Poetry: Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gandalf Corrects Frodo (Image Source: New Line Cinema)

“May the working of this heavenly gift, O Lord, we pray, take possession of our minds and bodies, so that its effects, and not our own desires, may always prevail in us” (from the Post-Communion Prayer).

“Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin!” (Sirach 28:6; from the First Reading, Year A).

“Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this, [Jesus] turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.’” (Mark 8:32b-33; from the Gospel, Year B).

“[The father] said to [his older son], ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’” (Luke 15:31-32; from the Gospel, Long Form, Year C).

"Correction Sunday"

Poem for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

To the words of a wise man take heed,

Implement his correction with speed;

For the words of a fool, have disdain,

For they’ll tarnish your name with a stain.

To the threats of a violent man,

Show naught but your weapons in hand.

To the wantonly violent ones

Bare your teeth and your sword till they run.

Throw not your pearls before swine,

Lest they turn upon you for to dine.

Better heed the wisdom of the old,

But be frank with the haughty and bold.

That’s the lesson we learn from the Lord,

Who rebukes Peter sharp with a word,

For he tempted to abandon the cross,

Which, if heeded, would turn to our loss.

The face of the Lord is like flint,

For when struck with some steel will not dent,

But instead with a spark kindles fire:

To set ablaze the whole world His desire.

Now all this can be learned in a camp

Where a fire is both stove and a lamp,

Whereon food is cooked to survive,

Or make s’mores so the campers can thrive.

A fire gives warmth and gives light,

Which are good for the cold winter night;

This world is nothing else to me

But the cold darkened exile I see.

Yet while we are here on this earth,

We must become the fire in its dearth:

A flame that sets fire to so much,

Like Midas, but better – God’s touch.

A fire starts small but will spread,

Bringing life to the wood that is dead.

Like unbraided rope rolled in a ball

Gets a spark, lights fire to kindling and logs.

So love often spreads heart-to-heart,

Then from there it will spread hearth-to-hearth,

And then a whole city’s ablaze

As the people embrace Christian ways.

But there are expressions of love

That people don’t want or think of

That can bring back to life embers cold

Of the tepid by pleasure too dulled.

These expressions are merciful doings

That neglected, would bring men to ruins.

As God will correct and will chide,

We must do just the same and not hide.

With charity we do likewise,

And corrections received not despise,

But sagacious and prudent and wise,

Discerning the truth from the lies.

God Himself can correct us direct

Through good conscience that’s not derelict,

Or through others He can check our course,

If we’re open to honest discourse.

Authority’s solely from God,

To correct and to punish the wrong.

So we should accept correction that’s shared

From all those who authority bear.

If we have to correct, it is said

That we let not pride get to our head,

But we humbly and candidly speak,

And then graciously hold we our peace.

I know of a genius who was

Corrected by his Catholic boss,

Who admonished him personally,

Though found no fault professionally.

The man knew his boss was not dumb,

Giving pause then to think and not run,

That his conduct matched not to his claim:

He was Catholic only in name.

Because his boss did not have fear,

But he challenged this man to be clear

And consistent with what truly he was,

He has depth now in things that he does:

The genius is now Catholic priest

Because grace and correction increased;

By grace we all now call him Father,

Which would not be had his boss not bothered.

Movie Clip

Gandalf speaks to Frodo in the Mines of Moria, and corrects him about pity and about his attitude toward the times in which he lives.

Story of the Priest

This is the story of Father Ken Geraci, CPM, the priest mentioned in the last few stanzas in the poem above.

Poetry: A Memorable Rally

Image Source: Fox News

A Memorable Rally

With shock and anger we did see

Attempted assassination,

We were filled with horror and

With righteous indignation,

But then the candidate got up

With mighty exclamation.

He put his fist up to the air

And rallied all the nation,

Not just MAGA people there

At the rally in their station,

And now his rally cry is ours

Despite media lies' propagation.

He is a strong man in the fight,

Although not perfect he,

But which of us should throw a stone

And claim to sinless be?

Condemn his words, ignore results?

Open your eyes and see!

Because of his own deeds we saw

Roe like the lightning fall.

And life had been affordable 

For incomes great and small.

But Dems still leverage all their might, 

Him persecute and all else stall.

Who is responsible for this 

Attempted murder of a president?

Theories fly like swarms on dung:

"The Secret Service!" "The Resident!"

We may likely never know,

But that God defends him is evident.

But do we really need to know

What's not for our salvation?

We know from history, there comes

The death of every nation;

Kingdoms come and kingdoms go

With anxious desperation.

Poetry Translation: Veni, Sancte Spiritus

 

Pentecost, by Jean Restout (1692-1768); Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

Translation of the Veni, Sancte Spiritus

My original translation, written in 2023, is set in iambic pentameter.

O come, Thou Holy Spirit, from on high,

Send forth from Thy great throne in heav’nly heights

A ray of Thy most pure and brilliant light.

Come forth, O Father of the poor in heart,

Come forth, Thou Giver of good gifts and art,

Come forth, O light of all Thy faithful hearts.

O Thou, best Comforter of souls in fear,

O Thou, sweet Guest of Thine own souls so near,

O Thou, sweetest Refreshment to all here.

