Come Home

2011-10-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving
by David Weller

Give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good.
He made earth and sky,
for us, He would.
We feed ourselves,
both saved and should.
To God let's give thanks,
He knows, we could.

2009-12-31T21:02:00.001-06:00

Honesty

to be honest is
to be fondest of boldness
in face of coldness

2009-12-31T20:51:00.002-06:00

Compassion

compassion is will
in action for the good fill
for another's ill

2009-12-31T20:46:00.000-06:00

Pain

the pain one feels is
twice as glorious as the
vanity one zeals

2009-12-06T22:12:00.000-06:00

Praise God

Michaelangelo
praised God with his art so much,
that Christians praise God

2009-12-05T23:53:00.000-06:00

My love

self hatred is strong,
infamous, yet my love can
overcome the wrong

2009-11-19T21:00:00.001-06:00

Obey God

If following mind,
your heart gets neglected- take
neither, obey God

2009-11-14T20:47:00.002-06:00

Come home

Come home, to a new
Lord, one highest liturgy,
One highest spirit

2009-11-06T23:23:00.002-06:00

Anima Christi (for Spiritual Communion)
Anonymous

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me;
Blood of Christ, inebriate me;
Water from the side of Christ, wash me;
Passion of Christ, strengthen me;
O good Jesu, hear me;
Within thy wounds, hide me;
Suffer me not to be separated from thee;
From the malicious enemy defend me;
In the hour of my death call me,
And bid me come to thee.
That with thy Saints I may praise thee
For ever and ever, Amen.

Saint Augustine's Prayer Book, Third Edition, 1950, The Holy Cross Press, West Park, NY, p. 123

2009-11-06T23:22:00.002-06:00

Lord! I cannot seek thee (for Spiritual Communion)
Anonymous

Lord! I cannot seek thee
On thine altar throne,
Yet I may receive thee,
Weary and alone;

When, before thine altar,
Crowds adoring kneel,
There in very essence,
Thou dost come to heal.

Far from Priest and altar,
Christ, to thee I cry,
Come to me in spirit,
Let me feel thee nigh,

In my silent worship,
Let me share the feast,
Be thy love the altar,
Be thyself the Priest. Amen.

Saint Augustine's Prayer Book, Third Edition, 1950, The Holy Cross Press, West Park, NY, p. 122

2009-11-05T23:48:00.002-06:00

Sacrifice

hold Him dearly, now,
awaken my soul to His
living sacrifice

2009-11-01T01:33:00.002-05:00

Love eternally

love.
love those of hurt
love the helpful.
love those undue
love the true.
love your enemies
love your friends.
love those of enmity
love your Savior.
love the One,
the Trinity,
the God-head,
God almighty,
Jesus Christ,
the Holy Spirit,
your neighbor,
all the time,
alpha and omega,
eternally...

2009-10-22T00:58:00.002-05:00

God never leaves me

God never leaves me
It's up to me to stay close
Prayers are answered

2009-10-17T03:10:00.002-05:00

Pray

liturgize highest,
sacramental brightest, talk
with God, heart and mind.

2009-10-14T02:39:00.002-05:00

Vigil

my late night vigil
brings to You my concerns for
glorifying You

2009-10-13T03:59:00.002-05:00

Praise to God

Songs lift up, higher,
prayers rise to God, on high,
praise to the Highest.

2009-10-11T01:58:00.002-05:00

Humanity

to be human is
to be yet, not "of the world",
but, "with the world", now

2009-10-06T03:28:00.002-05:00

Life and Death
by William Davenant (baptised 3 March 1606- April 7, 1668)

FRAIL Life ! in which, through mists of human breath
We grope for truth, and make our progress slow,
Because by passion blinded ; till, by death
Our passions ending, we begin to know.

O reverend Death ! whose looks can soon advise
E'en scornful youth, whilst priests their doctrine waste
Yet mocks us too ; for he does make us wise,
When by his coming our affairs are past.

