THE DELUGE /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by Francis Danby’s masterpiece


Far, far away,

on the stormy grey sea,

Noah’s grand wooden ark

slowly and gently bobs

up and down, up and down,

in the waves of Divine Mercy,

but as I turn to the right,

my heart stops when I see

dark cascades of rain all around,

pouring madly out of the turbulent

black clouds like cool liquid lava.


I stand atop what was once a tall

mountain, surrounded by the

devastating deluge and flood,

and clusters of screeching

men and women encircle me,

clinging like crabs to the wet rocks,

but many have already fallen

into the swirling sea below and

clutch desperately to the feeble

branches of submerged oak trees,

hoping the tempest will cease.


Only hours later, I’m the only

survivor, but I won’t last much

longer since the water is up to my

waist, and it is more and more

difficult to maintain my hold of the

wet boulder I’ve been sitting on all

day, and as I hopelessly look

around, I only see grey water and

black skies, and the relentless rain

that brings with it God’s justice.

THE ANIMALS ENTERING NOAH'S ARK /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by Jacopo Bassano’s masterpiece

Old Noah and his family,

shunned and mocked by

their know-it-all neighbors,

diligently gather the animals

into the cozy confines of

the grand wooden ark;

when all are on board and

they lock up the vessel,

from very high in the sky

a peaceful dove looks down and

the ark looks like a giant oyster,

protecting its treasure from

the swiftly advancing storm.

THROWAWAYS /  by Joe Castorino

A poem inspired by Pope Francis

The greatest generation:

Now they are the

Elder statesmen

And elder stateswomen

Of our beloved country;

So why do we so often

Toss remembrance of them

Out of the car windows

Of our busy minds,

Like empty aluminum cans,

Into the neglected gutters

Of life’s forgotten highways?

Do we love them?

Or do we use them?

ADAM AND EVE /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by Tiziano Vecellio’s masterpiece



As the serpent seductively

smiles at Adam and Eve,

their teeth tear the flesh

of the juicy fruit -- and, oh!

the intense sweetness

and overwhelming delight!

but very suddenly they

shudder and convulse

in their deadly disobedience,

as their souls are poisoned

by the black sugar of sin.

THE GARDEN OF EDEN /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by Thomas Cole’s masterpiece

Adam and Eve gratefully gaze

in awe and wonder at the

beauty of God’s holy creation;

beyond the sublime peace

of the verdant meadow and

the fresh tropical fruit trees

that lovingly embrace it,

a whispering waterfall sparkles

like aquamarine crystal in

the warm welcoming sun

and gracefully pours into

the pristine lake below;

rising majestically behind it

is a towering mountain of rock

that stands in stately grandeur,

piercing the serene blue sky,

joyfully pointing to the realm

of the Heavenly Homeland.

THE CREATION OF ADAM /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by Michelangelo’s masterpiece

The Father of Freedom reaches

across the atmosphere,

accompanied by His angels

which are clustered closely

in the blessed bouquet

of His bountiful love;

Adam marvels at the amazing

generosity of the good God,

grateful for the gift of life,

and his eyes fill with tears

as he beholds the beauty of

the Compassionate Creator.

JUBILEE 2000: BEFORE MASS /  by Joe Castorino

As I serenely sit in front of St. Peter’s

  Basilica, I soak in the beauty of the piazza,

I look about my peaceful surroundings,

  Drinking in the delicious glory of God;

Clusters of clouds casually waft by, so low

  That they almost brush the top of the dome,

They pass by like eager pilgrims, Eucharistic

  White against the bright blue sky.

 

Fresh flowers flow down on the white steps in front

  Of the altar, like a colorful cascading waterfall,

I inhale the perfume of their sweet scent,

  And I breathe in the Lord’s love;

The elegant church bells powerfully and

  Rhythmically ring out God’s grandeur,

While the balmy breeze swirls around me

  And compassionately caresses me.

JUBILEE 2000: ST. PETER'S BASILICA /  by Joe Castorino

Reflecting on God’s grandeur, I marvel

  At the beauty that surrounds me,

The statue of the Pietà vibrantly reflects

  The sweet sublimity of God’s mercy;

The nave floats in the swirling, variegated,

  Multi-colored waves of a marble ocean,

And massive pillars of magnificent marble

  Stand at attention like the Swiss Guards.

 

As the doors silently open, the Holy Father’s

  Vehicle slowly rolls down the aisle,

And in rushes a breeze of heavenly hope

  That placidly fills the sails of our souls;

I stand on my chair and see the saint whose

  Faith defeated the dreary dark night,

As he kisses a babe, love ripples through

  The crowd and rhymes in our hearts.

JUBILEE 2000: THE PIETÀ /  by Joe Castorino

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 /  by Joe Castorino

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 /  by Joe Castorino

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, The 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 The Saint

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,

and thus, he is wondrously saved by

The Blood of the The Lamb.

PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR /  by Joe Castorino

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!

A DIVINE MERCY PRAYER AFTER HOLY COMMUNION /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by St. Faustina & St. John Paul II

Holy God,

Holy Mighty One,

Holy Immortal One,

Please bless us, O Lord,

And save us, and give us the

Gifts we most need from you today:

I pray for myself, and I pray for my family,

I pray for my faith community, and I pray for the world.

Jesus, I trust in You!

PRAYER IN THE DARK NIGHT /  by Joe Castorino

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.

TO ST. JAMES THE JUST /  by Joe Castorino

You were the first bishop of Jerusalem,

  And were known as James the Just,

As Jesus’ cousin and St. Jude’s brother,

  People knew that you they could trust;

Your knees thickened like a camel’s,

  From all your time kneeling in prayer,

You had a long beard and lots of hair,

  And you always treated people fair.

 

The Jewish leaders failed with St. Paul,

  So they turned their ire towards you,

Their raging revenge was out of control,

  And their delirious desire grew;

They wanted to crush the New Way,

  So they pursued you like angry apes,

Christians were sprouting up everywhere,

  Like vineyards full of plenteous grapes.

 

You bravely refused to reject the Christ,

  So they threw you from the temple’s pinnacle,

Their grotesque expressions were ghastly,

  As they chose to be stubbornly cynical;

Then they hurled jagged stones at you,

  And with a mallet broke your bones,

But you uttered prayers for your attackers,

  In between your painful groans.

FAITH IN THE DARK NIGHT /  by Joe Castorino

In the deep dark night,

The swirling black sky

Of sadness and despair

Seems never ending,

And the wild winds 

Of worry and woe

Scream in pain,

But the Morning Star,

A beacon of hope,

Sweetly rises in my soul,

Whispering the truth

With its happy light:

“Have faith, my child. 

The darkness will not last.

The Divine Mercy is near.

So be patient and trust Him,

For the Son always rises!”

HEALED BY DIVINE MERCY /  by Joe Castorino

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.

A POEM TO COMMEMORATE THE JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY /  by Joe Castorino

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.