O Thou, sweet Rest in labors wearisome,

O Thou, the cooling Breeze amidst the warmth,

O Thou, Relief in tears so far from home.

O Thou, most blesséd Light unto our souls,

So graciously our hearts do Thou make full,

And all hearts of Thy faithful people sure.

For without Thee, O God the Holy Ghost,

There is nothing in man of which to boast,

And nothing is unharmful, all is woe.

So that which is now filthy do Thou cleanse,

And water that which is so dry within,

And heal the woundedness brought on by sin.

Bend that which has become so stiff in pride,

Warm that which has become so cold inside,

Rule those who from the way have gone aside.

Give to Thy faithful people, Lord most dear,

Who in Thee trust so deeply without fear,

Thy sev’nfold gifts distilled in holy cheer.

Reward the merit of each virtuous life,

Make health and saving grace in us abide,

Enduring joy and mirth in us reside.

Amen. Alleluia.

Hymnology: Rejoice!

 

Dance of Grace by Mark Keathley   (Image Source)

Hymn for the Fourteenth Sunday
of Ordinary Time

"O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world, fill your faithful with holy joy, for on those you have rescued from slavery to sin you bestow eternal gladness" (Roman Missal, Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time).

"Thus says the Lord: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!" (Zechariah 9:9; from the First Reading, 14th Sunday, Year A).

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor" (Cf. Luke 4:18; from the Alleluia Verse, 14th Sunday, Year B).

"Thus says the Lord: Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; exult, exult with her, all you who were mourning over her! ... When you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your bodies flourish like the grass; the Lord's power shall be known to his servants." (Isaiah 66:10,14; from the First Reading, 14th Sunday, Year C).

Rejoice!

Text: David D. Varella (2021)

Tune: “Puer Nobis”, adapt. by Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)

“Rejoice, rejoice!” the Scriptures say,

“Be joyful in the Lord always!”

Rejoice in God who is our King,

Rejoice even in suffering.

This joy springs from the Heart of Christ,

Who gave for us His very life,

And when He rose up from the grave,

His peace and joy to us He gave.

This joy is from the Holy Ghost,

Whose fruit we need in combat most,

As we confront the throngs of hell

His joy our ev’ry fear dispel.

So why art thou so sad, my soul?

Rejoice in God who is thy goal;

Thou art His son because of grace – 

Now run and win the glorious race!

Rise up from slumber and from pain,

For thou must fight to heaven gain;

So be not sad, nor sorrowful,

Have trust in God to make thee whole.

In this our dread and darkest hour

In open war is Satan’s power,

But we must trust in God at length,

The joy of God is our full strength.

O Lord, send forth Thy truth and light,

Show forth Thy power and Thy might:

Give youthful joy unto my soul

And grant to me a joyful hope.

All glory to the Father be,

All laud to Jesus, as is meet,

All praise be to the Holy Ghost,

And joy unto the heav’nly host. Amen.

New Election Prayer by Exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger

 

Mary, Help of Christians

Consecration of the Election to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Prayer by Exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger.

Mary Immaculate, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the eternal Wisdom lies hidden to be adored and served by angels and men, Queen of Heaven and Earth, beneath whose sway are subject all things that are lower than God, Patroness of the United States of America, sorrowful and mindful of our own sinfulness and the sins of our nation, we come to thee, our refuge and hope.

Knowing that our country cannot be saved by our own works and mindful of how much our nation has departed from the ways of thy Son, we humbly ask that thou wouldst turn thine eyes upon our country to bring about its conversion. We consecrate to thee the integrity of the upcoming election and its outcome, so that what is spiritually and morally best for the citizens of our country may be accomplished, and that all of those who are elected would govern according to the spiritual and moral principles which will bring our nation into conformity with the teachings of thy Son.

Give grace to the citizens of this land so that they will choose leaders according to the Sacred Heart of thy Son, that His glory may be made manifest, lest we be given the leaders we deserve. Trusting in the providential care of God the Father and thy maternal care, we have perfect confidence that thou wilt take care of us and will not leave us forsaken. O Mary Immaculate, pray for us. Amen. 

Poetry: The Police Have My Back

 

Raphael, “St. Michael Vanquishing Satan,” 1518
St. Michael is the Patron Saint of Law Enforcement.

The Police Have My Back

Written 2018-2023.

While Guardsmen like me

Are serving overseas,

Our fam’lies are safe here

Because of all these.

These brave men and women

In uniforms blue,

Are tested and proven,

Protect us they do.

Their patches are made up

Of blue and of gold,

Like sheepdogs they protect

The city’s own fold.

See, my wife was held up

At gunpoint by thieves,

When I was training for

Army ATC.

Officers responded to

My wife in distress,

And they were so quick that

SWAT made the arrest.

See, SWAT was out driving

When the alert came,

And they saw the car and 

The license plate same.

SWAT found other forms of

Identification

From other victims in

The same situation.

So you see how I’m grateful

Whenever I pack,

I have naught to worry:

The police have my back.

Poetry: Vote We Must

Christ the King, Victim of Love

Vote We Must

To vote is civic duty truly

Which we exercise most duly.

Now should we vote Republican?

We vote for Jesu Pelican.

