Pentecost

On Pentecost, Peter speaks
To those who have seen
The Holy Spirit come this day.
"Repent and be baptized,"
Peter tells the crowd
And three thousand obey.
Those same words are true today.
We must turn from our failure
To be all God desires us to be
And acknowledge our commitment
Before all.
The words make repentance
Sound easy.
True change is never easy.
Only with the help of the Comforter
Can we turn.
Ask now.

Photo by St.Mary's Episcopal...

The Pope at St.Patrick's

I am not Catholic, but I watched this morning's Mass at St. Patrick's cathedral.

An elderly man walks slowly
Down the aisle of a majestic cathedral,
Dressed in robes of white.
A miter on his head
Bears a golden cross
Like the one he carries in his hand.
He is stooped with age
Or perhaps responsibility.
He is Pope Benedict XVI.
There is mention of St. Peter.
Suddenly, without premonition,
Tears come
And emotion overwhelms me.
Whether I believe
All his church's doctrines
Or not,
His lineage traces back
Through almost two thousand years,
Back to a fisherman from Galilee
Who knew my Savior.
He is the living embodiment
Of my faith,
A connection to my Lord.
For the moment, he draws me closer
To God.

Photo by Beyond Forgetting

Fog

A soft, gray fog envelopes the morning.
Unhappiness and anxiety shroud my world,
Just as the fog shrouds the trees and flowers.
I wait.
Outside the sunlight breaks through.
Can the Comforter's light penetrate the gray worry of my soul?
Let me know the Deliverer's sunlight in my soul,
Let me share that sunlight with others.
Let me bask in the light of the world every day.
Praise comes with difficulty.
Yet, God is always supreme.
God is always in control.
Praise the peace of God
That passes all understanding.

Photo by spoon

A Prayer for Hope

Our Comforter, who surrounds us,
Praise for your existence,
Praise for your solace.
Let your presence be known to all.
Sustain us as the saints were sustained.
Give us hope.
Forgive our lack of faith.
Help us to forgive the shortcomings of others.
Do not burden us beyond endurance.
Deliver us from despair.
For you can give joy
And strength and everlasting life.
Amen

Photo by Jan Tik

Before We Ask

Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him."

Jesus spoke these words
Just before he gives his model prayer.
There is comfort in these words.
Comfort because if God bothers to know
Then God must care.
Today, I need to know that God cares.
Today, I need to feel God's presence.
Today, I need to believe God answers prayer.
Today, I need to keep my faith alive.
Today, I need to accept my life.
Only God can fulfill my needs
And make me whole.
Let it be so.

Photo by ButterflySha

Praise Music

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and with the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.

This ancient song of praise
Demonstrates the proper way
To extol God.
Never is the praiser identified.
There is no "I."
There is no "me."
God is the center of this psalm.
Why are our songs of praise
So centered on ourselves?
Praise music extols
Our feelings,
Our desires,
Our accomplishments
In praising God.
Better to efface ourselves,
Better to center on God.
"Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father,Son and Holy Ghost."

Photo by hoyasmeg

Rain

Rains have come in an unending torrent
To wash away the handiwork of man.
Just as tribulation comes
To wash away our spiritual handiwork.
Let us remember that there is only one builder.
All rests on the Creator's firm foundation.
Give me strength against a rising flood.
Give me hope.

Photo by dozens

Requirements

I am adrift.
I go to church,
But I am a spectator,
Not a participant.
I want to feel part of the Body of Christ,
To know the warmth and security
I have experienced in the past.
Why am I separate?
Why am I alone?
I remember the words of Moses:
"What doth the Lord thy God require of thee,
But to fear the Lord thy God,
To walk in all his ways,
And to love Him,
And to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart
And with all thy soul."
Whether I feel the Comforter's presence or not,
Whether I feel part of God’s fellowship,
I have committed my soul to God’s care,
I will not depart from the Word of God.

Photo by g-hat

My Soul Thirsteth

I need a miracle.
How absurd that sounds.
My life is in shambles.
My health is failing.
Only God can help me.
I pray.
I do not receive an answer.
Yet, I still believe.
I fear God's plan for tomorrow
Because a greater purpose must prevail
At the expense of the individual.
Am I expendable?
"My soul thirsteth for God."
Lord, deliver me.

Photo by iessi

That Which Hath Been Is Now

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been.

Time traps us in its forward flow.
We cannot go back.
God is not bound as we are.
His is the past, the present, and the future.
All are one to God.
The Prince of Peace knows
What was, what is, what will be.
From the beginning until the end,
The Almighty's will prevails.
We must remember
That we move on a larger stage
Than we can comprehend.
Only when the curtain falls
Can we begin to understand.

