WHO WAS JUDAS ISCARIOT?

Was he actually

humble?

Or did his pride

puff

like swollen eyelids and make him

stumble?

Was he possibly

kind?

Or did silent envy

creep

like a serpent into his

mind?

Did he patiently

wait?

Or did his simmering anger

boil

as he smelled that costly nard with

hate?

Did he have

zeal?

Or was his faith

sluggish

like at his last supper

meal?

Did he perchance

share?

Or did his fingers

clutch

the silver coins to keep in his

lair?

Did his temperance avoid every

snag?

Or was he a glutton who

gobbled

all the leftover loaves from the

bag?

Did he have self-

control?

Or did he pant and burn for

power

since killing the Romans was his

goal?

Did he ultimately

repent?

Or did his faithless soul

fall

through the noose like

cement?

BLOWING BUBBLES

I like to chew bubblegum,

I chew it until my lips are numb;

Even though it makes me cough,

It gives me a chance to show off;

I chew with a great deal of vigor,

To blow my bubbles even bigger;

My jaw churns like a runaway train,

As if I were absolutely going insane;

Then I blow a bubble ever so big,

Almost as big as the face of a pig;

Then it explodes all over my face,

And, humiliated, I am in utter disgrace;

Why do I always have to be the best?

And be such a stupid arrogant pest?

I try way too hard to seem so cool,

But I’m really, honestly, just a big fool.

MR. LECHEROUS LOVERBOY

Lecherous Loverboy is his true name,

Pornography is his heart-thumping game;

Peeking at pics of sexy Doll Tearsheet,

He meanly treats her like a hunk of white meat;

The more he looks at his sensual pets,

The more his eyes swell, and larger they gets;

Like the wooden nose of Pinocchio,

Each one of his eyeballs just grow and grow;

Loverboy’s lewd obsession never stops,

Then like a balloon each eye loudly pops;

He listens to Emotion’s lustful lies,

So that’s why Loverboy suddenly dies.

MR. HERROD WACKFORD

When a student doesn’t 

   answer him right,

He growls real loud 

   as if ready to bite;

His anger explodes 

   and his mustache curls,

And, glaring, his cold eyes 

   look like black pearls;

He treats his students 

   like runaway slaves,

Then they all get F’s -- 

   except for his faves;

Why doesn’t he show 

   heartfelt compassion?

It must be intellectually 

   out of fashion.

O DEAREST LADY OF LOURDES

As I gently finger the beads of the rosary,

  I touch your warm soft hands,

I gaze into your merciful, majestic eyes,

  And I contemplate your loveliness;

Together our precious prayers mingle,

  And rise up like sweet incense,

Its scent perfumes the halls of Heaven,

  And delights the Lord of Light.

SILENT KNIGHT, HOLY KNIGHT

St. Joseph the Silent Knight,

Holy man of common sense,

You preached the gospel,

Though often without words,

If you had the knowledge,

You answered your neighbor,

If not, then through divine wisdom

You put your hand over your mouth;

Teach me how to hold my tongue,

To follow the Spirit’s lead,

Instead of getting in trouble

By rashly running ahead of Him;

It’s pleasant to converse,

But it’s far better to be prudent.

A FATHER'S PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH

O St. Joseph, the humble one,

Unite your prayers to Our Lord Jesus

With those of the Holy Virgin,

And implore Him to give each of us

What you gave to the Holy Family:

Strength to lead,

Love to inspire,

Wisdom to guide.

Amen.

THE KNIGHT

Christmas,

The night of Christ,

The breathtaking eve when the

Babe of the Incarnation

Heroically came to save us.

St. Joseph,

The Knight of Christ,

The brave, holy man that the

Babe of the Incarnation

Trusted wholeheartedly.

THE HOLY KNIGHT

You protected the Babe of Light,

In Bethlehem’s most Holy Night.

The magi in their wise hands hold

Both sweet frankincense and gold,

But your strong courageous arms

Save Baby Jesus from all harms.

You are the knight of the Dove,

And on that Holy Night met Love.

Hellishly bloody Herod the Hater

Fears that he’s not the greater,

But you, oh most humble father,

With vainglory don’t even bother.

You protected the Babe of Light,

In Bethlehem’s most Holy Night.

TO ST. JOSEPH

Your thick, wavy brown hair happily

  Blows in the breeze of God’s will;

Your warm brown eyes twinkle with

  Contentment, crinkling as you smile.

You protect the holy Babe from Herod’s

  Hellish hands, which are dripping with blood;

In obedience, you help the Holy Family

  Evade him and elusively escape to Egypt.

As a worker, you handle the wood of

  God’s creation with gentle strength;

With industrious ingenuity, you use

  God’s good gifts to serve others.

