The Sparrow's Nest

 
 The Sparrow's Nest
by William Wordsworth

Behold, within the leafy shade,
Those bright blue eggs together laid!
On me the chance-discovered sight
Gleamed like a vision of delight.
I started--seeming to espy
The home and sheltered bed,
The Sparrow's dwelling, which, hard by
My Father's house, in wet and dry
My sister Emmeline and I
Together visited.

She looked at it and seemed to fear it;
Dreading, tho' wishing, to be near it:
Such heart was in her, being then
A little Prattler among men.
The Blessing of my later years
Was with me when a boy:
She gave me eyes, she gave me ears;
And humble cares, and delicate fears;
A heart, the fountain of sweet tears;
And love, and thought, and joy.

From there where all surrenders come

ELECTED Silence, sing to me
And beat upon my whorlèd ear,
Pipe me to pastures still and be
The music that I care to hear.

Shape nothing, lips; be lovely-dumb:
It is the shut, the curfew sent
From there where all surrenders come
Which only makes you eloquent.

Be shellèd, eyes, with double dark
And find the uncreated light:
This ruck and reel which you remark
Coils, keeps, and teases simple sight.

Palate, the hutch of tasty lust,
Desire not to be rinsed with wine:
The can must be so sweet, the crust
So fresh that come in fasts divine!

Nostrils, your careless breath that spend
Upon the stir and keep of pride,
What relish shall the censers send
Along the sanctuary side!

O feel-of-primrose hands, O feet
That want the yield of plushy sward,
But you shall walk the golden street
And you unhouse and house the Lord.

And, Poverty, be thou the bride
And now the marriage feast begun,
And lily-coloured clothes provide
Your spouse not laboured-at nor spun.

G.M. Hopkins

St. John of the Cross - from The Spiritual Canticle

VI
THE BRIDE

Oh! who can heal me?
Give me at once Yourself,
Send me no more
A messenger
Who cannot tell me what I wish.

VII
All they who serve are telling me
Of Your unnumbered graces;
And all wound me more and more,
And something leaves me dying,
I know not what, of which they are darkly speaking.

VIII
But how you persevere, O life,
Not living where you live;
The arrows bring death
Which you receive
From your conceptions of the Beloved.

IX
Why, after wounding
This heart, have You not healed it?
And why, after stealing it,
Have You thus abandoned it,
And not carried away the stolen prey?

X
Quench my troubles,
For no one else can soothe them;
And let my eyes behold You,
For You are their light,
And I will keep them for You alone.

XI
Reveal Your presence,
And let the vision and Your beauty kill me,
Behold the malady
Of love is incurable
Except in Your presence and before Your face.

XII
O crystal well!
Oh that on Your silvered surface
You would mirror forth at once
Those eyes desired
Which are outlined in my heart!

XIII
Turn them away, O my Beloved!
I am on the wing:

St. John of the Cross, from The Spiritual Canticle

Before You

 

Before You

Before You,

it all seemed superficial.

Life seemed easy, yet restless.

My heart was walled.

My heart was careful,

seemingly broken beyond repair.

My heart was beyond bother,

relying on a strength that could not stand,

carrying a false hope in that which could not last.

Then I saw You, Jesus and now I know You.

You have revealed Your Love to me,

and my perception has changed.

You plunge into the depths with me.

You never abandon me.

Life is harder, yet Your yoke is easy,

Your burden light.

You tear down the walls in my heart.

You give me boldness and a new,

pure humility,

knowing Your Power,

giving strength to my weakness.

You bind up my wounds with Your Holy Touch.

Your Strength is ever present.

Your Hope is true. Your Love is eternal.

And I realize it was always You,

that there never was a before You.

You never change. You never left.

You have always been my Love, my Life, my Breath.

 

I Love You, Jesus.

Amen.

 

 

My Mother Mary

+JMJ+

My Mother Mary

Conceived by Grace,

All Grace in Grace.
Purity whole and Love to welcome
All Love in Love, your heart awaits.