Photo by fdecomite

Green

Around me my world has changed to green
As plants and trees put on new growth.
Green is the color of renewal,
Green is the color of restoration.
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul."
Whatever our failures,
Whatever our sins,
We need only turn to God
To receive forgiveness.
Forgiven,
We can strive anew
To become
What God intended.
Forgiven,
We can begin again.

Photo by gurdonark

Lamp Unto my Feet

Praise to the Lord Almighty.
Do you hear my woe?
I pray, but receive no answer.
What is your Will?
What do you want me to do?
How do I decide?
Through your Word
As the Psalmist said:
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
And a light unto my path."
As this day passes,
I will immerse myself
In your written word.
Show me the way.

The Poor and Government

The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established forever.

The words of Proverbs speak of a different age,
But are equally true today.
The government that faithfully judges the poor
Shall endure.
A reminder that God's measure is
How we treat the least among us.
Do we care for the sick,
Or do they languish in crowded emergency rooms?
Do we feed the hungry,
Or do the poorest go to bed in want
Because we fear some will abuse our goodwill?
Do we clothe those in need,
Or worry that we do not have the latest fashion?
Do we visit those in prison
Or ignore the fact that your skin color too often determines
Whether you go to jail or not?
I fear we fall so short of Christ's measure.
We are so afraid that we will not have enough
We will not share our abundance.
Just as Christ shared the loaves and fishes
We can share what we have and
Wonder as it stretches into surplus.

Photo by dogbomb

Recipients

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind, and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Too often we give
Because we know
Our gift will be returned in kind,
Because we know
That others will admire our generosity,
Because we wish
To impress the recipient,
Because we wish
To gain prestige.
Christ tells us to give
Not for now,
Not for self,
But for eternity.
How difficult it is to escape society
And behave as God desires.
Only the Comforter
Can give us such strength
To follow Christ's command.

Photo by 10 Corso Como

Spring and Life Eternal

Spring has finally come
And the earth renews itself.
A miracle that we accept
As we accept so many others.
Life itself is such a miracle.
Life, which Christ gave up for us.
I do not understand
The necessity for the cross.
I do know that was Christ's choice,
And, just as spring comes,
Jesus rose from the dead
With the promise
That we too shall rise.
Thank God for life eternal.

Photo by jmtimages

I Am With You

"Lo, I am with you always,
Even unto the end of the world."
With these words of the risen Christ,
Matthew ends his Gospel.
This is Christ's promise,
Not to protect us from the world,
But to be with us.
We are never alone,
In sickness, pain, or deprivation.
God is always there,
Crying when we mourn,
Hurting when we suffer,
Laughing when we are happy,
Holding us when we die.
Our companion, our life.

Photo courtesy NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Heralds

Rain comes as a herald of spring
Just as John the Baptist came as
The herald of Jesus.
With spring will come renewal,
Flowers and fruits,
Just as the fruits of the Spirit
Come from faith in God.
Thank God for the rains of spring.
Let us remember that the dreary days
The rain brings
Are simply the cover of a book
That once opened,
Reveals the beauty of nature.
Spring reminds us of creation and that
"In the beginning was the Word."

Photo by dozens

Thomas, the Scientist

The apostle, Thomas,
Did not believe the words
Of his brethren
That Jesus had risen.
Thomas demanded proof,
Proof that he could test,
The wounds left by the crucifixion:
The nail holes,
The spear gash,
Just as today scientists
Do not take the word of another researcher.
Each result must be verified.
Jesus gave Thomas his proof,
But Christ made sure that all understood
That faith is the ultimate proof.

Photo by Robin Hutton

Resurrection

He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
These words echo
Through the centuries.
The words of resurrection.
The words of Easter.
The heartbeat of Christianity.




We cannot speak in platitudes
Of spiritual resurrection.
All four gospels leave no doubt.
This was the resurrection of the body,
Not some nebulous spirit,
Not some wished belief.
The disciples, lost and grieving,
Change in one day.
Now they will spread the news
Throughout the world
For they know the truth:
Death has been conquered,
Christ is alive.
We celebrate his resurrection
And his promise
That we too shall have eternal life.
We confront the living God:
Creator, Word and Love.

Photo by Seamus Murray

The Missing Day

Jesus is dead,
That is what his disciples believe
On this day the apostles are absent from the gospels,
This missing day.
Their world is ashes.
Their grief is immense.
They fear for their lives.
They hide in the upper room.
Only the women dare to go out.
Jerusalem is strangely quiescent.
Tomorrow their world will come alive,
But not today.
We must remember that day
When sorrow fills us,
When we are afraid,
When we hide from the world.
Those that knew our Savior best
Did not escape their human frailty,
Neither can we.
We know that with the morrow
Came relief and jubilation.
We have the risen Christ,
Not the missing day.

Photo by The Wandering Angel