A thousand trumpets mark Your path.
The lips of angels tremble and anticipate
As hour fast approaches,
For Gabriel’s stormy blast
Ushering the Age’s end,
When on the clouds You will descend,
To come again as way You went .
Sun of Justice with Spirit Sword,
Your Word to cut between the marrow and the bone,
All that stands the test of Fire,
You gather home.
Refuse and stubble
Immolated in furnace heat,
As passing in Your Hallowedness
You devour all That is not meet.
The trumpets’ blare give way
To music of celestial harps,
And Miriam song sounded strong.
As the martyrs chime,
Finally coming forth from beneath the Altar,
To sing their tune and time.
Holy chorus, at long last,
To celebrate and sing
Triumphant Alleluias
For Salvation’s Mercy King.
"Listen and let it penetrate your heart … do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?" (Words of Our Lady to Juan Diego)
Happy Juan Diego, true and faithful man! We entrust to you our lay brothers and sisters so that, feeling the call to holiness, they may imbue every area of social life with the spirit of the Gospel. Bless families, strengthen spouses in their marriage, sustain the efforts of parents to give their children a Christian upbringing. Look with favour upon the pain of those who are suffering in body or in spirit, on those afflicted by poverty, loneliness, marginalization or ignorance. May all people, civic leaders and ordinary citizens, always act in accordance with the demands of justice and with respect for the dignity of each person, so that in this way peace may be reinforced.
Beloved Juan Diego, "the talking eagle"! Show us the way that leads to the "Dark Virgin" of Tepeyac, that she may receive us in the depths of her heart, for she is the loving, compassionate Mother who guides us to the true God. Amen.
"I thank you, Father … that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was your gracious will" (Mt 11:25-26).
This poem was written to express celebration at Easter. Everyday ordinary day is so full of God’s choice blessings, that praise should flow from every corner of the earth. In the deepest darkness, may hope arise through praise of God.
I invite you to linger a while and add a stanza.
Courts of Praise
Thank you, my Lord, for my life long, For beloved family and friends, And all dear hearts touching mine.
My treasure trove of souls Spills far beyond my time To number as my own Those who have gone before, Your saints of ages past, The cloud of witnesses on high And pure angelic beings In realms veiled from the eye.
There never was a day In which I was alone, Nor forgotten Before Your throne.
There, at Your feet, All heaven sweet anthems raise, To set celestial hearts ablaze. My heart, in chorus, Swells, dilating in love, Grown great in gratitude.
Beside Your All Love, I make small return. You count my debt as paid, And bid me enter courts of praise.
The music of God is all about us. When I listen in the Spirit, my heart sings.
With these pages, I wish to share the lyric of the songs I hear in the silence of my prayer.
Christ and the Children by Adolfo Maes and illustrated by Joann Nelander. This is a feel good, colorful children’s book. It includes a free song download that will keep you humming and happy long after turning the last page.
Christ and the Children by Adolfo Maes and illustrated by Joann Nelander. This children’s book will inspire and also keep you singing and feeling great!
“Listen and let it penetrate your heart … do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?“
(Words of Our Lady to Juan Diego)
Happy Juan Diego, true and faithful man! We entrust to you our lay brothers and sisters so that, feeling the call to holiness, they may imbue every area of social life with the spirit of the Gospel. Bless families, strengthen spouses in their marriage, sustain the efforts of parents to give their children a Christian upbringing. Look with favour upon the pain of those who are suffering in body or in spirit, on those afflicted by poverty, loneliness, marginalization or ignorance. May all people, civic leaders and ordinary citizens, always act in accordance with the demands of justice and with respect for the dignity of each person, so that in this way peace may be reinforced.
Beloved Juan Diego, “the talking eagle”! Show us the way that leads to the “Dark Virgin” of Tepeyac, that she may receive us in the depths of her heart, for she is the loving, compassionate Mother who guides us to the true God. Amen.
“I thank you, Father … that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was your gracious will” (Mt 11:25-26).
Amazing as it is Father Basil Clark, who watched the show from Broxburn, Scotland, was not surprised when Susan Boyle amazed all of England and the world . As reported by the Catholic News Service:
“He has seen the situation unfold many times before, having regularly accompanied Boyle, 47, on the annual Legion of Mary pilgrimage to the Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland. “When I watched the judges’ faces it reminded me of what I was like when I first saw Susan singing — absolutely blown away by the quality of the singing and by that fantastic voice,” said Father Clark, dean of West Lothian, the district that covers Boyle’s home village of Blackburn.”
CNS said that in a interview on CBS’s The EarlyShow, Susan said,that because her mother had encouraged her to sing, she wanted to make her performance
“a tribute to my mother.”
“I knew it was something I had to do,” she said. “I had to get on with it. That’s where the courage came from, my mother.
“The ones who made fun of me are now nice to me,” she said. “So, I think I may have won them ’round.”
Susan Boyle singing I Dreamed a Dream on “Britain’s Got Talent 2009″
We are fascinated with Susan Boyle, because she reveals to us the world of possibilities we too often leave unexplored, within ourselves. We dare to think…has God kissed me, too?
Let us seek out what that kiss may have wrought, uncover it, celebrate it, thank God for it, even if the world finds those gifts less fascinating than the duckling/swan story of Susan Boyle. Small greatnesses add up, and they support whole worlds.
There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Frustrated brother, see how he’s tried to
Light his own candle some other way
See now your sister, she’s been robbed and lied to
Still holds a candle without a flame
So Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Cause We are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let’s raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times
So Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hepeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
St. Patrick’s Breastplate sung by Angelina. She says, “I was blessed to have had the opportunity to travel to the Hill of Slane in County Meath to film this beautiful song.
The “how to” of coming to live with a charged bit of Holy Scripture playing like music in the background, amid all the happenings of your day, is relatively simple. Like everything in life that we desire, obtaining it means we have to reach for it in some way. This “reaching” may be reading some scripture before you go to bed or at the beginning of a day. Perhaps, listening closely to the Word proclaimed at Mass. You may think, so many words. I know it can be messy. The secret is to simplify. What can be simpler than inviting the One whose words they are to speak to you. Come Holy Spirit. Speak to my heart. In effect, the Word you are seeking will choose for you. Remember this Word is alive. You dialogue with someone and here our someone is the third Person of the Trinity.
The thought that stops you for an instant, that seems to sink beneath your stony surface, is the one with which to stay. The injunction of Holy Scripture that tells us “Pray without ceasing” (1Thessalonians 5:17) indicates the Holy Spirit’s desire for this conversation. Recall the words that were given to you. Listen during the day. Ask questions or just remember. That’s the beginning. I don’t know about you, but in one way or another, I’m always at the beginning.