But should we vote for Democrats?

We vote for Him with thorny hat.

Should we maybe vote Independent?

No, but Him who taught repentance.

Should we, alas, vote ticket Green?

We simply vote for our heav'nly King.

Those who fear the pagan crowds

Leave in Christian minds no doubt:

Those who join the madding crowds

Vote Barabbas in and Jesus out.

Those who fear public outcry

Wash their hands and let Him die.

Not a donkey is the strong key,

Not an elephant was sent,

But the Lamb, the Great I AM,

Is the world's one only Savior

By His agony and labor.

Not pagan ideology, but Catholic theology:

Seek first the Kingdom of the Lord,

Then all your needs provided for

Each day of this life temporal

And then promised reward eternal.

But voting's first, and vote we must!

The last word is to God the Just.

Vote, and then I'm sure we'll see

How God will fight to set us free!

Prayers for Our Nation

 

Image Source: U.S. Grace Force

Peace

There is a lot going on in our world. Things are moving at a dizzying pace, and that fact is too obvious to ignore. But do not for a minute think that these things are happening only in the earthly or physical sphere. There is a whole other sphere that is invisible to our corporeal eye. The spirits of wickedness have been in high places for a long time, and they would have us despair and believe that there is no hope anywhere, no safe haven from their reach. They would have us frantic and desperate, willing to do anything to turn around the situation in this country. Some have already fallen prey to that temptation.

The problem is that the only situation to despair of is the salvation of the demons: "they are doomed to be eternally destroyed" (Psalm 92:7b). But any other situation, whether spiritual or physical, religious or political, "nothing shall be impossible for God" (Luke 1:37). We were made in and for this time, and we must not make war with physical means, but with spiritual means. We saw in the last election cycle how even political and legal means were unsuccessful, and there is still a war raging against our Cyrus by the ruling Julian the Apostate.

Before I give us some prayers to pray, of which some are Scriptural, I must address the elephant in the room. Be at peace in Christ. If we are called to suffer and die for Him, then we must do so with peace and equanimity, and with magnanimity of heart (i.e. peacefully and with joy). But we must also have faith in the deliverance that God alone can provide against these wicked demons and their unhappy servants in the flesh. Saint Francis de Sales wisely said, Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, not even if your whole world seems upset. If you find that you have wandered away from the shelter of God, lead your heart back to Him quietly and simply." In this same vein, Saint Vincent de Paul said, "It is a ruse of the devil, by which he deceives good people, to induce them to do more than they are able, so that they end up not being able to do anything. The spirit of God urges one gently to do the good that can be done reasonably, so that it may be done perseveringly and for a long time." So let us not try to do more than we are able. Let us rather beg and allow God to do the fighting for us (cf. 2 Chronicles 20).

A final word on our prayerful supplication...begin always with the praise of God and what He has done in the past, as the great leaders of the Scriptures once did. You will see in the first two prayers how Mordecai and Esther began their prayers in this way before they began to make supplication. This is the best way to pray, because we should never forget the goodness of God in times of adversity; and secondly, this way to begin our prayer reminds us of God's powerful deeds in the past and it steels our hearts to a full trust in God's power and victorious right arm.

Mordecai's Prayer

Esther 13:9-17, adapted for our own use.

O Lord, King who rulest over all things, for the universe is in thy power and there is no one who can oppose thee if it is thy will to save us. For thou hast made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing under heaven, and thou art Lord of all, and there is no one who can resist thee, who art the Lord. Thou knowest all things; thou knowest, O Lord, that it was not in insolence or pride or for any love of glory that I did this, and refused to bow down to this proud ideology. For I would have been willing to kiss the soles of its feet, to save us! But I did this, that I might not set the glory of man above the glory of God, and I will not bow down to any one but to thee, who art my Lord; and I will not do these things in pride. And now, O Lord God and King, God of Abraham, spare thy people; for the eyes of our foes are upon us to annihilate us, and they desire to destroy the inheritance that has been thine from the beginning. Do not neglect thy people, whom thou didst redeem for thyself by thy Blood on the Cross. Hear my prayer, and have mercy upon thy inheritance; turn our mourning into feasting, that we may live and sing praise to thy name, O Lord; do not destroy the mouth of those who praise thee.

Esther's Prayer

Esther 14:3-19, adapted for our own use.

O my Lord, thou only art our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee, for my danger is in my hand. Ever since I was born I have heard in the tribe of my family that thou, O Lord, didst take Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers from among all their ancestors, for an everlasting inheritance, and that thou didst do for them all that thou didst promise. And now we have sinned before thee, and thou hast given us into the hands of our enemies, because we glorified their gods. Thou art righteous, O Lord! And now they are not satisfied that we are in bitter slavery, but they have covenanted with their idols to abolish what thy mouth has ordained and to destroy thy inheritance, to stop the mouths of those who praise thee and to quench thy altar and the glory of thy house, to open the mouths of the nations for the praise of vain idols, and to magnify for ever a mortal king. O Lord, do not surrender thy scepter to what has no being; and do not let them mock at our downfall; but turn their plan against themselves, and make an example of the ideologues who began this against us. Remember, O Lord; make thyself known in this time of our affliction, and give me courage, O King of the gods and Master of all dominion! Put eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion, and turn his heart to hate the man who is fighting against us, so that there may be an end of him and those who agree with him. But save us by thy hand, and help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee, O Lord. Thou hast knowledge of all things; and thou knowest that I hate the splendor of the wicked and abhor the pride of the sinful. Thou knowest my necessity — that I abhor the sign of my proud position, which is upon my head on the days when I appear in public. I abhor it terribly, and I do not wear it on the days when I am at leisure. And thy servant has not eaten at the table of the ideologues, and I have not honored the Apostate's feast or drunk the wine of the libations. Thy servant has had no joy since the day that I was born until now, except in thee, O Lord God of Abraham. O God, whose might is over all, hear the voice of the despairing, and save us from the hands of evildoers. And save me from my fear!

