I turn around and before me you stand,
one whose robe is dazzlingly white,
As you speak my name and say “Mary,”
you forever shatter my deep dark night;
With great love, you bestow your peace upon me,
through your wonderfully warm brown eyes,
Your merciful smile cheers my heart,
so that my soul can most sweetly arise;
In the joyful breeze of the Holy Spirit,
your flowing hair very gently swirls,
In my heart I totally surrender to you,
and for you this is a treasure of pearls.
In a shadow of deep darkness, the Light
of the world hangs crooked on the cross,
A jagged crown of razor-thin thorns is
thrust maliciously into His throbbing head;
Bright-red blood and the fickle crowd’s
sour spittle trickle into His stinging eyes,
He licks His cracked lips, and He tastes
the bold bitter flavor of blood.
The Roman soldiers’ wild whips tore
and radically ripped Jesus’ holy flesh,
And now the sticky crusted wounds cling
to the weatherbeaten wood and ooze;
Knife-like nails puncture His hands and feet,
and make them look like cored apples,
His shoulders slump down, crushed under
the weight of every sin in human history.
The soldiers hellishly hammered the nails
into Jesus’ flesh, as if He were an animal,
Indescribable pain blasted through the
bones of His body like dynamite;
He now surrenders His body, mind, soul,
and spirit to the will of His Father,
He lovingly practices what He preached,
and He prays for His persecutors.
Jesus is high up, as if atop an isolated
island, surrounded by a sea of hate,
A cacophonous chorus of insults assails
His ears, and the smell of sin is in the air;
His mother, living in the dark night of
unknowing, silently waits and watches,
She kneels in total surrender, while a
sword of sorrow slashes her heavy heart.
In the afternoon, Golgotha is enveloped
in a mysterious murky darkness,
Then, when Jesus dies, the earth quakes
in violent anger at the murder of its Creator;
Rumbling and roaring, buildings catastrophically
crash and crumble to the ground,
The terrifying temblor forces the sanctuary’s
curtain to explosively burst apart.
That mysterious murky darkness remains
in the hearts of Jesus’ faithful followers,
Their entire worlds are seriously shaken,
and they are stunned and stupefied;
But on the third day, the nebulous fog
of uncertainty will finally dissolve,
On the third day, a heavenly ray of Light
will come, far brighter than the sun.
A Divine Mercy Prayer
All-powerful, most holy, most high, and
Supreme God, I am so sorry for hurting you:
I impudently spat upon your sorrowful face,
I violently scourged your most blessed body,
I scornfully crowned your holy head with thorns,
I savagely kicked you as you fell with the cross,
I cruelly crucified your flesh with stinging nails;
In short, I have bitterly tortured you
With every single one of my sins against you.
I despise and abhor all my many sins,
Including any I have withheld from you in the past —
Mortal sins or venial —
Or never confessed honestly,
Or forgot about;
And I accuse myself
Of being guilty of high treason
Against your Divine Majesty,
Deserving to be executed — and exiled —
Because my sins offend you, Lord God,
Who are all good, supremely good,
Totally good, who alone are good.
You deserve only my heartfelt love
And blind obedience to your holy will.
Therefore, I hereby make this declaration and resolution:
I am absolutely and utterly determined,
Through your sweet holy graces
And your unfathomable Divine Mercy,
To be your humble and obedient slave,
Through Mary, the Queen of All Hearts,
And to be your faithful servant
Who with promptitude runs away
From the false enticements of all sin,
And the empty allure of all temptation.
Instead, I completely surrender myself
Into your warm embrace
And with a heart bountifully overflowing
With sincere thanksgiving
For your magnificent mercy,
I receive your loving kiss of peace.
Amen.
Jesus, Lord of Divine Mercy,
I pray for the fruit of the Spirit —
Love, joy, peace,
Patience, kindness, generosity,
Faithfulness, gentleness, self-control —
For myself, for my family,
For my community, for the world.
Madonnina d’Amore, pray for us.
St. Joseph the Worker, pray for us.
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
Holy Guardian Angels, pray for us.
St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.
St. Clare of Assisi, pray for us.
St. Bernadette of Lourdes, pray for us.
Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, pray for us.
St. Mother Teresa, pray for us.
St. John Paul II, pray for us.
Jesus, Lord of Love,
Thank you for these precious gifts.
In the deep dark night,
Let my little candle shine bright
In your magnificent Light.
Amen.
Whoever says he is in the light,
Yet hates his brother or sister,
Is still in the darkness --
But beware The Twilight,
Neither fully in the light
Nor fully in the darkness,
The Land of the Lukewarm,
Like the Laodiceans of old,
Who are neither hot nor cold,
Who will be spit out like
Salt that has lost its flavor,
Like vines that have no fruit,
They will be thrown out
And they will wither,
Ever so slowly wither,
Into the black earth.
