MIRROR OF JUSTICE

Heavenly Queen, just as God’s flaming

  Fire blazed in the bush on Mt. Horeb;

So the Spirit gloriously glows like a candle

  Inside you 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 Morningstar.

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.

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,

  Lovingly caring 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 see 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.

AVE MARIA

She gently rocks me,    

back and forth,     

in her slender arms,    

since I’m a little babe    

who can’t find Jesus    

alone, without her;    

she lovingly caresses    

and warms me in the

cold dark night,     

and her smiling eyes    

twinkle in the Light;    

her soft rosy lips        

sweetly kiss me    

as she leads me    

faithfully and joyfully

to her merciful Son,    

the Bread of Life.

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.

LECTIO DIVINA: TO JESUS THROUGH MARY

My guardian angel takes me by the

Hand and leads me up into the

Celestial blue sky of my imagination…

I hear the dulcet voice of Our Lady

Reading me the Scriptures of the day,

And the Word comes alive for me

As the magnificence and beauty 

Of Divine Wisdom refreshes my 

Soul -- then my sweet Mother takes me

By the hand, and we spiral upwards,

Listening to the very same Word -- 

But now from a Trinitarian perspective:

I hear the gentle thunder of the 

Heavenly Father’s voice give me

Renewed strength and courage,

I hear the Divine Dove’s voice which

Breathes new life into my spirit and

Gives me holy zeal for the mission,

I hear the Good Shepherd’s humble

Soothing voice, and the Son Light

Shines in mystical brilliance in my 

Happy heart as He teaches me how

To find the Way to the Truth in the Life.

OUR LADY, THE QUEEN OF ALL HEARTS

She climbed aboard the world’s carousel,

  Cuz everyone said it was cool;

She then speedily spun around and around,

  But she really just played the fool.

Before she knew what true love was,

  She thought she had found the one;

So she fell -- in love -- and broke her heart,

  Cuz all she really wanted was fun.

You patiently dressed her painful wounds,

  Pouring New Wine into her heart;

Then you gently kissed her sobbing soul,

  Making whole what was ripped apart.

St. Louis de Montfort showed her a shortcut

  That ever so quickly led to your Son;

Only then did she finally learn about love,

  Only then did she discover The One.

OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

When I squeezed the rosary with my

  Tense fingers, my soul was bone dry;

I prayed too fast, as if trying to speed

  Through Death Valley at high noon.

I pitched my prayers with fear, and they

  Wildly eluded the spiritual strike zone;

It was as though they were frantically

  Fired from a rickety machine gun.

Then you taught me how to pray, Madonnina,

  More slowly, and more meaningfully;

I peacefully sprinkled the rosary throughout

  The morning, watering my soul’s garden.

I threw sizzling strikes with love, which you

  Crisply caught and brought to Jesus;

As God’s holy warrior, Padre Pio spoke the

  Truth: “Lord, give me my weapon.”

THE LITTLE CANDLE IN THE DARK NIGHT

The poetic corner of the public square

  Has grown exceedingly dark and dreary,

And the fetid fog of moral relativism

  Has made this place rather eerie,

The dingy marketplace of worldly poetry

  Weighs us down and makes us weary.

But Our Lady ignites her little candle,

  To make bright this deep dark night,

At last, beautiful sweet poetry comes to us,

  That is right in God’s glorious sight,

The candle’s flame is a spearing sword,

  Ready to fight for the one true Light.

THE HOLY ROSARY OF THE MORNING STAR

I very slowly awaken,

Still groggy from sleep,

And I feel the black enemy

Wielding his cutlass of terror,

A weapon of worry and woe,

Ready to strike me down,

But before he reaches me,

I look to wise St. Joseph,

Who gives me Our Lady’s lasso,

The Most Holy Rosary

Of the Morning Star,

A superior weapon for 

Engaging in spiritual combat:

I pray it slowly, and meaningfully,

Praying a delicious decade

Each hour throughout the morning,

Meditating on the holy mysteries,

Relishing the sweet taste of Love,

Allowing Our Lady to scatter

God’s blessings like holy seeds

Wherever she wills, for she knows

Much better than I do how to please

The Lord of Divine Mercy;

But when the enemy sneaks up

And tries to mortally wound me,

I immediately grab my weapon,

And I squeeze the strong little beads

Like a Jedi does a light saber,

And my sincere, intense prayers,

Like an angel’s trumpet blast,

Reach the ears of Almighty God,

Who with legions of angels

Comes to rescue and save me.

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.

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 to die slowly 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 Spirit

Blows in the breeze

And soars through

My soul.