Old year passes, Becoming yet another ghost, Withered as leaves, Crumbled, and carried aloft By winter winds, Too soon scattered By the breezes of Time.
Is it truly spent, Dead and long forgotten, Living but in memory? May not reflection Call it from the grave, Uncover the gain Hold it fast To live again?
How has its many waters Blessed thee and me, As sacred signs? Will it, as muse, retain a power For its having been, And then no more?
What saints and angels Sent my way, Colored its day? In sorrow, Who came to hold my hand? In joy, Who shared my hearth?
Were there hugs, and smiles, And laughter to tilt the scale of grief? Can kisses and embraces be resurrected, That fires of love be stoked To warm and blaze anew?
Has my thanksgivings Been recorded in the pyre, Written in the embers now glowing As tiger eyes flashing from the ash.
Years come, doomed , too soon to go, But let them not hurry To a crypt without a wake. Drink the happy wine of memory, Sip, as the seasons turn. Contemplate and savor The seasons of your soul.
Thank you to all who voted in the contest, especially if you voted for my sister’s entry or mine.
My sister, Bernadette Buechler, is the First Prize Winner. Go Sis! Here is her photo entitled:
“Sunset Tapestry Over White Sands:
Also a winner, yours truly. Again thank you for your vote.
I am listed as “Lelander” in the winners list, but honestly, that’s me, and that is, NELANDER, thank you very much!
O, Jesus, True God,
Beginning human life
In the womb of Mary,
I come to You in Your first moments,
O powerful Babe.
Mother Mary’s “Fiat”
Brought the Father’s Will to Earth,
Wrapped in the stuff of Man,
Purity’s Flesh emerging as cells divide.
I come to You, God-Man,
In Your holy beginning,
Awaiting, with all creation,
The formation of Your Sacred Heart
In Time.
O, Happy Fruition,
O, Incarnate Son,
In Mary’s virginal womb,
Bless with inner healing
The whole of my life.
Bring to my concupiscence
Conformity to the Father’s Will.
I am the least in my Father’s house,
But by my spiritual visitation,
My willing presence,
In the nascent Being of the Christ,
One, so small and mean as me,
Can find a home
As the Heart of Jesus
Is formed and fired.
O, powerful Babe,
O, pure and holy Fetus,
I trust in You
From Your beginning
As Prophet, Priest and King,
To bring me,
And all creation,
To a happy end.
Amen
Give me, God, This glad rejoicing. I am like a beggar at the gate. My rags declare my need. My knock trumpets my desire.
Your courts are full Of plentiful redemption. Wine and the merriment Of the forgiven, Invite my humble footsteps.
Although I bring myself To Your threshold, I cannot enter in, For Sin is an effrontery, An open assault on Your Majesty.
All awaits Your mercy. Heaven is silent before You. Tears are now my only arraignment The voice of Your messenger The only hope in my wilderness.
The King, Himself, Rises from His throne. Crowns are cast down at His feet. As the sun shines from His Being, Mercy rays meet my eyes, And melt my heart.
He draws near. His hand is at the Gate To let in the beggar and the multitude, For I am not alone. The nations, In long suffering and sorrow, Kneel with me.
He approaches. He is near. Wedding garments in place of our polluted rags, Rings and sandals for prodigal feet.
He comes, He comes mid glad rejoicing. We need wait but a moment. The Virgin is with Child, And He has left His throne To succor the poor of all the earth.
From Your Cross You looked upon Man Your eyes were blinded By Your Own Blood. You could not even wipe That Blood away, For bound to a Cross, Your Hands were held fast To the mysterious Will Of Your Father.
In Your Bloody Blindness, You felt the anguish of rejection, The rejection of Your People, The rejection of the kings of the Earth, The rejection of the once adoring crowds, The rejection of cowardly friends, Rejection of High Priests of Covenant Old, And the rejection of disciples, Destined to proclaim the New, Alone, Save for the Mother, The Beloved Disciple At her side, And the repentant Magdalene, Who knew both Sin And deliverance at Your Hand.
From Your Cross Look upon me. See with Your heart To forgive my Sin. Draw me by way Of the Blood and Water Flowing from Your Pierced Side. Wash away my Sin In that Holy Tide, That the Mysterious Will Of Your Father Give life to yet another son. Thy will be done.
Hail MARY, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father. Hail MARY, admirable Mother of the Son. Hail MARY, faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost. Hail MARY, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign. Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul. Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am Thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently Thine. I now give myself wholly to Thee without keeping anything back for myself or others. If Thou seest anything in me which does not belong to Thee, I beseech Thee to take it and make Thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine.