You shatter lustful temptation with your

  Carpenter’s mallet of holy purity;

Then, as God’s valiant soldier, you slay

  Selfishness with the sword of surrender.

In your loving example, you show little Jesus

  how to be a good son to His mother;

With your humble heart, you teach Love

  How to love, and the angels are amazed.

SONG TO OUR LADY

To the tune of “Silent Worship” by George Frideric Handel

O behold Our Lady,

Who hears the church bells ringing,

Silent, she waits and listens,

Then, hears the angels singing;

And, lo, behold Our Lady,

So beautiful and fair,

Smiling in the Sonshine,

With a glory of golden hair.

She cuddled with Baby Jesus,

In a stable in Bethlehem,

The light from the little Savior

Shone brightly like a gem.

Surely you love Our Lady,

Who joins the angels singing,

Deep in His heart of mercy,

Her prayers with ours are mingling;

And, lo, behold Our Lady,

So beautiful and fair,

Smiling in the Sonshine,

God’s love is in the air.

PRAYER FOR SINCERE CONTRITION

Inspired by St. Francis de Sales

O Lord, I recognize

my unworthiness,

and I humbly ask pardon

for my sins.

Amen.

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

She is the Star of Bethlehem.

The compassionate Lady of Love,

The powerful Virgin of Victory,

The sweet Mother of the Messiah,

Silent and holy, calm and bright,

Her dazzling beauty shines 

In the dark night of unknowing,

And she points the way for the

Wise men and wise women

Of this world who wish to know

The Babe of Divine Mercy.

THE INCARNATION

Whispered sweetly,

Santa Maria’s “yes”

Ripples and reverberates

Through the Halls of Heaven,

And the Spirit speeds through the

Atmosphere in a powerful pulse

Of gleaming, virginal white light

Into the humble House of Gold:

And, behold, The Divine Mercy is

Incarnate.

OUR LADY OF DIVINE MERCY

Trembling, I hid in your mantle, protected

  From the dark night of unknowing;

You guided me up the steep, perilous path,

  Towards the sparkling, starry heavens.

The demonic winds gusted, and with

  Frightful ferocity thunder shook the air;

Serpentine lightning darted in the sky, and

  Lava streams slithered down the slopes.

But then the Sun of God dazzlingly dawned,

  And He put an end to the dark night;

Beams of bright light, both red and white,

  Streamed soothingly into my soul.

Atop the summit, you took my hand,

  And together we flew into the Light;

We laughed like merry little children,

  Soaking in the sunshine of pure Mercy.

THE CONVERSION OF MARY MAGDALENE

Inspired by Paolo Veronese’s masterpiece

Our Lord looks at Mary

With sweetness and gentleness,

And she looks back at him,

Incredulous, that He could

Forgive and pardon

Her many many grave sins;

She gazes into the eyes of Love,

Her heart pierced by the lance of

Sincere heartfelt contrition, and

As He breaks the chains of her sin,

She experiences the Good,

She experiences the True,

She experiences the Beautiful —

And, lo, she is a new creation!

NIGHT PRAYER

O Mystical Rose,

Be with me; stay with me;

Let every beat of my heart tonight

Be an act of love for you!

O Jesus, The Divine Mercy,

Be with me; stay with me;

Let every beat of my heart tonight

Be an act of love for you!

Amen.

MARIAN PRAYER OF OFFERING FOR A PLENARY OR PARTIAL 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

Today’s indulgence,

Offered for the benefit of _____,

Or for whomever the merciful

Mystical Rose most wishes,

In accordance with your holy will.

Amen.

LITTLE PRAYER TO OUR GUARDIAN ANGELs

Inspired by St. Basil the Great and St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Dearest

Guardian Angels,

Be with us;

Stay with us.

Through God’s

Bountiful love,

Please protect us!

Please guard us!

Please guide us!

Please teach us!

Save us from

The dark night,

And lead us into

The Holy Light.

Jesus, I trust in You!

Amen.

SUSANNAH AND THE ELDERS

Inspired by Pompeo Batoni’s masterpiece

The lecherous elders saw her,

with eyes wanton and wicked

they saw the lovely Susannah

as she innocently bathed in the

warm water of the silent garden,

but when she rejected the lurid

scheme of these unjust judges,

their vicious vile hearts burned

with lust and anger, and so

they perniciously plotted to

melt down her golden reputation

in the fiery furnace of calumny;

but still, she trusted,

Susannah trusted in God --

then, the Spirit of the Lord rushed

upon a youth named Daniel

who, though very humble,

spoke with the authoritative

passion of the prophets of old,

and his wondrous wisdom

amazed the people who listened --

and, lo, in the twinkle of an eye,

Justice struck down the elders

like a holy hammer from Heaven.