Song Titles on a Vinyl Record Album
Side One
1. “Happily Playing with Tiny Toy Boats”
2. “The Prodigal Young Man Sows His Wild Oats”
3. “He’s a Showoff and Loves to Brag”
4. “But Work is So Stressful and Life is a Drag”
Side Two
1. “Retirement Doesn’t Bring Any Hope”
2. “Health Suddenly Fails and He Cannot Cope”
3. “The Quicksand of Loneliness and Deep Sighs”
4. “What Can Give Life Meaning before He Dies?”
Cause of Our Joy, together with you I bless
And praise the great glory of the good God;
Direct my steps toward the Heavenly Homeland,
And please give me the sweet honey of humility.
In danger and doubt, I seek your sincere face,
Take me by the hand and lead me again to safety;
You swiftly and cleverly lead me out of the wicked
Woods of temptation and onto the plateau of peace.
Draw me into the life-giving light of your Savior-Sun,
And pray that I enter fully into His limitless love;
Teach me to surrender, to surrender myself to Him,
To surrender totally, completely, and joyfully.
Plead with the Lord that I be purified from affection
For the useless and dangerous things in my life;
Help me to recognize the evil one’s subtle yet
Savage plans to maliciously murder my soul.
Holy Mother of God, do not ever forget us --
Fight for your spiritual family on Earth;
Lead us, your Son’s simple sheep, away from
The tangled twisted webs of tribulation.
The evil enemy, like a boa constrictor,
Tries to squeeze us with stress;
Do not let the devil deceive us with the
Empty, plastic promises of pride.
May all the evil one’s threats be pulverized
By the protective power of Christ’s cross;
You gaze in wonder at God’s glorious
Plan, and your merciful eyes are upon us.
Pray to Our Father in Heaven, and ask Him
To show us the excellence of devotion;
Request that He send choirs of amiable angels
To aid us in finding the path of purity.
Holy Santa Maria, sweetest guide, save me
By leading me to your Son’s lasting love;
You are the fountain of Christ’s clemency,
Freshly flowing with living water.
You swiftly circle the great globe of Earth,
Eager to show us the easier road to Heaven;
You lead us on the peaceful path to Beauty,
On a way that is lit by your most holy Sun.
Riding on the white charger of chastity,
You protect us with the lance of justice;
Warmed by the Sun’s splendid rays, your
Soul is surrounded by the halo of truth.
Pray wholeheartedly to His Divine Majesty,
And ask that He bestow on us holy devotion;
May the good God grace us with the grand
Gifts and fervent fire of the Holy Spirit.
When we sin, we trust Seduction’s black
Promise, biting into its crunchy red lie;
The fruit’s flesh is sugary sweet, but
Inside slither the worms of wickedness.
After taking the bite, we shudder in guilt,
Dropping the poison apple in fear;
Suddenly our souls are sick at heart, for
Like little Peters we have denied Jesus.
Lady of Love, ask the Lord to show us mercy,
For we admit that we’re just stupid people;
Quickly come to our aid, Morning Star,
That the Light of lights will save us.
Help us make quality time for daily prayer,
And to prioritize this in our everyday lives;
We need to know the necessity of prayer,
For through it we touch the finger of God.
Lovely Lady, protect me from my enemies,
Who hide in the darkest of shadows;
With the explosive grenades of gossip
They seek to kill my reputation.
Yet I rejoice that you will cheerfully guide
Me to the happy hills of Heaven;
I look forward to embracing you there,
Surrounded by goodness and sweetness.
I salute you with joy, most noble Virgin,
You who point me towards the Light;
As the princess of patience and prudence,
You smile as you lead me home.
Pray that my heart will be purged forever,
Cleansed from all evil inclinations;
Help me to recognize the Teacher of Truth,
Help me to recognize the Lord of Love.
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 the hopeful sails of our devout faith,
As we bravely 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.
Mother Most Admirable, the evil one
Tries to run me off the Cliff of Confusion;
This beastly brute tries to bully me and
Push me down into the dreadful abyss.
He’s a miserable wild-eyed monster who
Whispers nothing but worthless wickedness;
He relentlessly ridicules me, spitting
Upon me with the dirty drool of his lies.
Pray that my soul may melt in the majestic
Mercy of the Father of Forgiveness;
In His name, take up the sword of truth
So the evil one will flee in total terror.
Teach me always to appreciate the
Good God’s innumerable gifts to me;
Help me to remember and relish all the
Blessings that I so foolishly take for granted.