Jehoshaphat's Prayer

2 Chronicles 20:6-12, adapted for our own use.

O Lord, God of our fathers, art thou not God in heaven? Dost thou not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In thy hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee. Didst thou not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and give it for ever to the descendants of Abraham thy friend? And they have dwelt in it, and have built thee in it a sanctuary for thy name, saying, ‘If evil comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, for thy name is in this house, and cry to thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of the wicked ideologies, whom thou wouldest not let them invade when they came from the lands of England, France, and Spain, and whom they avoided and did not destroy — behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not execute judgment upon them? For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon thee.

Prayer of Archbishop Carroll

Written in 1800 for the United States of America; abridged.

We pray Thee, almighty and eternal God, who through Jesus Christ has revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy; that Thy Church, being spread throughout the whole world, may continue, with unchanging faith, in the confession of Thy name. We pray Thee, O God of might, wisdom, and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist, with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude, the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people, over whom he presides, by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of the Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government; so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge, and may perpetuate to us the blessings of equal liberty.

We pray for his Excellency the Governor of this State, for the members of the Assembly, for all Judges, Magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare; that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise to Thy unbounded mercy all our brethren and fellow-citizens, throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge, and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union and in that peace which the world cannot give; and, after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. Amen.

Prayer of Rev. Byron Sunderland, D.D.

Rev. Sunderland was the chaplain of the United States Senate.  He offered this prayer on 4 July 1861, 37th Congress, first session.

Almighty and everlasting God, be not angry with us for our sins, which we only confess and deplore; but pardon our offenses and extend to us Thy favor. We thank Thee for Thy goodness on this anniversary of the nation a day tenfold more precious by reason of our present troubles, and sacred to the heart for the ever memorable Declaration of our fathers, in which Thou didst begin more openly to give us a name among the nations of the earth. We thank Thee for all Thy manifold and abundant mercies hitherto to make our nation exceedingly great and glorious; but now disasters have befallen us and darkness broods in the land. And now we ask Thy mercy as the Senate is convening at a most momentous crisis of our history. Give to Thy servants all needed help. Add to their deliberations wisdom and unanimity, and profit and speed to their conclusion. Bless Thy servant, the President of the United States, our veteran Commander-in- Chief, and all that have functions in the civil and military power. May the angel of Thy presence walk in the Cabinet and in the Congress and in the camp, to go before, to purify, and to direct the now greatly and universally-awakened love of country. And we beseech Thee to guide us, to overrule and order all things, and so to cause that nothing shall fail, that the disorders of the land may be speedily healed, that peace and concord may prevail, that truth and righteousness may be established, and that Thy Church and Kingdom may flourish in a larger peace and prosperity, for Thy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Hymnology: For Martyr's Victory

 

The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer, by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), oil on canvas

Setting

I first wrote this hymn in 2022. Since then, a whistleblower released a document that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been targeting Catholics who have a traditional (read: correct) sense of morals and beliefs. That document makes this hymn even more poignant.

For Martyr's Victory

Text: David D. Varella (2022)

Tune: “Thaxted” by Gustav T. Holst (1917)

To Thee, O King of ages, we lift our minds in prayer,

We know that through our sufferings Thy grace is always there.

Thy summons to be faithful, not to live a life of ease,

Can make us ever anxious; Lord, fill us with Thy peace!

For evils daily increase and Martyrdom seems near,

O fill us with Thy courage dispelling ev’ry fear.

To Thee, O King eternal, we lift our heavy hearts,

The nation we love dearly has fallen very far;

Her decline in faith and morals makes her prey to wicked men

Who brag about their vices and pride on ev’ry sin.

They have started persecution of those who follow Thee,

Who strive for faith and virtue and pray for Thy true peace.

To Thee, O King and Savior, we bare our wounded lives,

The wounds which sin inflicted believing Satan’s lies.

But now we have repented, confessed, and seek Thy Face;

We bear our trials daily, our crosses we embrace.

Thy sacred Cross raised o’er us is bathing us in light,

Preparing us for battle, defending us in might!

Thy words, O King-Redeemer, we bear in mind today:

That if they hate Thee, Master, they’ll hate us in Thy way.

And Thou hast sternly warned us: in the world we’ll have distress;

But Thou hast conquered the world, and we have confidence

That our reward is very great when persecutions rise,

When suffering for Thy sake all calumnies and lies.