Destroy in me all that may displease GOD; root it up and bring it to nought. Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to Thee. May the light of Thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind. May Thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may Thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination. May Thy continuous sight of GOD fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of Thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine. May Thy virtues take the place of my sins; may Thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of GOD and make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but Thine to know JESUS and His Divine Will; that I may have no other soul but Thine to praise and glorify GOD; that I may have no other heart but Thine to love GOD with a love as pure and ardent as Thine.
I do not ask Thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotions, or spiritual pleasures. It is Thy privilege to see GOD clearly; it is Thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is Thy privilege to triumph gloriously in Heaven at the right hand of Thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons. It is Thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of GOD, just as Thou willest. Such, O heavenly MARY, is the ʻbest partʼ, which the Lord has given Thee, and which shall never be taken away from Thee, and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was Thine, to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures, to suffer joyfully without human consolation, to die continually to myself without respite, and to work zealously and unselfishly for Thee until death, as the humblest of Thy servants. The only grace I beg Thee, for me, is that every moment of the day, and every moment of my life, I may say, “Amen, so be it, to all that Thou art doing in Heaven. Amen, so be it, to all Thou didst do while on earth. Amen, so be it, to all Thou art doing in my soul,” so that Thou alone mayest fully glorify JESUS in me for time and eternity. Amen.
"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).
Hail MARY, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father. Hail MARY, admirable Mother of the Son. Hail MARY, faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost. Hail MARY, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign. Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul. Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am Thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently Thine. I now give myself wholly to Thee without keeping anything back for myself or others. If Thou seest anything in me which does not belong to Thee, I beseech Thee to take it and make Thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine.
Destroy in me all that may displease GOD; root it up and bring it to nought. Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to Thee. May the light of Thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind. May Thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may Thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination. May Thy continuous sight of GOD fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of Thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine. May Thy virtues take the place of my sins; may Thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of GOD and make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but Thine to know JESUS and His Divine Will; that I may have no other soul but Thine to praise and glorify GOD; that I may have no other heart but Thine to love GOD with a love as pure and ardent as Thine.
I do not ask Thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotions, or spiritual pleasures. It is Thy privilege to see GOD clearly; it is Thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is Thy privilege to triumph gloriously in Heaven at the right hand of Thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons. It is Thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of GOD, just as Thou willest. Such, O heavenly MARY, is the ʻbest partʼ, which the Lord has given Thee, and which shall never be taken away from Thee, and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was Thine, to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures, to suffer joyfully without human consolation, to die continually to myself without respite, and to work zealously and unselfishly for Thee until death, as the humblest of Thy servants. The only grace I beg Thee, for me, is that every moment of the day, and every moment of my life, I may say, “Amen, so be it, to all that Thou art doing in Heaven. Amen, so be it, to all Thou didst do while on earth. Amen, so be it, to all Thou art doing in my soul,” so that Thou alone mayest fully glorify JESUS in me for time and eternity. Amen.
In 1858 the virgin Mary Immaculate appeared to Bernadette Soubirous near Lourdes in France within the cave of Massabielle. Through this humble girl, Mary called sinners to conversion and enkindled within the Church a great zeal for prayer and charity, especially service to the sick and poor. From a letter by Saint Marie Bernadette Soubirous, virgin (Ep. ad P. Gondrand, a 1861: cf. A. Ravier, Les écrits de sainte Bernadette, Paris 1961, pp. 53-59) The lady spoke to me I had gone down one day with two other girls to the bank of the river Gave when suddenly I heard a kind of rustling sound. I turned my head toward the field by the side of the river but the trees seemed quite still and the noise was evidently not from them. Then I looked up and caught sight of the cave where I saw a lady wearing a lovely white dress with a bright belt. On top of each of her feet was a pale yellow rose, the same color as her rosary beads. At this I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things, and I put my hands into the fold of my dress where my rosary was. I wanted to make the sign of the cross but for the life of me I couldn’t manage it and my hand just fell down. Then the lady made the sign of the cross herself and at the second attempt I managed to do the