Author: householdoftheholyfamily

Creation’s New Birth

To Egypt I have called my Son—
His time on earth has not yet come—
For He is there to be the One
Whose human life will full course run. 

He volunteered to come to earth
To live a fully human life–
Said every life is His life worth;
He’ll bring to earth our heaven’s light.

He came to live and then to die
On Cross to make His sacrifice
And then in grave His Body lies—
For brothers, sisters paid the price.

But I will never leave Him there
And breathe Our Spirit to Him raise–
Save human life from dark despair
As human nature with Him saved.

With Him creation has new birth
As all of us sweet fragrance smell,
For He has saved His human earth:
Dispelled forever Satan’s spell. 

Our Nature Divinized 

One moon-lit night in Galilee
In sleepy village, Nazareth,
A maiden young awaked to see
An angel came on Spirit’s breath.

Was Gabriel from our Father sent
To speak to her His one request
That she give to Him her consent
To let His Son in her womb rest.

She speaks her “Yes” and then occurs
The union that creation saves:
Our nature divinized in her
To save from Adam’s sin and grave.

For union that takes place that night
Will close the gap ‘tween heaven, earth,
And bring to our world heaven’s light,
As in that light comes heaven’s truth.

In her we see our destiny
As Jesus comes to live in us,
From death and sin to set us free
When we with her give Him our trust. 

MEMORIAL OF ST. ANTHONY OF THE DESERT, ABBOT

FATHER OF CHRISTIAN MONASTICISM

St. Anthony, the desert calls
     For you to come and live
To battle Satan for us all
     As Michael his strength gives,

For Jesus sends His prince to you
     To aid you in your fight,
Help make for us our dreams come true,
     Dispel our sinful night.

Then, go, help Athanasius win
     His fight with Arius,
Defend the truth has always been
     Bequeathed by Christ to us.

The Nicene Creed will spell the truth
     For us and for all time:
God’s Son is not from us aloof;
     He comes in bread and wine.

For Arius can never know
     That Body, Blood, is He;
His Incarnation to us shows
     From sin He sets us free. 

Creation and Redemption

The beauty of creation we ignore–
And focus on what’s red in tooth and claw–
Because its beauties, goodness we deplore,
Despise what’s given in creation’s law.

For male and female are created good
And are the basis of each family here—
By it are all creation understood
As through it wisdom comes to cast out fear.

For Jesus is in Holy Family born—
Renews in us our human trinity
That’s meant by God creation to adorn
With truth who is His Holy Trinity.

Creation and redemption seen as one:
Both old and new come to us through God’s Son.

From Dust to New Life

Your formed us, Lord, from earthly dust—
     In Adam we were formed—
And told us we must put you first:
     In Your love we were born.

And, yet, we chose to You forsake,
     Turned in upon ourselves,
To find this made our own hearts ache,
     Forsook our spirit’s health.

But then You entered Adam’s dust
     To take us back to You,
Again called us to in You trust:
     You will form us anew.

In union with us You became
     A Babe in Mary’s womb,
An Adam New for us you’re named,
     And entered our own tomb.

But death can’t hold Your sinless self,
     On third day You arise,
And give to us New Adam’s health:
     We’re freed from Devil’s lies.

We turn outside ourselves again
     And learn that You are there;
To free us all from death and sin,
     Escape the Devil’s snare.

 Conquered

My fortress is in ruins within;
     Its keep is in Your hands:
Within You have destroyed my sin
     And conquered with Your band.

Your band of angels, saints have won,
     And now my life’s Your own.
Redeemed I am by only Son;
     With good seeds I am sown.

I see those seeds will virtues grow
     To guide me in new life,
Expanding truth I now can know,
     Freed from my inner strife.

Now I can look at saints above
     Who to me here have come
And bring to me undying love
     As I myself become.

And when I’m lowered in the grave,
     I will arise with You;
For You have come to all us save
     To make each one anew. 

Creation’s Baptism

His human body without sin
Is splashed in Jordan, makes Him wet,
To cleanse all water once again–
By Spirit used to new beget.

When we’re baptized, with Him we’re born
With water now by Him made new
As He from us our sin has shorn–
Creation straightened, once askew.

Now all the water of the earth
Will all creation and us cleanse;
In Him creation knows new birth
As He for all now makes amends.

Each rain reminds us of His gift
Of water to our life sustain,
As life made new which He will lift
With Him to heaven to remain. 

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

Earth Is Restored

You show us earth is not a waste
     When Your Son comes to us,
For it was meant to be a space
     Where goodness lives in trust.

Then beauty, goodness were betrayed
     When Adam made his choice
And from earth’s goodness with Eve strayed;
     They heeded Devil’s voice. 

But now our voice through Mary comes,
     And she says “Yes” to You;
With sin not present she becomes
     The first who’s made anew.

She gives her nature to her Son
     Through whom she is redeemed–
The first from human race He won,
     Saved from the Devil’s scheme.

The first to know earth is restored
     By Son who’s of her born,
For of new earth He is the Lord
     And reigns on Christmas morn. 

Families Three

The veil o’er understanding lifts,
     And we see Nazareth,
A place where family life is gift
     Of which we’ve been bereft.

For we have never understood
|     The truth of family three;
Now inner wisdom in us floods,
     And we see Trinity.

For family here is likeness of
     Our God who reigns above—
An ever-lasting treasure trove
     Containing Triune Love.

We in this Naz’reth family see
     The destiny of all
As gift of Three who make us free
     When families on them call. 

The Sum of Light

At last together they have come—
A sunrise and a waxing moon—
Together they become the sum
Of light that enters darkest gloom.

A Mother and her Son appear—
Her Son His light has always shone—
Gives light to Moon who waxes near;
He lightens her from Father’s throne.

Will both together wise all see
Who come from corners of the earth;
In homage all will bend their knees,
For she the Son of God gave birth.

The angels sing ‘neath brightened sky
Shines for us all on Bethlehem
Where Son and Moon to us draw nigh
To save us all from Adam’s sin.

At every Mass they both will come—
The Virgin Moon her nature gives—
So Son can one of us become
And they in us will always live.