From Thee, O King and Victor in gold and crimson cope,

We know in our affliction: Thy Cross our only hope!

Help us to grant forgiveness unto our enemies,

As Thou in Thy great Passion while nailed to the Tree.

Help us to suffer all things with equanimity,

And so to steel endurance for Martyr’s victory!

Poetry: The Crownless One Crowning

 

The Crowning of the Virgin, by Louis-Edouard Paul Fournier (1857–1917)

Sacred Poetry Writing Contest

Since 2020, the Catholic Literary Arts has had an annual Sacred Poetry Writing Contest. I only just discovered it early this year when one of my friends from our parish recommended that I give it a try. Being a poetry enthusiast, I immediately looked it up. It turns out, there is a form of poetry that is called ekphrastic poetry, which is poetry that is formed about a specific picture or image. According to Getty.edu, "Ekphrastic poetry has come to be defined as poems written about works of art; however, in ancient Greece, the term ekphrasis was applied to the skill of describing a thing with vivid detail." This, I admit, was not an easy thing to do, as it is the first time I had ever attempted such a thing. I am attempting something very similar by writing a hymn to Our Lady of Perpetual Help for a friend, so at least now I have "gotten my feet wet," as the saying goes. 

The three winners of the Contest did an excellent job, and seeing their poems has given me an idea of how to write such a poem. I normally stick with a certain meter and rhyme, but their winning entries have taught me that neither is so important when it comes to drawing out truths revealed in the art. These truths can be revealed through the use of colors, light, facial expressions, body postures, positions of articles, and many other things besides. What is great is that, although the artists may have used artistic techniques by which they sought to express realities or truths, sometimes there are other things the artists do not intend that are no less important. The First-Place poem really taught me that. Where I used to have a disdain for free verse, I do so no longer; that said, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the meter and rhyme scheme of the Third-Place poem. 

From the eight different images chosen for the Contest, the one titled The Crowning of the Virgin, really struck something within me. I tried to write it out in the poem, but words fell short. Essentially, I was struck by how the crownless Ecce Homo was crowning His Virgin-Mother, as if we could see the dogma of the Immaculate Conception within the image: that through the foreseen merits of the Passion of Jesus Christ, Mary was herself conceived without original sin. And so, without further ado, I present my submission.

Poem: The Crownless One Crowning

The Crownless One has crowned thee Queen,
The Crownless suffers insults keen.
But is He crownless crowning thee,
In burnt-sienna cloak and reed?

Where is His crown? This Mystery
Can be explained: That in our need
Christ the suff’ring Servant came
To be, less sin, like us the same.

Ere Mystery of the Incarnation,
God formed plan with perspication;
Thus He crowned thy brow with grace,
Second Eva of our race!

Thy white veil to all a sign:
No stain of sin was ever thine.
The azure blue upon thy sleeve,
Like waters of baptism received,
Reveals thine own surpassing grace
Which shines upon thy lovely face.

Thou art th’ Immaculate Conception
Only by His death and Passion:
He who is thy Son and Savior
Merits thee His grace and favor.

Before Him bendest humbly low,
Yet simultane lookest below
To aid our combat here on earth
And send us grace from thy reserve.

A careful glance upon Him now,
His face downcast and all forlorn
Revealeth lancing painful thorn
Hath moved to heart from on His brow
As tumult of the nations ring,
“Crownless be this God and King!”

Let faithful hearts comfort the Lord
And speak His praise forevermore!
Let faithful voices rise and sing,
“Long live the Queen, and Christ the King!”

Some Texts on Poets

St. Robert Southwell is the foremost poet amongst the English Martyrs, even though many others of them also wrote poetry. This is why I have taken him as one of my patrons for poetry, the other reason being that English is my native language; although my particular dialect is American-English, I see no reason why that should be an impediment to my deciding on his patronage. Below is the introductory paragraph from his feastday, February 21st, in Lives of the Saints for Every Day of the Year (1965; The Catholic Press, Inc.).

Saints and poets have a great quality in common. Both are blessed with a deep appreciation of beauty: the poet sees the order and magnificence in creation and communicates this to others through the written word; the saint recognizes this beauty as a reflection of God and communicates this experience to others through the example of his dedicated life. Perhaps saints and poets enjoy life more than most other people. With their gift of sensitivity, they feel, see, and hear more deeply the things that others very often take for granted. When a man is both saint and poet, his life is a reflection of all that is true and beautiful.

In Chapter 2 of his book Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton made the observation that poetry and imagination do not breed insanity, that reason and logic do. G.K. Chesterton was one of the finest minds of the Twentieth Century. It is my hope that someday, he will join the ranks of the Canonized Saints.