To you, all innocence and beauty,

God’s messenger beckons, and
Your yes heaven awaits.
His Love He gives and you receive.

All Beauty while Incarnation rests,

You give yourself complete to Love.
Proceeding in haste to where He calls,
His Glory magnified by your willing heart.

Oh, the gift of His life,

As you await His sweet embrace
To hold His hand Divine while
Pondering His sweet face.

He depends on you,

His mother He trusts.
You give Him all of your mother’s heart
As you await the Cross Divine.

By your consent

His Heart opens to mine.
And you give your sorrowful heart
To him who knows his Love’s heartbeat.

By your yes again, you invite His bride

To rest in your Motherly Love
And in His grace Divine,
Make our hearts like unto thine.

His Fire in you, He gives us too.

All Love in Love,
All Grace in Grace
That we may ponder His sweet face.

And when your earthly walk dims

You surrender yourself wholly
And He brings you home
To dwell with Him.

~KS

Triumph of the Cross

THE TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS 

St. Louis de Marie Montfort

I
The Cross in mystery
Is veiled for us below;
Without great light to see,
Who shall its splendor know?
Alone the lofty mind
Shall this high secret trace;
And none shall heaven find
Who grasps it not by grace.

II
Nature the Cross abhors;
Reason gives it a frown;
The learned man ignores It.
Satan tears it down.
Despite a pious art,
Even the fervent soul
Oft takes it not to heart,
But plays the liar's role.

III
Essential is the Tree,
And we who know its cost
Must mount to Calvary
Or languish and be lost.
As Saint Augustine states
With outcry ominous,
We all are reprobates
Unless God chastens us.

IV
Its Necessity

One road to Heaven runs:
The highway of the Cross.
It was the royal Son's,
His road to life from loss.
And every stone of it
That guides the pilgrim's feet
Is chiseled fair to fit
In Zion's holy street.

V
Vain is the victory
Of him who, conquering
The world, lacks mastery
Of self through suffering;
Vain if he has not Christ,
Slain Christ, for exemplar,
Or spurns the Sacrificed
For dread of wound and scar.

VI
Its Victories

Christ's Cross, restraining Hell,
Has conquered Eden's curse,
Stormed Satan's citadel,
And won the universe.
Now to His faithful band
He gives that weapon bright
To arm both heart and hand
Against the evil sprite.

VII
In this auspicious Sign
Thou shalt be conqueror,
Said He to Constantine,
Who that proud Standard bore;
A glorious augury,
Of whose prodigious worth
The records all agree
In Heaven and on earth!

VIII
Its Glory and Merit

Despite deceitful sense
And reason's fickle shift,
The Cross with confidence
We take as Truth's own gift.
A princess there we see
In whom, let faith confess,
We find all charity,
Grace, wisdom, holiness.

IX
God's love could not resist
Such beauty or its plea,
Which bade Him keep a tryst
With our humanity.
Coming to earth, He said:
This, Lord, and nothing more:
Thy saving Cross imbed
Here in My bosom's core.

X
He took it, found it fair,
An object not of shame
But honor, made it share
His love's most tender flame.
From childhood's morning hour
His longing kept in sight
As beauty would a flower
The Cross of His delight.

XI
At last in its caress
Long sought for eagerly,
He died of tenderness
And love's totality.
That dear supreme baptism
For which His heart had cried,
The Cross became His chrism,
Love's object undenied.

XII
Christ called the Fisherman
A Satan scandalous
When he but winced to scan
What Christ would bear for us.
Christ's Cross we may adore,
His Mother we may not.
O mystery and more!
a marvel beyond thought!

XIII
This Cross, now scattered wide
On earth, shall one day rise
Transported, glorified,
To the celestial skies.
Upon a cloudy height
The Cross, full-brillianted,
Shall, by its very sight,
Judge both the quick and dead.

