Category: Marian Poetry

All Creation Saved

We journey make to Bethlehem
     With her upon my back,
And also now I carry Him
     Who’s light of world so black.

Her Joseph walks on my right side,
     Protects us on the way,
Makes sure those two will safely ride
     To stable with its hay.

For we won’t find a human bed
     Where she with Him can lie;
A stable we will find instead,                                   
  And I’ll with her stand by.

Now I have witnessed her Son’s birth,
     Who came to save us all,
For all of us to Him are worth
     His life for Adam’s fall.

He comes to all creation save,
     And all is born anew;
He will all creatures with Him raise—
     A donkey like me, too. 

God’s Word

We search for reason for it all
     So our own lives make sense,
And then is born in cattle stall
     God’s Word, with no pretense.

Comes Israel’s history to the fore
     When Mary speaks her “yes”—
The sum of all that’s gone before:
     The answer to our quest.

Philosophers and poets come
     To sit at Mary’s feet;
With shepherds kneel, and all become
     The ones who wisdom seek—

For Mary and her Son present
     God’s wisdom from above:
His Triune truth from heaven sent—
     Descends His perfect Love.

His Holy Family mirrors Him,
     A likeness of Himself–
His perfect Love that’s always been
    Restores our human health.

When Logos enters into time,
     Reveals eternity;
At last, His reason each one finds,
     And we’re at last set free,

DECEMBER 27, FEAST OF ST. JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST

God’s Word of Light

From crib a still small voice we hear,
     Enlightens dark of night;
He comes to take away our fear
     And lead us into light.

God speaks His Word, and light begins
     To brighten all our hearts,
Gives us desire to make amends
     And have a brand new start.

By Jesus’ crib His mother kneels,

     With Joseph bowing low;

In Mary we see our hearts healed—

     Through her His grace bestowed.

Now everyday can Christmas be

     As we with angels sing;

In light of Word we now can see

     Their Baby crowned as King.

Advent Song

Our Father’s wisdom here descends
     On Holy Spirit’s breath.
His Son begotten will earth mend—
     Save us from sin and death.

We eagerly await His birth
     By Mary, Joseph led,
To find again our Eden worth:
     In Him be raised from dead.

Expectantly our longing hearts
     Repent and hope in Him:
From Mary’s womb, our Father’s art
     Is seen in Bethlehem.

Come quickly, Lord, that we may be
     Of water, Spirit born:
Renewed, adopted, and set free
     In you on Christmas morn!   

Mary and the Face of God

Your mother’s face, oh God, we see    
  Through Mary, your true love:
Time taken to eternity,
     Made sinless from above. 

The cross before her in our time
     Is there in Anna’s womb,
Anticipates “not mine but thine”–
     Her womb an empty tomb.

From Anna’s womb is Mary born
     Without a trace of sin,
The mother of your only Son
     Through whom we’re born again. 

You show your Son a mother’s care
     In Mary’s open arms;
In her we see how You draw near
     To us with mother’s charms.

At foot of cross we’re children made;
     We’re sisters, brothers now.
Our mother is the Spirit’s maid;
     With her we to Son bow.

As your blessed Lady made for Him,
     She’s Your prevenient grace;
Your mother’s love is shown to them
     Who with her seek Your face.

Assumed by You to Your Son’s side,
     Our mother’s there with you;
When we in her Son here abide,
     We’ve heaven in our view.

Through Mary’s mirror we see clear
     Your mother’s image new;
She does for You hold all us dear:
     Reflection true of You. 

 Mary’s True Heart

Old Eden is a place we once called home;
But now as wander we in Eastern lands,
Nostalgia in our hearts says “Eden, come”—
Through stable door now opened by God’s hand,
Who beckons us to join His Holy Band
Of all mankind redeemed through Mary’s Son
And His Begotten ‘fore all time began,
To once again here gather into One.
Gives Spirit’s gifts to each ’till all the world is won. 

A stable door is our New Eden’s gate,
Unlatched by Second Eve’s own free consent
When heaven’s angel did on her await.
Announcing Spirit’s breath from Father went
To Nazareth where Eden’s veil is rent
In Mary’s heart and all of us step through
To know in Advent taste of Winter’s Lent,
As death before makes all creation new:
Joins Christmas, Easter in His Mother’s heart that’s true

 His Hidden Son

Within the womb of Mary lives God’s Son,
     Our gift from Three-in-One,
     On Christmas will be born—
The promise of His coming Easter morn
On other side of Cross that she will bear
With Him, for whom she gives a Mother’s care.

With Mary, we and all the world await
     Her Son who’ll share our fate
     And for our sin atone.
With her on Calvary’s hill He’s not alone;
His Mother always will a Mother be
To care for John and us eternally. 

Our Lady Guadalupe

Our Lady Guadalupe, Heaven’s Rose,
You bear God’s New Creation in your womb–
Birthed in your Son now Risen from His tomb,
Your womb forever opened, never closed
To us, your children, born with Eden’s woes
Yet saved by God from that first garden’s doom.
Through your eternal “yes” He grants His boon,
For from your womb with Jesus all arose.
With Juan Diego at your feet, we stand
In thanks that in your heart you carry us–
By Spirit, water born in this world’s storm.
With him we hold your roses in our hands,
And in your “yes” we place our heart’s sure trust
As this world’s winter thawed by hearts made warm. 

Our Lord’s Visitation

Continue, Lord, your story through your Church
This Advent as the dawn of new day breaks,
When you again with your hand our earth touch
To show you never will your world forsake. 
In coming, give us your humility
To break our pride that we may you embrace
In Bethlehem, where our hearts long to be
With poor and wise, receive your saving grace.
Bring forth your fruit in plenty for your land—
Too long has starved for Truth in Holy Food.
In us, show forth to all your loving hand
By Spirit who breaks bread on Calvary’s Rood.
In us, continue visitation made
By Father in His Son through Virgin Maid. 

Mary, Our Open Door

May we see you with Juan Diego’s eyes
     To gratify our sighs
     For birth again from past
That we may know our Eden’s East won’t last,
As Adam New comes through the gate to us
To rescue all with you in Jesus trust.

May roses in our hearts from mantle blue
     Engraved within by you
     Know love in winter’s dead
When by your hand comes spring-time roses red
To warm in Eden’s light through open gate
All those who for Him in this Advent wait.

May we now listen to the words you speak
     To all who for Him seek.
In you at last we find
Decanted royal purple, His new wine,
To wash us in Baptism’s stream to soar
With Him in you—for you’re our open door,