Cause of Our Joy, together with you I bless
And praise the great glory of the good God;
Direct my steps toward the Heavenly Homeland,
And please give me the sweet honey of humility.
In danger and doubt, I seek your sincere face,
Take me by the hand and lead me again to safety;
You swiftly and cleverly lead me out of the wicked
Woods of temptation and onto the plateau of peace.
Draw me into the life-giving light of your Savior-Sun,
And pray that I enter fully into His limitless love;
Teach me to surrender, to surrender myself to Him,
To surrender totally, completely, and joyfully.
Plead with the Lord that I be purified from affection
For the useless and dangerous things in my life;
Help me to recognize the evil one’s subtle yet
Savage plans to maliciously murder my soul.
Seat of Wisdom, Virgin Mary, we love you,
And we rejoice that you’re our mother;
You cuddle us in your amiable arms as
Your cherished little babes in the Spirit.
Speaking through the dear apostle John,
Jesus commanded us all to revere you;
Your humble happy obedience to God’s plan
Inspires us to imitate your praiseworthy virtue.
Give us to eat of the fresh fruit of holy faith,
Which solidly strengthens our confidence;
Give us to drink of His luscious living water,
Which surges through and sweetens our soul.
Pray that we be purified from affection for
Even the smallest and slightest venial sins;
Shed upon us the radiant rays of your prudence,
Enlighten us when we read the Word’s words.
Mirror of Justice, I am bountifully blessed
In your precious and beloved company;
You honor me with your sweet presence,
And I thank God for His magnificent mercy.
Through your priceless prayers, you pour
Living water into my undeserving soul;
My heart feels like it will explode and burst
With the inexpressible joy of the Holy Spirit.
The evil one blinded me with pretty distractions
For so many years, and I never appreciated you;
But now, following your example of holy simplicity,
My life ever so beautifully flowers and blooms.
O Treasured Gift of the Light, your exquisite
Comeliness sweeps over my soul like a wave;
Cleanse me of all desire to sin, take your hand
In mine, and peacefully lead me to Paradise.
Virgin Most Faithful, embrace us tenderly
And lovingly with God’s manifold graces;
Be our compassionate consolation and
Powerful protection in times of stress.
We weep with the tears and sobs of sorrow,
Yet you draw back the drapes of the tempest;
Then we see the most dazzling Son-shine
And it profoundly pierces our soul with agape.
Your holy hand gently clasps our own and
You show us the shortcut to His Sacred Heart;
Like a trusted guide you safely lead us away
From the near occasion of sin's seduction.
Queen of our hearts, pray that we may make
A firm resolution to serve God once more;
No matter how many times we fail and fall,
Point us towards our happy heavenly home.
Virgin Most Merciful, I humbly kneel before
You, who are truly the Queen of my Heart;
Slam shut the horrifying, hideous gates of hell,
And deliver me from the dangerous enemy.
When the raging rivers of tribulation surround me,
I seek your calm in the chapel of my heart;
Then when I remember your peaceful presence,
The Light pierces the darkness in my soul.
The saints sublimely sing to the conquering King
And my soul sweetly revels in pure jubilation;
Your holy prayers are my perpetual consolation,
And the Sun’s warmth wonderfully comforts me.
O lovely Lady, teach me the value of making a
Wholehearted general confession to Our Lord;
I wish to make a fresh start in this new year,
To live in Christmas joy every day of my life.
Virgin Most Venerable, may your cheerful
Countenance light up our lives with joy;
Let your graceful serenity bring calm to the
Anxiety of our tangled, troubled minds.
Pray that we may humbly raise our heads
To our most holy Heavenly Father;
Encourage us, Dear Lady, that we may come
To His Royal Majesty in complete confidence.
Your breathtaking beauty and sweet soul
Inspire us to pursue innocent purity;
Open wide your arms to embrace us with
God’s grand and glorious graces.
Teach us to follow the path that leads to
The pristine waterfalls of Paradise;
The immaculate incense of your prayers
Pleasantly perfumes God’s grandiose throne.
Mother of Our Savior, protect us from
The clever plots of political putrefaction;
The disfigured face of evil is pasted over
By the pretty mask of political correctness.
Please pray to our beloved Jesus for us,
That goodness may reign in our land again;
May Christ refresh us with the cool water
Of integrity in this dreary desert of doom.
Let not our adversaries tackle us with
The blind-side blitz of deception;
Help us sprint into the end zone of truth
With the power sweep of wisdom.
Guide those whom we elect to serve us,
That their actions may please God;
Remind them of Judgment Day, that
They may courageously choose life.