XIV
Revenge, the Cross will cry
Against its sullen foes;
Pardon and joy on high
And blessedness for those
Of proved fidelity
In the immortal throng,
Singing its victory
With universal song.

XV
In life the Saints aspired
To nothing but the Cross;
'Twas all that they desired,
Counting all else but loss.
Each one, in discontent
With such afflictions sore
As chastening Heaven sent,
Condemned himself to more.

XVI
St. Peter, prison-chained,
Had greater glory there
Than when at Rome he gained
The first Christ-Vicar's chair.
Saint Andrew, faithful, cried:
O good Cross, let me yield
To thee and in thee hide,
Where death in Life is sealed.

 XVII
See how the great St. Paul
Depicts with meagre gloss
His rapture mystical,
But glories in the Cross.
More admirable far,
More merit-rich is he,
Behind his dungeon bar
Than in his ecstasy.

XVIII
Its Effects

Without a Cross, the soul
Is cowardly and tame;
Like fire to a coal
The Cross sets it aflame.
One who has suffered not,
In ignorance is bound;
Only in pain's hard lot
Is holy wisdom found.

XIX
A soul untried is poor
In value; new, untrained,
With destiny unsure
And little wisdom gained.
O sweetness sovereign
Which the afflicted feels
When pleased that to his pain
No human solace steals!

XX
'Tis by the Cross alone
God's blessing is conferred,
And His forgiveness known
In the absolving word.
He wants all things to bear
The mark of that great seal;
Without it, nought is fair
To Him, no beauty real.

XXI
Wherever place is given
The Cross, things once profane
Become instinct with Heaven
And shed away their stain.
On breast and brow, God's sign,
Worn proudly for His sake,
Will bless with Power Divine
Each task we undertake.

XXII
It is our surety,
Our one protection,
Our hope's white purity,
Our soul's perfection.
So precious is its worth
That Angels fain would bring
The blest soul back to earth
To share our suffering.

XXIII
This Sign has such a charm
That at the altar-stone
The priest can God disarm
And draw Him from His throne.
Over the sacred Host
This mighty Sign he plays,
Signals the Holy Ghost,
And the Divine obeys.

XXIV
With this adorable Sign
A fragrance is diffused
Most exquisite and fine,
A perfume rarely used.
The consecrated priest
Makes Him this offering
As incense from the East,
Meet crown for Heaven's King.

XXV
Eternal Wisdom still
Sifts our poor human dross
For one whose heart and will
Is worthy of the Cross,
Still seeks one spirit rare
Whose every pulse and breath
Is fortitude to bear
The Christ-Cross until death.

Ardent Apostrophe

XXVI
O Cross, let me be hushed;
In speech I thee abase.
Let my presumption, crushed,
Its insolence erase.
Since thee I have received
Imperfectly, in part,
Forgive me, friend aggrieved,
For my unwilling heart!

XXVII
Dear Cross, here in this hour,
I bow to thee in awe.
Abide with me in power
And teach me all thy law.
My princess, let me glow
With ardor in thine arms;
Grant me to chastely know
The secret of thy charms.

XXVIII.
In seeing thee so fair,
I hunger to possess
Thy beauty, but I dare
Not in my faithlessness.
Come, mistress, by thy will
Arouse my feeble soul
And I will give thee still
A heart renewed and whole.

XXIX
For life I choose thee now,
My pleasure, honor, friend,
Sole object of my vow,
Sole joy to which I tend.
For mercy's sake, print, trace
Yourself upon my heart,
My arm, my forehead, face;
And not one blush will start.

XXX
Above all I possess
I choose thy poverty;
And for my tenderness
Thy sweet austerity.
Now be thy folly wise
And all thy holy shame
As grandeur in my eyes,
My glory and my fame.

XXXI
When, by your majesty,
And for your glory's sake,
You shall have vanquished me,
That conquest I shall take
As final victory,
Though worthy not to fall
Beneath thy blows, or be
A mockery to all.

