saw a miracle

  That made them turn quite pale,

So know that this story happened,

  And it is not some silly fairy tale.

A POEM TO COMMEMORATE THE JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY

Composed during the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016

Pre-judging is a vice that we don’t like at all,

Yet doing this can become a habit into which we fall,

Let’s not be like the merciless Pharisee known as Saul.

Instead, pre-loving is what we should do the most,

Assuming the best of others should be our boast,

So we need God's grace from the Eucharistic host.

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.

UNEXPECTED JOURNEYS INTO DIVINE MERCY

To escape -- like a coward --

the stranglehold of stress,

I try my best to sidestep

inconvenient interruptions

whose menacing thunder

frightens me;

yet they lead me on a journey

to the God of surprises,

to Heaven’s horizon,

where the sun’s streaming rays

of radiant red and white are

colored by Love’s divine mercy.

DIVINE MERCY: THE PINCH HITTER IN THE DARK NIGHT

I always wanted to be a starter

and have all the glory, but,

instead, the Divine Manager is

wisely asking me to be a

good and faithful pinch hitter

in the deep Dark Night;

Our Lady explains to me

that as a pinch hitter

my priority should be

to wait for the interruptions —

to look forward to the interruptions —

because that’s one way that

I can make God first in my life;

she reminds me that

through the powerful

Prince of Patience

I will have the time

for whatever God wills --

then, when my time

finally comes, I’ll be ready:

as the opposing pitcher

fires a fastball right down

the middle of the plate,

I will steadily stride forward

with holy strength,

and with a swing that is

smooth and confident,

yet filled with humility,

I will line a single to center field;

I will look at Our Lady,

who will be cheering me on

from the dugout and

as I stand on first base,

I will cheerfully smile at her,

and my heart will be rhyming

to the rhythm of the Spirit.

DIVINE MERCY: THE CLOSER IN THE DARK NIGHT

My Merciful Manager

hands me the ball,

and I take the mound     

in the ninth inning   

since our team is    

ahead by one run.    

I go to confession and then        

devoutly pray Lectio Divina,        

reflecting upon Sacred Scripture        

for at least thirty minutes,        

and I pitch a supersonic fastball

that crisply crackles in my

All-Star catcher’s glove --     

the first hitter strikes out,

with an aggressive         

swing and a miss.

Next, I receive Holy Communion,        

and I swiftly snap off a    

knee-buckling curveball --    

the second hitter in the lineup        

strikes out, frozen    

like a cement gargoyle        

as he watches the baseball        

bend over the strike zone.    

Finally, free from attachment

to every inclination to sin,

I pray an Our Father,        

followed by a Hail Mary,

for the Holy Father’s intentions,    

and I release a knuckleball        

that dives through the air    

like the Dove of Divine Mercy --         

the third hitter in the lineup        

strikes out, waving his bat            

helplessly, hopelessly,            

missing it by a foot.

Suddenly a bright star        

speeds across the dark sky,        

streaming red and white    

in unimaginable exhilaration,                

escaping the pains of Purgatory        

and finding the pleasures of Paradise;        

then my All-Star catcher,

the sweet Lady of Love,        

leaps into my waiting arms,        

joyfully embracing me  

with the kiss of peace,     

to celebrate yet another

heavenly save in the

Kingdom of Divine Mercy.

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 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 PRAYER AFTER HOLY COMMUNION

Inspired by St. Faustina & St. John Paul II

Holy God,

Holy Mighty One,

Holy Immortal One,

I pray for myself,

I pray for my family,

I pray for my faith community,

I pray for the world,

Bless us, O Lord, and save us,

And give us today what we

Most need from you.

Jesus, I trust in You!

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.

A FATHER'S PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH

O St. Joseph,

The humble one,

Unite your prayers

To Our Lord Jesus

With those of

The Holy Virgin,

And implore Him

To give each of us

What you gave to

Your Holy Family:

Strength to lead,

Love to inspire,

Wisdom to guide.

Amen.