If we are to glance at the philosophy of sanity, the first thing to do in the matter is to blot out one big and common mistake. There is a notion adrift everywhere that imagination, especially mystical imagination, is dangerous to man’s mental balance. Poets are commonly spoken of as psychologically unreliable; and generally there is a vague association between wreathing laurels in your hair and sticking straws in it. Facts and history utterly contradict this view. Most of the very great poets have been not only sane, but extremely business-like; and if Shakespeare ever really held horses, it was because he was much the safest man to hold them. Imagination does not breed insanity. Exactly what does breed insanity is reason. Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. Mathematicians go mad, and cashiers; but creative artists very seldom. I am not, as will be seen, in any sense attacking logic: I only say that this danger does lie in logic, not in imagination. Artistic paternity is as wholesome as physical paternity. Moreover, it is worthy of remark that when a poet really was morbid it was commonly because he had some weak spot of rationality on his brain. Poe, for instance, really was morbid; not because he was poetical, but because he was specially analytical. Even chess was too poetical for him; he disliked chess because it was full of knights and castles, like a poem. He avowedly preferred the black discs of draughts, because they were more like the mere black dots on a diagram. Perhaps the strongest case of all is this: that only one great English poet went mad, Cowper. And he was definitely driven mad by logic, by the ugly and alien logic of predestination. Poetry was not the disease, but the medicine; poetry partly kept him in health. He could sometimes forget the red and thirsty hell to which his hideous necessitarianism dragged him among the wide waters and the white flat lilies of the Ouse. He was damned by John Calvin; he was almost saved by John Gilpin. Everywhere we see that men do not go mad by dreaming. Critics are much madder than poets. Homer is complete and calm enough; it is his critics who tear him into extravagant tatters. Shakespeare is quite himself; it is only some of his critics who have discovered that he was somebody else. And though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators. The general fact is simple. Poetry is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite. The result is mental exhaustion, like the physical exhaustion of Mr. Holbein. To accept everything is an exercise, to understand everything a strain. The poet only desires exaltation and expansion, a world to stretch himself in. The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits.

All around us, there is a general revival of interest in poetry that raises us up from the mundane and humdrum daily existence. Man is no longer satisfied with dullness and mediocrity: his indominable spirit longs to be uplifted to beautiful realities that transcend time and space. In previous times, there was an ecclesiastical interest primarily in Latin poetry for the Sacred Liturgy; while that is still good, we need poetry that reaches into the hearts of modern-day people, and in the United States, that can effectively be done with both modern and traditional English (although not mixed in a single poem, because that would be just straight-up awkward and unintelligent, like the goofy way the Vulcans spoke in the Original Star Trek series episode "Amok Time," whose screenwriter was likely no linguist). I do enjoy the poetry of Saints like Thomas Aquinas, Robert Southwell, Thomas More, John Paul II, and others. Yet, I also enjoy many other poets 

• John Milton,
• Chaucer,
• Isaac Watts (the "Father of English Hymnody"),
• John Mason Neale (especially his poetic translations from Latin originals),
• William Cowper,
• John Keble, and
• G.K. Chesterton. 

I once heard it said that our day and age do not produce the arts like in years or centuries past. The tide has changed; along with the rediscovery of the Gregorian Rite Liturgy (the "Traditional Latin Mass"), there has also been a great springtime in the arts: new classical music, new sacred music, new poetry, new hymns, new paintings, and new sculptures. Many musical compositions should also be considered modern classical music (here I am thinking of outstanding musical scores from motion pictures, like the four films The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Gladiator). To my surprise, the USCCB had a poetry/hymn competition for the Eucharistic Revival. And there is even a Catholic Poetry Society! These are definite signs of hope and renewal.

Poetry: Fiscal Manifesto

 

Image Credit: Fer Gregory/Shutterstock

Fiscal Manifesto

by David D. Varella

I will not spend ‘til my debt end,
Not carry debit card about,
Nor to complain or sulk or pout;
To debt got in, from debt get out.

I have a plan to force my hand:
Fiscal aimlessness to stall,
Fiscal safeguards to install,
Lest temptations do enthrall.

Avoiding strife, for now in life:
Securely place my debit card,
Not touch another credit card,
Distinguish wants from needs, though hard.

Use only cash to be not rash;
Put all my cards into safe-keeping
So that temptations won’t be creeping
Which add to debt another heaping.

Banks make plastic too elastic:
Too easy now it is to swipe,
Spend far too much on deal-hype,
Wants to needs too oft restriped.

I have great books, but for more look:
Those already owned I’ll read,
Then from booklust I’ll be freed
And pay off debt with greater speed.

To be content, from greed repent:
Spend not with liberality
But fiscal practicality,
Learn virtue of frugality.

To increase health would save a wealth:
Change menu to eat whole-foods way,
Far from added sugar stay,
Exercise as doctors say.

To fast a little makes not brittle:
I’ll tighten my belt at the waist,
Eat fridge-stuff to nothing waste,
Eat for strength and not for taste.

Though summer’s hot, sweat-drenched a lot,
To get to gardening outside,
To take a walk with ample stride,
Or puff on my tobacco pipe.

To give my mind time to unwind:
To sit and think in mental chime,
To write a journal entry fine
Or structured poetry with rhyme.

And now I fear I must end here:
In time right living will bestow
Fiscal virtue, this I know,
Through this fiscal manifesto.

Poetry: Cost of Living

 

Image Source

Cost of Living

by David D. Varella

 

Eating out
Without doubt
Is the main
Money-drain.

Wicked knaves
Made us slaves
Through our debt,
Now we fret.

To our debt
Slaves as yet.
Save a dime,
Tried for crime.

 Kids eat more;
At the store
Food costs much –
Biden’s touch.

