Tag: faith

Virgin Mother Mary

O Mary, virgin in God’s house,
May we our own vocations fill
As you’re forever Spirit’s spouse
And in God’s plan are virgin still.

Forever Mother of God’s Son,
You as a virgin always share
In birth by Spirit of each one
Who needs your mother’s tender care.

Your virgin’s hands and heart now bear
The life of each by Spirit sired,
For wedding garment you still wear
As mother of each new-born child.

On cross your Son to all us gave,
A virgin to our mother be—
Each one unique by Spirit made,
Like you a once-made specialty.

O Virgin Mary, be our guide
As with your mother’s hands you show
The gifts unique in each abide,
Configured there in shape you know.

May each of us then take the place
That’s made for each of us alone
In house with Mother, full of grace
And always virgin in God’s home.

Our Shepherd’s Voice

Our Shepherd’s voice is strong and clear
And travels down the length of time
As through the Church to us draws near
Through bishop with the bread and wine.

Through hands laid on we hear His voice
With Confirmation’s baptized ears,
And know that Jesus made the choice
To speak in words that we can hear.

His human words through bishop speaks
And through His pastors to our hearts;
We recognize the one who seeks
With Jesus’ truth to us impart.

As sheep we know a pastor false
Whose honeyed words will make no sense;
We separate the wheat and dross
And know the pastors Jesus sent.

We hunger for His truth in words
That live in Body and His Blood,
And we can recognize our Lord
As we ‘neath cross with Mary stood.

The pastors false deny His cross
And never will deny themselves,
So, in the end, they will be lost,
For they refuse His truth to tell. 

Cloaked in Humility

We long to be inside that gate
     So we can know God’s love
Where Tree of Life for us awaits
     And we can look above. 

But we too often  have looked down—
     In pride we’ve taken charge—
And in our sins our hope is drowned
     As sinful self enlarged.

Our god becomes our human strength
    But find it cannot lift
Ourselves from mire in which we sink
     And cry for Spirit’s gift. 

And then from where we wish to be
     One comes in heaven’s cloak,
A garment of humility,
     From inside out it soaks.

For heart of Him within is great
     And colors what’s without;
In Him there is no room for hate
     Nor is their any doubt.

He for us is God’s Truth and Way—
     The Life for which we’ve longed—
God’s Word for us has final say
    For to Him we belong.

Humility casts out our sin—
     In Him we are sin free—
And gate is opened, we step in
     To eat of His Life Tree.

We feast on risen Body, Blood—
     At last we truly live—
His key to gate is Holy Rood,
     And Paradise He gives. 

Light in the Darkness

My darkness Jesus scatters wide
     So I can see His face;
In His light see those at my side,
     And each is full of grace.

For each one from His Cross receives
     His love that knows no bounds,
That calls each one to Him believe
     Who scatters mercy round.

His voice calls each one to repent,
    Receive forgiveness now,
For each He has His own life spent–
     To each with grace endows.

Forgiveness flows from risen life
     In Body and His Blood;
He lives forever–brings His light
     In all to darkness flood.