On holy ground we trod...
Glory be to Him Who Is, to our living God.
Will His grace come down again this morn,
This day when He, the Christ child, was born?
Will His grace come to us and visit us this day?
Heaven come down upon us, descend down to us,
Cover us in the grace to stay
For us this Christmas Day.
Manger-born, lowly-lived,
More than this, more is He than this...
A King in squalor
Raised up with selfless valor
For Love, a babe, is born unto us,
Love, our Love, He—Christ Jesus!
Good Christian men, join in!
With all voices begin
The Chorus to end all choruses then...
Join with us, the Praises now;
Join with us, as zeal allows!
Christ is born, Christ the King!
All glory now be;
All glory now rest!
Christ is near; Christ is here!
Christ be forever blest!
Dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham,
Houston, Texas, December 25, 2012.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Sunday, December 09, 2012
To the One Whom Heaven Has Hidden
To the One whom Heaven has hidden... What glorious vision,
He for whom Time obeys and space diminish!
Sight remains obscured and the distance hidden,
This the Royal Road He hath given!
Speak of the one whom You have held from me, O Gracious One...
Speak of her as radiance that reflects the Light of Your Son!
Love, O Love, won't thou speak of the Other and in us indwell
Love's Spirit, and in all the tyrant temporal tempests quell.
O Love come now to us and dwell!
Make of us a shelter to weather the storm,
Out of the dust and air to form
Us in your likeness and to us transform,
That which is Love Outpoured.
Come to us, O Love in hiding...
Give us the grace to trust Your timing.
He for whom Time obeys and space diminish!
Sight remains obscured and the distance hidden,
This the Royal Road He hath given!
Speak of the one whom You have held from me, O Gracious One...
Speak of her as radiance that reflects the Light of Your Son!
Love, O Love, won't thou speak of the Other and in us indwell
Love's Spirit, and in all the tyrant temporal tempests quell.
O Love come now to us and dwell!
Make of us a shelter to weather the storm,
Out of the dust and air to form
Us in your likeness and to us transform,
That which is Love Outpoured.
Come to us, O Love in hiding...
Give us the grace to trust Your timing.
Saturday, December 08, 2012
Tota Pulchra Es: The Virgin's Example
Love requires action, and thus sacrifice, at the very least to prove that our faith is not dead, to provide the fruits of the hope of what is to come in the Vineyard when the Springtime comes and the Wedding Feast is upon us. The action is but a kiss of truth to the beautiful words: "I love you."
Without the fruits that follow, the words are but bitter fruits not yet ripened for the harvest and are best disregarded until the maturation process has begun. Love, like new wine, cannot bear itself from unripened fruits. Even when borne the process takes years to age a wine or mature a love that is not easily forgotten or is utterly praiseworthy.
We must say yes to the love that abides, not because it depends on us, but rather, because it depends and begins with Him who is.
What better earthly example of these gifts put into action than our Blessed Mother, the Virgin conceived without Original Sin? Why should we limit those whom God so richly blesses? Is it a matter of Scripture? Who is this is so "Full of Grace?" And why? Because of her merits? Hardly! However, for God's own plan and desires has she been made spotless and yet still complete in free will! Why denigrate the mother of our Lord and Savior? Why is there no reverence at the gift of His mother to the Beloved Disciple? Are we not called to be the Beloved Disciple, too? Are we not to take her into our homes?
Can we live a life of love in action, not simply of movement but also contemplation, to the love that has been so richly poured out to us that we, even in graced moments, cannot fully fathom here during our limited time on Earth with our limited purview?
Even the most graced souls, as it was with our Blessed Mother, did not have full view of God's plan and yet, in Mary's example of her fiat, proclaimed in her graced words, "Be it done unto me according to thy word" (cf. Luke 1:38). It was Simeon who foretold that a sword would pierce her heart for the sorrow to be experienced and so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (cf. Luke 2:35-36). We must share in that sweet burden if those thoughts are to be revealed.
We are called to be faithful and fruitful in whatever we do, so that His glory may be shown through us, not for our own sake but for His glory. With this simple truth in mind, let us unite our prayers with those of our Mother in gentleness and kindness, that God's mercy and love will endure through our many faults. Let us love with the Heart of Mary the Sacred Heart of Christ, who bears all things for He, in union with Father and the Holy Spirit, is Love made manifest.
Let us rest in this ineffable truth, this beauty too wonderful for words and, like our Blessed Mother's example, let us treasure all these things and ponder them in our hearts (cf. Luke 2:19).
Without the fruits that follow, the words are but bitter fruits not yet ripened for the harvest and are best disregarded until the maturation process has begun. Love, like new wine, cannot bear itself from unripened fruits. Even when borne the process takes years to age a wine or mature a love that is not easily forgotten or is utterly praiseworthy.
We must say yes to the love that abides, not because it depends on us, but rather, because it depends and begins with Him who is.
What better earthly example of these gifts put into action than our Blessed Mother, the Virgin conceived without Original Sin? Why should we limit those whom God so richly blesses? Is it a matter of Scripture? Who is this is so "Full of Grace?" And why? Because of her merits? Hardly! However, for God's own plan and desires has she been made spotless and yet still complete in free will! Why denigrate the mother of our Lord and Savior? Why is there no reverence at the gift of His mother to the Beloved Disciple? Are we not called to be the Beloved Disciple, too? Are we not to take her into our homes?
Can we live a life of love in action, not simply of movement but also contemplation, to the love that has been so richly poured out to us that we, even in graced moments, cannot fully fathom here during our limited time on Earth with our limited purview?
Even the most graced souls, as it was with our Blessed Mother, did not have full view of God's plan and yet, in Mary's example of her fiat, proclaimed in her graced words, "Be it done unto me according to thy word" (cf. Luke 1:38). It was Simeon who foretold that a sword would pierce her heart for the sorrow to be experienced and so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (cf. Luke 2:35-36). We must share in that sweet burden if those thoughts are to be revealed.
We are called to be faithful and fruitful in whatever we do, so that His glory may be shown through us, not for our own sake but for His glory. With this simple truth in mind, let us unite our prayers with those of our Mother in gentleness and kindness, that God's mercy and love will endure through our many faults. Let us love with the Heart of Mary the Sacred Heart of Christ, who bears all things for He, in union with Father and the Holy Spirit, is Love made manifest.
Let us rest in this ineffable truth, this beauty too wonderful for words and, like our Blessed Mother's example, let us treasure all these things and ponder them in our hearts (cf. Luke 2:19).
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