MARIAN SYMPHONY NO. 9

Mother of Our Creator, do not forget me

  When sudden sickness comes upon me;

Pray that the Master will lead me out of

  This medical maze of woeful weariness.

Kindly and gently open my clenched fists

  Which constantly seek complete control;

Help me to serenely surrender to the

  Savior and wholeheartedly trust in Him.

I thirst for living water, and you bountifully

  Bring me to the fountain of grace;

My heart leaps as it sees the falling water

  Glistening like strings of liquid diamonds.

Help me to prepare daily for death, the

  Bitter bridge leading to everlasting Love;

Guide me towards the Messiah’s golden

  Light, that I may always choose life.

MARIAN SYMPHONY NO. 8

Mother of Good Counsel, teach me to

  Clearly comprehend God’s commandments;

In the storms of daily life, may the bright

  Beacon of His Word help me to choose life.

Blessed are your resplendent eyes, which

  Looked with love at the Babe of Bethlehem;

Blessed are the holy hands that compassionately

  Caressed Him in His swaddling clothes.

Assembled on the holy hills of Heaven, the

  Communion of saints rejoices in you;

In sunny splendor, the Lord of Light

  Smilingly crowns you as His wondrous one.

Pray that our frail feet may be kept far from

  The steep slope that slides down to sin;

Instead, let us find friendly comfort

  In your calm, caring countenance.

MARIAN SYMPHONY NO. 7

Mother Most Amiable, our hearts hail

  The stalwart strength of your friendship;

The soft whisper of your name is calamity

  And confusion to the odious enemy.

Our souls are consoled by your comforting

  Compassion and sincere care for us;

With the living water of the most holy Word,

  Cleanse us from the contamination of sin.

Pray that our carnal desires may drown

  In the pure, pristine ocean of God’s mercy;

Ask the Divine Captain to swiftly steer

  Our ships through the sweet seas of sanctity.

Let us never lose sight of the Lighthouse,

  Whose rays destroy the deadly darkness;

Guide us towards the Heavenly Harbor,

  The destination meant for us all.

MARIAN SYMPHONY NO. 6

Mother Undefiled, awaken me from my

  Slumber, to see the Son-shine again;

Coach me as I wrestle with the wrathful

  Enemy’s deceitful distractions.

God’s sword has cut the tangled tentacles

  Of temptation and has freed me;

Sweetly smile upon me, rejoice with me,

  And warmly welcome me home.

In my last bittersweet hour, calm me

  With your comforting countenance;

Pray that the Lord will drive away the evil

  One, lashing him with His whip of light.

With your words of wisdom, teach me to

  Appreciate God’s grand gift of creation;

Help me to grasp His goodness, that

  He has loved me from all of eternity.

MARIAN SYMPHONY NO. 5

Mother Inviolate, together with you,

  Let us offer a happy hymn of praise;

We worship the great God for blessing

  Us with the fragrance of His love.

Precious Lady, you are the most brilliant

  Star in all God’s glorious galaxies;

In your peaceful presence, we sigh

  Joyfully and contentedly.

Hoist up the flag of our devout faith,

  As we traverse the spiritual ocean;

Lead us safely through the savage storms of

  Temptation, and into the harbor of pardon.

Through your intercession, Jesus rains down

  Goodness and graces upon each of us;

Pray that He may totally cleanse sin’s

  Corrosive acid from our sullied souls.

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 ROSARY: SPIRALING IN LOVE

A Circular Poem with No Beginning and No End

             He leads me

back to you once more,

and I am awed by your

breathtaking beauty,

for you are full of gladness

and wondrous gracefulness,

with the truth shining forth

from your humble heart,

you are filled to the brim with

the sweet wine of wisdom,

your fruit is bountifully blessed,

feeding a famished world;

you tenderly take my hand

and lead me towards the Light,

for you are the morning star

that generously gave birth to the Light,

the smiling sun warms me

with radiant rays of love,

and then

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.

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.