Set Free

No perverse wind it is that blows
The curtain back from Paradise
But Spirit’s breath from Him who knows
The truth we need to end our night.

In Eden’s East we’ve too long breathed
The breath that’s foul from deep beneath–
The smoke of hell that ‘round us wreaths
A serpent’s coil that binds our feet.

As down we look to our feet bound,
Our mind is fixed on Satan’s lie,
And beat of noise the only sound
We hear that drowns our mournful cry.

Oh, who will save us from this fate
We so deserve from Adam’s sin?
Then Spirit comes, He’s never late,
And by Him we are born again. 

We see that death with Son brings life
To us as we to Cross look up,
Hear angels sing–are bathed in light
And eat with Him who bids us sup.

His sinless Body and His Blood
From Tree of Life and knowledge give
His truth to cleanse Baptismal flood–
Prepares us with our Father live.

Now hand-in-hand with Him we go
As families we are meant to be–
Forever live with Him and know
His truth forever sets us free. 

Spitting Into the Wind

How many times in my life, Lord,
Have I been spitting into wind,
When I tried to myself adore
And only magnified my sin?

But now I see my fruitless acts
Have hit my face to poison me
When I refuse to face the facts
And open eyes to Your truth see.

At last I see that I can’t live
Cut off from You, the source of life,
So to You now my heart I give
And know at last the end of strife.

Your glory gives me rightful place
In Your creation and Your Church
That through me You may pour Your grace
|To others whom You love so much. 

And now my words sail on Your wind
s You away blow Devil’s words
To free Your world at last from sin,
And risen Jesus we call, Lord. 

Enchantment of New Eden

Enchanted are the woods in which we live,
And mountains, meadows stretch between them wide
With rivers, lakes, reflected sunlight give
To all who East of Eden now abide.

In midst of woods a single Tree now grows,
Takes life from Him down Jacob’s Ladder came
That we enchantment of New Eden know,
And exiled land will never be the same. 

His heaven’s light redeems our sunlight here
As shades and shadows are no longer dark,
For He on Calvary casts out all our fear,
And Eden’s East becomes new Noah’s Ark.

Our world’s transformed by Heaven’s risen light:
In East, New Eden rises from the night. 

The Apostles’ Witness

What is that light we see in eastern sky
That shines upon a Cross raised on a hill
Once bore a Body lifted for us high?
By sin and Satan in hate He was killed.

In dawn we see that Cross is empty now,
His suffering is no longer in our sight,
And we, to Him who had allegiance vowed,
Had disappeared into Passover night.

And now the aftermath for us is passed,
His Body placed in Joseph’s borrowed grave,
And He who guided us in all that’s past
Is no more with us, and ourselves can’t save.

What is that pounding sound upon the door?
Have they come here to kill the rest of us?
We open with our spirits are so poor,
For we in Him with others placed our trust.

It’s Mary with her eyes from weeping red,
And yet with joy upon her beaming face:
“I’ve seen Him,” she says, “risen from the dead,”
But we cannot believe this act of grace.

Then we, as one, hear sound in back of room,
And we turn in an instant, full of fear;
We think we see a ghost, and we are doomed:
It’s ghost of Him who for us is so dear.

We hear familiar voice, “Be not afraid;
Come touch my Body, see that it is I.”
With joyful hearts we see that He is raised
And never more in human grave will lie.

Then we together gather ‘round to sup;
As was His custom He then takes the bread
And breaks and blesses, gives to us with cup;
Then vanishes as with Him we are fed. 

So now we know that on each altar laid
He comes Himself with Body, Blood to give;
His glory of Himself will never fade–
Transforms each one so we’ll forever live. 

From Her Face Glory Shines

His creature her Creator bears
And glory shines from her young face—
Forever will for God’s Son care,
Made human by one full of grace.

But human cannot hold divine
Forever in her Mother’s womb.
Her human water changed to wine
For He ascends and she’s assumed.

Now all of us will soon be found
With Mary at her Son’s blessed side,
As full of grace we all abound
For all our sin has with Him died.

We thank you, Mary, for your prayers
That we may someday with you live;
For your Son through you our lives bears:
His life to us through you He gives. 

He Creates Us New

When I surrender all I am to Him,
He makes me new from inside to the out
Because who lives in me is free from sin,
And I begin to see what He’s about.
I want to be one who is seen as nice
But He wants people who He creates new;
When I die with Him He kills all my vice,
And I rise with Him, fresh as morning dew.
I look and see a world that’s been re-made
As I see with His eyes the light of dawn
O’er land, no longer lives in Devil’s shade,
And know this is the place for which I’ve longed:
A new man in a world He meant to be
Who is now raised from death eternally. 

In Light We’re Bathed

In His light all the world around is bathed
When through His eyes we see its beauty whole:
We know, despite our sin, the world is saved.

For when Christ came He all our sins forgave,
And our warm hearts no longer suffer cold:
In His light all the world around is bathed.

The Devil’s lie can’t stand His light of day
So grip of Devil cannot His world hold:
We know, despite our sin, the world is saved

Our dignity He breathes within our clay
And through us His whole world His love enfolds:
In His light all the world around is bathed.

He takes us in, no longer do we stray,
And our hearts in His providence He molds:
We know, despite our sin, the world is saved.

A New Creation rises from His grave
And raises world and bodies with our souls:
In His light all the world around is bathed;
We know, despite our sin, the world is saved. 

Jerusalem’s Road

Do you know where to find Jerusalem’s road?
     To find it look within your heart,
A road where He with you will bear your load
     As on your way your sin departs.

For on Himself your old creation takes
     As you walk through your valley’s fears,
And of you, new creation He will make
     While He away wipes all your tears.

You find you walk with Him from strength to strength
     As you up hill with others climb,
For with each one He goes to any length
     To take us into heaven’s clime.

We see Jerusalem new on high is raised
     Where welcome’s ready for us all,
As we with angels will His Father praise
     For we are saved from Adam’s fall. 

Transfigured at Each Mass

His glory on the mountain we beheld—
Revealed with Law and Prophets as their sum—
And cloud fell on us to cast heaven’s spell,
Reveal to us He is the Father’s Son.

Then we remembered that His clothes were white
When in His tomb we saw grave clothes unwrapped
And knew at last His dawn in our dark night
Would wake all earth from Devil-tempted nap.

He in His Risen Body to us comes
To sit with us once more and with Him eat,
And bread and wine His Body, Blood become,
For altar is for us His mercy seat.

Transfigured, He comes in our Eucharist
To give His love to us with heaven’s kiss. 

His Spirit’s Joy

We see His Son rise over darkened land
And know our Father’s love has transformed all,
For His Son’s risen Body is His hand
To save us all from Adam’s tragic fall. 

Our Father gives His Son His Spirit’s breath
To breathe on all of us with open hearts
Who long to be redeemed from sin and death
And have in Father’s world a brand new start.

For sin and death do not to Jesus cling—
His risen Body is now glorified—
And all of us can with His angels sing
As sin and death have now forever died.

Our Father’s whole creation laughs with life
With Spirit’s joy that is unspeakable,
For life is free from death and sin-caused strife
And breathes forever life unquenchable.