Taxes hiked,
Interest spiked,
Money earned
Quickly burned.

Household fight
With great might
About how
We must chow:

Diet and
Spend a grand?
Or get fed
With cheap bread?

Cost to live
Drains like sieve:
Paycheck earned,
Biden-spurned.

College fails,
Just makes sales;
Biden bails
Students’ wails.

Biden’s mind
Cannot find
Reason to
String words few.

Nanny-wife
Makes her life
Speaking for
Daftest bore.

He’s a tool,
Witless fool,
Enemies
Use as please.

Yet our vote
Had been smote
By their plot:
Cheaters’ draught.

What to do,
Me and you?
To be Christ
Will suffice. 

Power all
God makes fall
Or to stay
For each day.

To rebel
Leads to hell;
Better way:
To obey.

See, God’s plan
Gives to man
Every grace
For to face

Satan’s wiles
To defile
Us within
By our sin.

Anger is
Just a fizz,
Give it time
To unwind.

Lust is fire,
Don’t inquire;
Work a craft
To distract.

Covet none,
Envy shun;
Be content,
Peace thus sent.

Don’t complain,
It is vain,
Turns to vice
Sacrifice.

Be not stuffed;
Eat enough
To be strong,
Carry on.

Laziness,
Fruitlessness;
Not to work
Has no worth.

Be not drunk
In your bunk;
Stay alert,
Drink for mirth.

If paid more,
Put in store;
Paid-off debt
Freedom gets.

Humble be
For to see;
Pride is stiff,
Causes rifts.

You will find
Pride is blind:
Will not see
Aught but “me!”

Greed is cruel
Chains for fools;
Avoids care,
Fuels despair. 

Deceit, lies,
Bring demise:
Who deceives
None believes.

Wise men give
While they live;
Misers save
To their grave.

Senseless wit
Is unfit
For a crown
Or renown.

Takes his gift,
Buries it
Out of fear,
Shame so near.

Snowflakes will
Raze to nil
Others’ wealth
For offense felt:

Claim to be
Trigg’d by screeds:
Clear excuse,
Court’s abuse.

That is theft,
Sense bereft;
To restore,
Avoids war.

Civil war
Men deplore,
Yet ‘tis cold,
We are sold:

Taxes steal,
People reel:
Billions sent
To lost war’s dent.

Laund’ring scheme
The real theme:
Ukraine spends,
Contracts Dems.

Criminals
Ever thrive;
Citizens
Bare survive.

Children’s stand,
Lemonade,
Is harassed
For “tax unpaid.”

Greedy fools,
Unjust rules
Steal in stages
Honest wages.

We the People,
‘Neath the steeple,
Beg God vanquish
Deadly anguish.

Ten percent
Good for God;
Government
Takes more broad.

And yet, God’s plan
I understand:
He makes poor
Seek His stores,

Stores of grace,
Stores of love,
And seek our place
In heav’n above.

We don’t despair
When world’s unfair;
We don’t look grim,
But look to Him.

In God we trust,
Forgive we must,
Though men unjust
Fill with disgust.

God does provide,
Steps not aside,
He won’t despise
Our upturned eyes.

God never sleeps,
He hears our weeps
Wept in the deeps,
Provides in heaps.

For all our days
We sing His praise,
Walk in His ways
And seek His gaze.

Do not take light
The Lord of might,
For He will fight
And make things right.

We turn our hearts
As loving darts
To God most high
Yet ever nigh.

When exile ends,
This life upends,
If I’m God’s friend,
He will defend

My very life;
Eternal strife
Will never be
The end for me.

Eucharistic Revival: O Source and Summit of Our Life

 

The Elevation of the Host, Easter Sunday 2023.
St. Theresa Catholic Church, Sugar Land, TX.

I wrote this hymn for the Eucharistic Revival Hymn Competition.  I did not win the competition, so I am posting my hymn here. Ms. Kathleen Pluth from Arizona won the competition, so congratulations to her!  For this hymn entry, I was contacted by someone in the USCCB who informed me that I was among the top three finalists, so there is that consolation.  To date, I have never won a poetry or hymn competition, but I am still trying! 

Hymn: O Source and Summit of Our Life

Text: David D. Varella

Primary Tune: KINGSFOLD, traditional English melody

Meter: 86.86.86.86

1. O Source and Summit of our life, we come into your home,

Our feet are standing in your walls, no longer shall we roam.

Your Presence here fills us with hope, gives foretaste of great joy:

You are unto your saints above delight without alloy!

2. Your manna in the desert fell, restoring weary feet,

And David ate the sacred bread that only priests could eat;

So as we journey on to you, in weariness and tears,

You freely give your Flesh to eat, refreshing us with cheer.

3. On mountainside you multiplied the bread for thousands there,

Then in the upper room changed bread into your Body fair:

The off’ring of Melchisedek was here fulfilled in you,

And your apostles took and ate as you told them to do.

4. As wedding Guest at Cana you changed water into wine,

Then in the upper room changed wine into your Blood Divine:

As blood on doorposts was the sign the Israelites to spare,

So we, your Blood upon our lips, your promised mercy share.

5. The power that you gave to men to offer Sacrifice,

“This do in memory of me,” is gift without a price.