O harmless Death ! whom still the valiant brave,
The wise expect, the sorrowful invite,
And all the good embrace, who know the grave
A short dark passage to eternal light.

The Treasury of Sacred Song, edited by Francis T. Palgrave, Clarendon Press, 1889, p. 68.

2009-09-25T21:51:00.002-05:00

The Word went forth
by Thomas Aquinas (1224/25-1274)

The Word went forth,
Yet from his Father never went away.
Came to his work on earth,
And laboured till the twilight of his day.

Men envied him: He went to death,
By his own man betrayed,
Yet first to his own men himself had given
In wine and broken bread.

In birth he gave himself a friend to men,
At meat, their holy bread:
Dying, he gave himself their ransoming:
Reigning, their high reward.

O Victim slain for us and our salvation,
Opening the doors of light,
The warring hosts are set on our damnation,
Give us the strength to fight.

More Latin Lyrics, translated by Helen Waddell, W. W. Norton & Co., 1976.

2009-09-25T17:18:00.003-05:00

Sonshine

O Sonshine on a

rainy day, Ye come what may,

Ye light up my way!

2009-09-23T04:24:00.002-05:00

O God, I give to You

O God, I give You my soul!

I give You my glory
on the brightest day
on the lightest way
with the highest say
I give You my story

O Lord, I give You my whole!

2009-09-22T02:37:00.003-05:00

To God

To God,
I praise your name,
I covet your same
of the Trinity!

To God,
I sinned against You,
I pray the renewal
of my soul!

To God,
I give you glory,
I love your story
of redemption!

To God,
I thank you Savior,
I give you favor
of my whole!

2009-09-22T00:06:00.002-05:00

The Holy Communion
by George Herbert (1593-1633)

Not in rich furniture or fine aray,
Nor in a wedge of gold,
Thou, Who from me wast sold,
To me dost now Thyself convey;
For so Thou shouldst without me still have been,
Leaving within me sinne:

But by the way of nourishment and strength,
Thou creep'st into my breast;
Making Thy way my rest,
And Thy small quantities my length,
Which spread their forces into every part,
Meeting Sinne's force and art.

Yet can these not get over to my soul,
Leaping the wall that parts
Our souls and fleshy hearts;
But as th' outworks, they may controll
My rebel flesh, and, carrying Thy name,
Affright both sinne and shame.

Onely Thy grace, which with these elements comes,
Knoweth the ready way,
And hath the privie key,
Op'ning the soul's most subtile rooms;
While those, to spirits refin'd, at doore attend
Dispatches from their friend.

Give me my captive soul, or take
My bodie also thither.
Another lift like this will make
Them both to be together.

Before that sinne turn'd flesh to stone,
And all our lump to leaven,
A fervent sigh might well have blown
Our innocent earth to heaven.

For sure when Adam did not know
To sinne, or sinne to smother,
He might to heav'n from Paradise go,
As from one room t' another.

Thou hast restor'd us to this ease
By this Thy heav'nly bloud,
Which I can go to when I please,
And leave th' earth to their food.

The Works of George Herbert, Introduction by Dr. Tim Cook, Wordsworth Poetry Library, 1994.

2009-09-21T21:31:00.002-05:00

Hymn to the Blessed Sacrament,
used in Germany as a Sequence since the 13th Century (Daniel: Thesaurus hymnol. v, 74)

O MOST sweet bread, life-giving
food of faithful souls.

2. O meek Lamb, lawful offering of
the paschal sacrifice.

3. Immortal flesh veiled by God
under the form of bread.

4. Strengthen us in every way by
the food of grace sevenfold from the
Holy Spirit.

5. When thou art received, not con-
sumed, thou dost give life eternal to
him who receives thee.

6. For by so great a gift thou dost
cleanse mercifully the stain of sin.

7. To reunite us to thee, to strengthen
us in good, grant us to receive thee
worthily.

8. Driving away temptation, make
us live in holiness with thee.

9. So, comforted by the cup of thy
blood, by the holy banquet of thy
flesh,

10. For ever and ever we may rejoice,
called to the high feast of thy eternal
pasch.

Latin Hymns, edited by Adrian Fortescue, Roman Catholic Books, Harrison, NY

2009-09-21T02:48:00.002-05:00

Soul nourishment

the 'body' and 'blood'
of Jesus Christ's sacrifice,
the soul's nourishment

2009-09-21T00:38:00.002-05:00

The Spirit, the Water, and the Blood. 1 John v. 6.
by Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

LET all our tongues be one,
To praise our God on high,
Who from his bosom sent his Son,
To fetch us strangers nigh.

