MARIAN PRAYER OF OFFERING FOR A PLENARY INDULGENCE

O Lord of Love,

Through your holy grace,

I have wholehearted contrition,

And am free from all affection for sin,

And so, with a sincere heart,

I offer you this Our Father

And also this Hail Mary,

For the Holy Father’s intentions…

And along with these prayers,

Please accept my recent confession,

And this morning’s indulgenced work, 

And reception of Holy Communion.

In short, I humbly request that 

Through the sweet hands of

Our Lady of Love,

You accept the little gift of

This plenary indulgence,

Offered for the benefit of _____.

Amen.

SACRED ART

Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi & St. John Paul II

Our Heavenly Father is the

Divine Artist, who paints

On the canvas of our souls, 

When we surrender to Him,

He very gently and delicately dips

The brush of the Spirit into 

The palette of the virtues,

And He colors our lives with Love;

God is beauty, and when we

Smudge our painting with the

Charcoal pencils of our sins,

He covers our faults with

His beauty – if we’re patient,

He refines and perfects us,

Making us a masterpiece.

THE AGONY OF UNREQUITED LOVE

I love you, I love you

so very much,

more than you

can possibly imagine,

yet you carelessly

turn your back on me

and you ignore me,

living your busy life

as if I never existed;

now I kneel here

in this olive garden,

with my warm hands

clasped tightly together,

so deeply and so greatly

in love with you,

and my heart is breaking

because I want to share

my life with you,

my heart is nearly broken 

because I love you,

and I painfully weep

hot tears for you,

and my sweat turns into

drops of blood --

all because of you.

BE STILL, and know that he is god

In silence,

I long to hear

God’s Word,

And feel

God’s presence;

So when worry wails,

When anxiety assails,

I remember that God

Smiles upon us,

Compassionately,

And holds the world

Like a precious pearl

In His holy hands.

SILENT NIGHT: AN ANGEL'S PERSPECTIVE

Here we find the epicenter of the holy earthquake

that destroys the sin of the centuries.

In jubilation, I swiftly and silently cruise through

the cool, crisp air on this holiest of holy nights,

Up above, high in the heavens, is the star of all stars,

powerfully pulsating with bursts of joy;

Below, in the countryside, the shepherds’ fires

crackle with contentment near Bethlehem,

For the Christ child, the Prince of Peace, has been

born in a lowly little stable in the city of David.

I am flanked by a merry multitude of fellow angels,

as we prepare for our descent into little Bethlehem,

From the cloud tops we cascade downward towards

the manger, like a waterfall of invisible light;

The shuffling shepherds who were so startled to

behold us now adore their newborn king on bent knees,

And the majestic magi marvel at the humility of the

Blessed Babe, the long-awaited holy Messiah.

St. Joseph thoughtfully covers the mild mother Mary,

to help heat her on this very chilly night,

The joyful Virgin warmly welcomes little Jesus,

covering Him with her tender kisses and caresses;

Blissful baby Jesus beams a bright smile, covering all

present with His most peaceful benevolence,

And we angels swirl and dance, and exultantly sing

and rejoice and praise the glory of the good God.

The holy family will live in the dark night of the unseen,

centered in the Light of Limitless Love.

SPIRALING THROUGH THE FOUR SEASONS

Spiritual springtime blooms

With God’s sweet consolations,

As the holy breeze of the Spirit

Caresses our vine branches.

Spiritual summertime ripens with

The delicious fruit of the Spirit,

Bringing to our hungry world

God’s immeasurable love.

Spiritual autumn is a time to

Fall, on our knees in humility,

Understanding that death --

And resurrection -- are nearer.

Spiritual winter brings blessings,

Snowflakes both red and white,

Nourishing our needy souls with

Divine Mercy in the dark night.

Then, behold, the resurrection,

As spiritual springtime returns --

Yet sweeter -- and each year we

Spiral higher up towards Heaven.

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 why?

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 UNION WITH THE DIVINE MERCY

My soul surrenders to

The Spirit’s tender embrace,

And Love sweetly surges

Through my being with the

Warm wine of holiness;

With indescribable delight

My humbled heart

Bursts with heavenly joy,   

Burning with passion for

The Crucified Christ,

Yearning for union with

The Divine Mercy.

O MOST PRECIOUS SACRED HEART

O most precious Sacred Heart, 

Pierced by Longinus’ Roman dart;

Your blood flows through all the land,

Quenching our thirst in the desert sand;

Divine Mercy’s sweet love conquers all,

No matter how many times we fall;

Your heart can help the blind to see,

Even a sinful soul like me.

FAITH IN THE DARK NIGHT

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!”

AN ECLIPSE OF THE SON

Very few know the Dark Night,

Like St. John of the Cross,

But more of us may experience

An Eclipse of the Son:

For a short period of time

We don’t see Him,

We don’t hear Him,

We don’t feel Him,

But in the dark sky

The dazzling corona of

Pure Light reminds us

That Jesus is silently there,

Wearing His crown of glory,

Yet in a twinkle of time

It is over and He is waiting

To embrace us with the

Sweetness of divine mercy --

I patiently trusted, clinging

To the hope of the Resurrection,

And soon my blind eyes were

Opened once again by the

Brilliant Light of Love.