English Rendition by Clifford J. Laube, Litt.D.

We Grow Old By Deserting Our Ideals

From TFP Student Action:

Youth
by Samuel Ullman

Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years.
People grow old only by deserting their ideals.
Years wrinkle the skin but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair . . .
these are the quick equivalents of the
long years that bow the head and turn
the growing spirit back to dust.

Whether 70 or 16, there is, in every being’s heart the love of
wonder, the sweet amazement of the stars, and the star-like
things and thoughts, the undaunted challenge of events,
the unfailing childlike appetite for “What Next?”

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt,
as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear,
as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

So long as your heart receives messages of
beauty, cheer, courage, grandeur and power from
the earth, from man and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When all the wires are down, and all the
central places of your heart are covered with
the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism,
then, and only then, are you grown old indeed,
and may God have mercy on your soul.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort: Treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Hymn No. 40, from Hymns of St. Louis Marie de Montfort (pdf)

Treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus


1. Here is the greatest marvel
Expressed in my verses.
Chosen souls, listen
And mingle your voices with mine.

2. Rising far above myself,
I ascend even to the saints,
Higher still, to the Great High King,
Higher than all the heavens.

3. What do I see? All heaven admires it,
All heaven’s astonished!
I see what cannot be described.
Come, come and gaze, chosen souls.

4. Angels, tell me, I entreat you,
What is this lovely blazing fire?
It is the Heart of Mary’s Son,
And of the only Son of God.

5. Mortals, adore with angels
This Heart, which we too must adore,
Cry out and sing praises
To a Heart that love has rent.

6. O great mystery of glory
Not grasped here below!
Faith is needed to believe it
If a heart has yet to taste it!

7. This Heart, as man approaches,
Exalts God its Creator,
Glorifying His mercy,
Offering perfect homage.

8. How startling! The Heart is humble
At all times before its Father;
It praises, adores, entreats,
Speaking for us mightily.

9. O overwhelming marvel!
O Heart Most Divine,
Infinitely adorable,
Within the Trinity all holy!

10. O! What flames rise to the Father
From this Heart night and day!
O! how it loves man, his brother,
With pure and burning love!

11. O great Heart! O burning furnace!
O miraculous inferno
Shooting forth abundant flames
To set earth and heaven afire!

12. Since it is Heart, it loves us
Without ceasing for an instant;
It loves us as much as itself,
Exceedingly, infinitely.

13. It is the Heart of hearts sublime,
The Heart of the truly chosen,
The greatest of their victim souls,
Through Him, our sins are pardoned.

14. In this Heart, the holiest souls,
The best friends of the Savior
Have found their purest flames,
Their most inexpressible fervor.

15. Here is the real treasury
Of the grace of Jesus Christ,
Here is the admirable fount
Of all the Holy Spirit’s gifts.

16. Here is the fount of life
From which all the saints have drunk,
Here is the marvelous fire
Where their hearts became enflamed.

17. We find in this Heart all weapons,
It is the great arsenal;
We find in it the holiest delights
To charm, and conquer evil.

18. Here is the holiest hideaway
Where we avoid all sin,
Where even the imperfect soul
Becomes holy, at bargain prices.

19. Here is the town of refuge
Where no one is ever hurt,
And the true ark of deluge
Where no one ever drowns.

20. This pierced Heart enchants
And disarms the God of vengeance,
Its wound forms its divine mouth
Which victoriously pleads.

21. In this Heart, God the Father
Never strikes the sinner,
This Heart calms his anger,
Obtains his grace and favor.

22. Here is the sacred entrance
To the Spouse’s inner chamber,
Where the pure soul is inebriated
With love’s most pleasing wine.

23. In this Heart the soul is laced
With perfume’s sweetest scent.
In this Heart the soul is lit
With extraordinary fire.

24. This Heart is our living ark
Containing the entire law,
The innocent soul’s secrets
And the mysteries of the faith.

25. In this Heart our Master planned
All the secrets of his love,
Before disclosing them to us,
Before bringing them to light.