same, though my hands were trembling. Then I began to say the rosary while the lady let her beads slip through her fingers, without moving her lips. When I stopped saying the Hail Mary, she immediately vanished. I asked my two companions if they had noticed anything, but they said no. Of course they wanted to know what I was doing and I told them that I had seen a lady wearing a nice white dress, though I didn’t know who she was. I told them not to say anything about it, and they said I was silly to have anything to do with it. I said they were wrong and I came back next Sunday, feeling myself drawn to the place…. The third time I went the lady spoke to me and asked me to come every day for fifteen days. I said I would and then she said that she wanted me to tell the priests to build a chapel there. She also told me to drink from the stream. I went to the Gave, the only stream I could see. Then she made me realize she was not speaking of the Gave and she indicated a little trickle of water close-by. When I got to it I could only find a few drops, mostly mud. I cupped my hands to catch some liquid without success and then I started to scrape the ground. I managed to find a few drops of water but only at the fourth attempt was there a sufficient amount for any kind of drink. The lady then vanished and I went back home. I went back each day for fifteen days and each time, except one Monday and one Friday, the lady appeared and told me to look for a stream and wash in it and to see that the priests build a chapel there. I must also pray, she said, for the conversion of sinners. I asked her many times what she meant by that, but she only smiled. Finally with outstretched arms and eyes looking up to heaven she told me she was the Immaculate Conception. During the fifteen days she told me three secrets but I was not to speak about them to anyone and so far I have not. This letter from St. Bernadette (linked above) is from the Office of Readings for this day. I put this letter here because the language in which she speaks of Mary’s apparitions is that of a child. Dear Bernadette was young and poor when The Blessed Mother appeared to her. She aspired only a simple life, was not overly bright, and it would seem that she was incapable of greatness by this world’s standards. Yet, the Blessed Mother appeared to her, and spoke to her kindly and gave her gentle instructions. When Bernadette first saw Our Lady, she did not immediately identify her. She saw, rather, a beautiful woman. In fact, she did not presume to admit that the lady was the Blessed Mother until she was told by the lady herself. Mary called herself the Immaculate Conception, a true expression of beauty. Mary’s message to Bernadette was simple and caring, like that of a Mother. Bernadette, although not great, was a saint of blessings and virtue. Mary chose to appear to her and laid upon her shoulders the charge of sharing Mary with others. Bernadette did not live a very long life… but it was one of patient suffering and hope for the world to come. "I cannot promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next" was the promise of the Blessed Mother to her daughter. Bernadette trusted in this promise, with that childlike faith and obedience that were so exemplary in her visits with Mary. This is an example of how Mary is a mother to us. Her apparitions to her gentle daughter Bernadette brings us a message of prayer and healing. Each time that Mary has visited us, she has come with the same tender love and caring. Let us always remember how deeply Mary loves us, how intimate she is with Jesus, and seek to follow her Motherly guidance and receive her consolation.
A Letter of Saint Marie Bernadette Soubirou
God of mercy, we celebrate the feast of Mary, the sinless mother of God. May her prayers help us to rise above our human weakness.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
The day has begun, And, already, You have embraced Your wee one.
I greet You With the opening Of my eyes, With thoughts That stream anew.
My slumber has brought me To New Day. The night was spent In healing, and a continuity, That like the day Follows one unto the other, Within Your sovereign embrace.
My body leaned Upon You in trust, To rise refreshed. Phantoms of the night Fled as Your Sun Rose with purple dawn, For I place my Trust In You. You knit me, Body, soul and spirit, Into a unity, I have known Since You willed me Into being. Unity creating one nature, Sharing in your dual nature Of God and Man. Born of God, In the Holy Spirit, I am wed to You And made ready, Sun on sun, For Eternity.
Remembering my frame, And my need, Stir into flame Your Godly Presence, So that the Bridegroom Of my Soul May this day Take to Himself The bride He won From the Cross, And I , Dust of the Earth, May know the sacred bliss Of having been chosen. Being chosen, And living, in the flesh, The Life of God.
The words hung on my lips. I wanted to pray I wanted to be In Your Presence. I wanted to feel Good again, To lift myself Out of myself, Out of my sorrow.
I looked about me. The world was on fire. I could not see. I could not find one thing To light my candle.
There was not a breath of air. I could feel the dark. It pressed And weighed And held me down, Like trying to run In a dream, My efforts went For naught, Amidst a paralyzingly fear, My feet are bound, Phantoms tying them To the ground.
I wanted to lift my heart, So that I could sing again. Where was the music? Who could play it for me? Was I really alone?
You used to play with me. You used to be with me, And dance with me, And sing with me.
I used to stand With the others, Raise my hands, Open my mouth, And proclaim my love For You.
Where are You now? Where have You gone? Or was it me Who wondered off, Who was dragged down, Who fell And did not rise?
I remember Your Promise To forgive. I need that; I need that forgiveness. Give it to me now!
I am still Yours. You have been seeking me. I know that. I didn’t want to know that. But I always knew that.
Find me now! Here I am. Now, I want You. I want to feel God again, And I know You’ll come.
Into Stillness 