And through the ages you come down to be our sacred Feast,

As bishops in unbroken line ordain men as your priests.

6. The priest holds high your Body and the chalice of your Blood,

Like serpent bronze in wilderness for healing lifted up;

And we are present at your cross on Calvary once more,

Your bleeding Body lifted up for love becomes our cure.

7. Examine we our inmost soul, ensuring conscience clean,

If unworthy through mortal sin, Confession first is key.

May this Communion not condemn our lives unto the flames,

But may it save our souls from death to praise your holy Name!

8. O Lord, remain with us today, for darkness gathers on,

Speak more to us within our hearts before the light is gone.

Grant unto us unyielding faith to know your Presence here,

And in the breaking of the Bread remove all doubt and fear.

9. In this great Sacrament, O Lord, make one this faithful throng,

Unite us in this Eucharist, with charity our song.

As we go out into the world, our hearts now set ablaze,

Show us all those who need our help in many, varied ways.

10. All glory be to Christ the Lord, our King and Bread of Life,

To Father and to Paraclete be power, laud, and might.

We here adore this Sacrament in truth and peace and love,

Lord, be our nourishment to reach our home with you above.

Commentary

After receiving a criticism of the mention of the word "Confession" in the text (along with the recommendation that I change that word to "repentance"), I consulted a priest, who had this to say:

I think both “repentance” and “Confession” are okay.  I think “Confession” is altogether better, more accurate, and better for the souls who will hear the hymn.  I think “repentance” is accurate, but not as specific as it could be, and opens the possibility of misleading souls since it is much more general and vague than “Confession”.

The current code of Canon Law says:

Can. 916 Anyone who is conscious of grave sin may not celebrate Mass or receive the Body of the Lord without previously having been to sacramental confession, unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, which includes the resolve to go to confession as soon as possible.

First, an act of  perfect contrition is pretty hard and I don’t think we should easily judge ourselves as having made one.  Even if we have, this includes the resolve to Confess ASAP.   I don’t have it in front of me, but there was a condemned proposition that held “asap” basically meant at the next convenient time.  The pope condemned that idea, meaning that it couldn’t just be when convenient, but had to be asap, even if that meant going to a different priest or one you would rather not go to.

Looking online, it seems the 1983 code changed some language.  All previous mentions had said if there was “necessity”, which the new code changed to “grave reason”.  I don’t see a big difference between the two and the examples given could all fall under both “grave reason” and “necessity”.  Whichever it is, it will be much more likely to occur for a priest than a lay person.  The only examples I found online for a lay person were someone who remembers an unconfessed mortal sin on the point of receiving Holy Communion or to save the Eucharist from profanation.

 And Session XIII of the Council of Trent made the following declarations:

If it is unbeseeming for any one to approach to any of the sacred functions, unless he approach holily; assuredly, the more the holiness and divinity of this heavenly sacrament are understood by a Christian, the more diligently ought he to give heed that he approach not to receive it but with great reverence and holiness, especially as we read in the Apostle those words full of terror: He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself. Wherefore, he who would communicate, ought to recall to mind the precept of the Apostle: Let a man prove himself. Now ecclesiastical usage declares that necessary proof to be, that no one, conscious to himself of mortal sin, how contrite soever he may seem to himself, ought to approach to the sacred Eucharist without previous sacramental confession. This the holy Synod hath decreed is to be invariably observed by all Christians, even by those priests on whom it may be incumbent by their office to celebrate, provided the opportunity of a confessor do not fail them; but if, in an urgent necessity, a priest should celebrate without previous confession, let him confess as soon as possible. (Session XIII, Chapter 7).

CANON XI. lf any one saith that faith alone is a sufficient preparation for receiving the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, let him be anathema. And for fear lest so great a sacrament may be received unworthily, and so unto death and condemnation, this holy Synod ordains and declares, that sacramental confession, when a confessor may be had, is of necessity to be made beforehand, by those whose conscience is burthened with mortal sin, how contrite even soever they may think themselves. But if any one shall presume to teach, preach, or obstinately to assert, or even in public disputation to defend the contrary, he shall be thereupon excommunicated. (Session XIII, Canon 11).

And in the Summa Theologiae (Supplementum Tertiae Partis, Chapter Six) Saint Thomas Aquinas made these assertions:

As the purpose of confessing is united to contrition, a man is bound to have this purpose when he is bound to have contrition, viz. when he calls his sins to mind, and chiefly when he is in danger of death, or when he is so circumstanced that unless his sin be forgiven, he must fall into another sin: for instance, if a priest be bound to say Mass, and a confessor is at hand, he is bound to confess or, if there be no confessor, he is bound at least to contrition and to have the purpose of confessing.

But to actual confession a man is bound in two ways. First, accidentally, viz. when he is bound to do something which he cannot do without committing a mortal sin, unless he go to confession first: for then he is bound to confess; for instance, if he has to receive the Eucharist, to which no one can approach, after committing a mortal sin, without confessing first, if a priest be at hand, and there be no urgent necessity. Hence it is that the Church obliges all to confess once a year; because she commands all to receive Holy Communion once a year, viz. at Easter, wherefore all must go to confession before that time. (Article 5, Response).