26. His Heart formed His oracles
Before He ever uttered them,
His Heart formed His miracles
Before He ever performed them.

27. In this fount of all light,
The favorites of Jesus Christ
Have drawn the deepest mysteries,
The Holy Spirit’s greatest gifts.

28. In this pure treasure of innocence
All the saints have been formed,
It is there that they were born
And accomplished all their plans.

29. This Heart is the rock’s cleft
Where gentle peace is found,
It is earth’s paradise
Where dwell all the elect.

30. This Heart is the bed of rest
For Jesus’ intimate friends;
In this Heart they acquire
Their most sublime virtues.

31. O great Heart, O deep abyss
Of profound humility!
O great Heart, O sublime throne
Of perfect charity!

32. Oh miracle of the world, great Heart
Which truly contains everything,
Heaven, earth and sea,
All the Holy Trinity!

33. Praising this adorable Heart,
I praise in proportion
The Heart of His admirable Mother,
So intense is their union.

34. It is you alone whom I adore,
Heart of my God, glorious Heart,
But, adoring you, I also honor
The Heart of heaven’s Queen.

35. Christians, by Mary’s Heart
We love the Heart of Jesus,
Since Jesus took life
In her most virtuous heart.

36. From the blood of her flaming heart,
The Heart of Jesus was formed;
They have but one heart, but one soul,
One and the other should be loved.

37. Soul, lose yourself entirely
In these two miraculous hearts,
One and the other convince you
To see but one in the two.

38. Dear soul, mount secretly,
By this tender heart to the Heart Most High.
You will soon become perfect,
Loving this Heart as one should.
GOD ALONE

From Collected Works of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, Hymns of Montfort

Agony

From the comments on a blog post to which I would rather not link, author unknown:

Agony

In a garden
On a warm spring night
Long ago,
The Lord of All, conjoined
With frail humanity
Saw
Down the ages
An angry, spiteful, hating
Man.
And looking beyond
(the insult to his body)
Saw
A soul in torment
And wept tears of blood.

(Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison)

St. Louis Marie de Montfort - Benefits of Almsgiving

Hymn No. 17 - Benefits of Almsgiving (pdf)
St. Louis Marie de Montfort

1. I see a light descending,
Approaching, shining near.
Ah! Truly, it is charity,
It is heartfelt mercy.
She yearns to espouse us,
O! how kind she is,
We must not refuse her
For she is too charming.

2. Although awesome in her greatness,
Although God be her throne,
Because of her gentleness,
Almsgiving is her name.
She is compassion
For the wretched,
The tender abundance
Of a loving hand.

3. This queen seems forgetful
Of her divine birth.
She sacrifices herself
For the suffering poor;
She gladly clasps to her breast
The greatest miseries,
And how gently she dresses
The most repulsive wounds.

4. You miser with one foot in hell,
You would rather not believe;
But dear chosen soul, trust me,
For it concerns your glory.
Gently lend your ear
To everything I’ll now explain,
So you may believe it perfectly
And put it into practice.

5. Almsgiving is necessary,
Our faith itself attests,
Everything confirms this truth
Even nature itself.
Our neighbor has the good fortune
Of having the same father as we,
So we must help him with all our heart,
As our own brother.

6. Almsgiving is the commandment
Of Jesus, our Master,
Only the truly blind
Are ignorant of this.
Give and it will be given unto you,
That is my commandment.
Without it, you will be condemned,
No exceptions granted.

7. Transform iniquity
And transitory goods,
Into treasures for eternity
And friends, without a doubt;
Then no thief can pilfer
By force or by cunning,
Nor will the wealth ever spoil
From rust or from years.

8. Everything grants alms for God,
Each in its own way:
The air, the sea, the earth, the fire
And all nature itself.
Look at all the animals:
One gives us food, another carries us,
They all assist us in our needs
By lending strong support.