DIVINE MERCY IN THE DARK NIGHT OF UNKNOWING

It’s early morning and

the crafty enemy

crouches and waits,

like a hungry lion ready

to devour my world,

with worthless worries;

in the neutral zone,

transitioning out of sleep,

I lie in bed with my eyes closed,

and my mind gradually

awakens into the

nebulous fog

of fear.

My day begins

in the dark night of unknowing.

The enemy tries to strangle me

with multitudinous doubts:

about time,

about interruptions,

about irate people,

about conflicts,

about coertion,

about expectations,

about performance,

about success,

about reputation,

about ability,

about sales,

about money,

about choices,

about decisions,

about relationships,

about rejection,

about knowledge,

about honesty,

about truth.

The fog of failure threatens

in the dark night of unknowing.

With my eyes still closed,

still in the neutral zone,

I am in the darkness;

but the Light is there,

though my mind’s eye

cannot yet see it,

so I reach out in faith and

place myself in the presence

of the good God,

then I invoke the Holy Spirit,

and in my mind

I sing a hymn of praise;

suddenly, through the cloudy mist

like a distant diamond

I see the sparkling of the

Morning Star.

The Light twinkles

in the dark night of unknowing.

Our Lady sweetly

and gently

draws near to me,

in a tunnel of dazzling

Son-shine;

she warmly smiles at me

with her angelic aquamarine eyes,

and her soft hair

and her majestic mantle

blow in the balmy breeze

of the Spirit;

and she lovingly clasps

her own warm hands

around mine,

and then tenderly

embraces me,

with the limitless love

of the Lord.

The Light shines

In the dark night of unknowing.

Next she places a radiant

little candle

in my right hand,

and points to her only Sun,

Christ the Courageous;

she sweetly whispers to me,

and then, together,

we humbly kneel down

and offer prayers

of complete surrender

to Our Lord and King --

the flame of my little candle

dances with delight.

The Light bursts forth with

merciful rays of red and white

in the dark night of unknowing.

Then the fog of fear evaporates

and my heart leaps

with confident joy.

The dark night of unknowing

has been triumphantly

transformed into

the bright light where

God’s love is flowing:

Jesus, I trust in You!

THE IMMACULATE RECEPTION

With murderous

Menacing eyes,

Blitzing linebackers

Aggressively attack

The line of scrimmage

With their worldly temptations,

And threaten to tackle me hard

And intercept my attempts 

To remain in Jesus’ love,

So I quickly step back

Into the crumbling pocket,

And though distracted

By the waving arms

Of the wild intruders,

I am filled with the Spirit,

I joyfully sing to the Lord,

I give thanks to Him always,

I pray, hope, and don’t worry,

I am courageous and not afraid,

I do whatever He tells me,

I come to Him and I am refreshed,

I am filled with patience and wisdom,

I have the divine sense of humor,

I have true joy in the dark night,

I fix my gaze on the Passion,

And I have great trust in Divine Mercy;

So I throw a prayer of love

With all my might

High into the Heavens,

Confident that Our Lady will

Snatch it from all the defenders,

Which she always does;

She leaps ever so high into the air,

Like the most elegant ballerina,

Making the Immaculate Reception,

Then she flies like an angel

Down the sideline and 

Kneels in the end zone,

Bringing my heartfelt prayer

Before our Lord and King.

Touchdown.

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 other amusements;

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.

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 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 a 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.

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 papal 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 as the ball soars high over the wall,

   the angels playfully dance around it.

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.    

After going to confession,        

I devoutly pray Lectio Divina          

for thirty minutes, and then,

free from all affection for sin,

I say an Our Father and Hail Mary

for the Holy Father’s intentions:        

thus, 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, during the Offertory

at Holy Mass, I offer up the

intention for a plenary indulgence —

for a specific individual, or for

whomever Our Lady chooses:

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, I receive Holy Communion

and, in a total gift of self, I devoutly

seek union with Our Lord and King:        

and so, 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 happy soul        

speeds across the dark sky

like the brightest of stars,         

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.

THE STARTING PITCHER IN THE DARK NIGHT

San Padre Pio: “Lord, give me my weapon.”

When I squeezed the rosary beads with

My tense fingers, my soul was bone dry;

I pitched too fast, in a hurry to get the

Game over with as soon as possible.

I pitched my prayers with fear, and they

Wildly eluded the spiritual strike zone;

I needed you, Madonnina, to teach me how to

Pray the Holy Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet.

You taught me to pray more passionately,

Through the loving power of the Holy Spirit:

Sweet spiraling curveballs in holy meditation,

Swift sparkling fastballs in holy contemplation.

So I’m learning to pitch my prayers with

Sincere love, for all nine innings,

And you, my darling catcher, faithfully

Bring my prayers to The Divine Mercy.

TEMPORAL POVERTY

Problems weigh me down,

Much like Jacob Marley’s

Prodigious iron chains;

And being temporally poor,

I am nearly bankrupt of the

Precious gift of time;

So what am I to do?

Is there any hope of escape?

Can I ever really be free?

Yes, but I must fix my gaze on

The Passion — with patience! —

For in this way I will be victorious;

I must surrender my time to Him,

I must lay the gift of my time

At the feet of Baby Jesus, and

Wait -- wait for the resurrection!

For God all things are possible.

JUBILEE 2000: BEFORE MASS

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.