Nor let our voices cease
To sing the Saviour's name;
Jesus, th' Ambassador of peace,
How cheerfully he came!

It cost him cries and tears,
To bring us near to God;
--Great was our debt, and he appears
To make the payment good.

(My Saviour's pierced side
Poured out a double flood;
--By water we are purified,
And pardoned by the blood.

Infinite was our guilt,
But he our Priest atones;
On the cold ground his life was spilt,
And offered up with groans.)

Look up, my soul, to him
Whose death was thy desert;
And humbly view the living stream
Flow from his breaking heart.

There, on the cursed tree,
In dying pangs he lies!
Fulfills his Father's great decree,
And all our wants supplies.

--Thus the Redeemer came,
By water and by blood:
And when the Spirit speaks the same,
We feel his witness good.

While the eternal Three
Bear their record above;
Here I believe he died for me,
And sealed my Saviour's love.

(Lord, cleanse my soul from sin,
Nor let thy grace depart;
--Great Comforter, abide within,
And witness to my heart.)

2009-09-20T12:58:00.002-05:00

Eucharistic Hymn
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, ca. 5th-C

This day receive me
Son of God,
Communing at our mystic feast,
For I will not betray
Your Mystery to your foes;
Will never give a kiss
Like that which Judas gave,
But like a thief
I shall confess to you:
In your royal Kingdom, Lord,
Be mindful then of me.

2009-09-14T07:59:00.002-05:00

My Desires Near Jesus Hidden in His Prison of Love
by Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Little Key, oh, I envy you!
For each day you can open
The prison of the Eucharist
Where the God of Love resides.
But, O what a sweet miracle!
By just an effort of my faith
I can also open the tabernacle
To hide near the Divine King...

Being consumed near my God
In the sanctuary, I would like
To burn forever with mystery
Like the Lamp of the Holy Place....
Oh! what happiness... I have flames within me,
And each day I can win
A great number of souls for Jesus,
Inflaming them with his love....

At each daybreak I envy you,
O Sacred Altar Stone!
As in the blessed stable,
On you the Eternal One wants to be born...
Ah! Deign to grant my prayer.
Come into my soul, Sweet Savior...
Far from being a cold stone,
It is the sigh of your Heart!

O Corporal surrounded by angels!
How enviable is your lot.
On you, as in his humble swaddling clothes,
I see Jesus, my only treasure.
Virgin Mary, change my heart
Into a pure, beautiful Corporal
To receive the white host,
Where your Sweet Lamb hides.

Holy Paten, I envy you.
Upon you Jesus comes to rest.
Oh! may his infinite grandeur
Deign to humble itself even to me...
Fulfilling my hope,
Jesus does not wait until the evening of my life.
He comes within me; by his presence
I am a living Monstrance!...

Oh! how I envy the happy chalice
Where I adore the divine Blood.....
But at the Holy Sacrifice
I can take it in each morning.
To Jesus my soul is dearer
Than precious vessels of gold.
The Altar is a new Calvary
Where his Blood still flows for me....

Jesus, holy and sacred Vine,
O my Divine King, You know
I am a cluster of golden grapes
Which must disappear for you.
Under the wine press of suffering,
I shall prove my love for you.
I want no other joy
Than to sacrifice myself each day.

Ah! what joy, I am chosen
Among the grains of pure Wheat
Who lose their lives for Jesus....
My delight is truly great!....
I am your dear spouse,
My Beloved, come live in me,
Oh! come, your beauty has ravished me.
Deign to transform me into You!....