9. But what greater blessings
When it comes to grace:
The Father sends His Son
In spite of our disgrace,
The Son gives Himself all to all
Right up to the Eucharist,
The Holy Spirit comes upon us.
Oh! What alms so infinite!

10. When I see heaven’s Queen,
(She is our only hope),
Put in this world’s poor
All her confidence,
Give all things to us in charity,
And become our Mother,
I say: Almsgiving, in truth,
Is great and necessary.

.
.
.
Read more here (pdf)


From Collected Writings of St. Louis Marie de Montfort,
Hymns of Montfort, No. 17

Paradise Lost

St. Raphael Icon - Vladislav Andrejev

“But Knowledge is as food, and needs no less

Her Temperance over Appetite, to know

In measure what the mind may well contain,

Oppresses else with Surfeit, and soon turns

Wisdom to Folly, as Nourishment to Wind."

~ John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 7, 126-130

Tension

Between giving up food and giving up my life
Between outward appearances and interior groaning
Between limited philosophies and Beauty ever ancient, ever new
Between superficiality and genuine concern
Between being dismissive and truly caring
Between grasping and receiving
Between false humility and true sorrow for my sins
Between pride and Love
Between self will and Divine Will
Between desperation and confidence
Between despair and hope
Between doubt and faith

Between false and real
Between lies and Truth
Between avoidance and redemption
Between fear and trust
Between oblivion and suffering with Christ

Between anger and forgiveness
Between succumbing and submission
Between anxiety and peace
Between hell and heaven
Between dark and light
Between finite and infinite
Between death and life

Hopefulness, Eagerness, Kindliness, and Gentleness

Many years ago, much earlier in my faith journey, I was praying at the Chapel at our local Newman Center. I asked God to show me how to live my life for Him, how to be a good wife and a good mother.  I was struggling with a lack of peace, with a lack of hope, and with a great deal of anger.  So often, I have doubts about my ability to be a good wife and mother, and back then I felt so alone with these doubts and with my own sin.  It seemed like everyone else around me had it so together, but I have since learned that many people, if not all, have these types of doubts.  I have also learned that all of us are fighting some type of battle, and that it is in our weakness that we find the strength of Christ, if only we turn to Him in our troubles.  And I am learning to love others the way God does, both in their weaknesses and in their strengths.

That day, He answered my prayer as I opened the hymnal to this song:




In this song, God gave me a way to look to Him at each moment of the day, with hopefulness and joy at the break of the day, with eagerness and faith at the noon of the day, with kindliness and grace at the eve of the day, and with gentleness and calm at the end of the day.  With the gift of looking to Him as He is, He gives us bliss, strength, love, and peace.  Now, I will be the first to admit that I forget this often, probably more often that not.  But He reminded me today, as I heard this song again earlier this evening (as Be Thou My Vision) while sitting in the living room with my husband after dinner, that the peace we have is His, and I am so grateful for His peace in our hearts. 

Lord of All Hopefulness

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like, no cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.



Note:  edited for clarity.

The Day After

Twisted, gnarled, bloody
Confusion everywhere
Despair lurking
Panic
Pain
Confusion again....how could this happen?
How?
Why?
Why is He who was here with us gone?

This ugly wood is empty now, where is He?
Bloody, broken, pounded, crushed

Intense loss, grief, suffering
How can this be?
Where is His love?

Lost, alone, and scared.
Where is He?
Where is His love?

This is not beauty, this is death, where is my Lord?

Then She tells me, He is here, He has not gone.
His Love is eternal. We have no power to overcome this evil.
Only He can heal by His forgiveness.

He has given himself to this bloody death for you.
He has overcome your sin, your guilt.
He has overcome the the guilt of the sins of your fathers.

We weep here at His Cross, we cry out in anguish.
He has overcome all by His Love and Mercy.
This is Beauty, You O Lord, have ravished my heart
by Your Love and Mercy. Your Cross has set me free.

by ks