Peace and Good Will

Our Father who Art in Heaven,

Who is not only present in the great beyond,

But also in our earth-bound heart of hearts,

Hallowed be thy name and hallowed be thy grace

That grants salvation to every believer

Through the merits of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

At this season of the celebration of His Incarnation,

Grant us peace and good will to all of our neighbors,

Because we cannot do it by ourselves without help,

No matter what we promise and how hard we try.

Like the Angels whose wills are thy wills,

Teach us to offer up our own wills to thee.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive the 

Bad treatment we have received from others,

Through thy infinite mercy divine, and

Forgive us our own sins of thought, word, and deed.

Let our faith be tested by the evil powers,

But no more than we are able to bear.

We not only pray for ourselves, Lord,

But for all the souls of the faithful departed and

All of the people that they leave behind.

Thy kingdom come and thy will be done. Amen!

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Agnus Dei...

At Advent when the Christmas trees go up and lights begin to glow,

The desires and expectations for material things can exceed reality.

Oh Star of Bethlehem, burning bright in the cold December night,

Guide us to the heavenly light of that first holy night in Bethlehem.

Let us give ourselves to Our Heavenly Father this Christmas, and

Receive His gift of eternal life in Heaven with those already there.

Peace on the Earth and goodwill to all men, women, and children.

Regardless of their race, creed, color of skin, and whom they love.

We have no worthy material gifts for God except tears of repentance,

And our tears of repentance are made genuine by our faith alone.

The love of God enables us to be forgiven as we forgive others.

Our proof of faith is our willingness to help the unfortunate,

While we wait for the Messiah to come and rescue us again.

Oh Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Oh Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

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Where what is willed must be...

​Oh, you divider at whom I aim my words,

You who change your mind at the whim of the wind,

Whose worldly deeds are not those of the noble lion,

But rather those unseemly tricks of a wiley fox.

Warped words wreak havoc on people's lives​.​

With rhetorical witticism instead of sound advice​,​

The human tongue can set the world ablaze.

False counsel undermines the common good​.​

​Even if​ your infamy reaches the ends of the earth,

It will not be so in Heaven, for you will be absent.

In these troubled waters it may seem time for many

To lower their sails and gather in their lines, but

Silence is worse than sin because it clears the way

For conscience to ignore the culpability of guilt.

It is impossible to repent and sin at the same time.

In Hell the wages of sin accrue to those who

Incur the just punishment for sowing discord.

It has been willed where what is willed must be,

For only with the power and will of Almighty God

Can human faith have hope to triumph over evil. 

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The Aim of Mankind

The world of the inanimate is beautiful, but
The world of the animate is cruel and merciless.
Worldly life gives birth to worldly death unless
We choose by our own free will the alternative.
To avoid a worldly death we need enlightenment.
To achieve enlightenment we must be kind, and
Sympathetic, empathetic, compassionate, and
Passionate, and active in our own self sacrifice.
Through malice toward none, and charity to all
We pass directly from finite life to eternal life.
The formula is simple but difficult to follow.
To love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind,
And love our neighbors as ourselves, and have
Sympathy + Empathy + Compassion + Action
Which = Love, Charity, Truth, and Salvation.
The chief end of man is the glory of God
And to enjoy His abundant blessings forever.
We exist to glorify God and align ourselves
With Him and seek to bless everyone we meet
In some special, personal, and practical way.

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Are we going the right way?

We claim to trust in God and render unto Mammon.

God being the greater good, it stands to reason,

That we follow His laws for our common good.

But we too often ignore both God and Mammon,

Being untrue to both and prosperous in neither.

We follow our own desires for pleasure and greed,

Rebelling against both God and civil authority,

The imperfect human will brings forth weeds

That are barren of fruit and do not flower,

Strangers to God and indifferent to humanity,

No good for great things and too bad for good.

In the end many will lament the terrible loss

Of what might have been but never was.

Now is the time to stop ourselves and say,

"Are we truly going the right way?"  

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And that goes for me too!

 Don't discount the present for the future
By thinking that the future will be better.
On its own it won't be better than today and,
Tomorrow won't be better until we make it so.
To make tomorrow better we must start today!
Even a poor plan today, if we execute it well,
Can make tomorrow a little better than today.
The whole matter is up to you, and you, and YOU!  
And that goes for me too!

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It ain't over yet...

 In a gust of wind, like a long heavy sigh, 
As the autumn leaves fall, they think, "It's over."
The rose nearest to the thorn appears out of nowhere,
The strange autumn rose that brings the winter wind,
Prior to withering before it like summer memories.
Don't withhold your hand from the rose for fear of the thorn.
A rose by itself is every rose and speaks all languages,
The rose does not care by what name you call it,
For after winter comes spring, and after night the day,
We are the link between the micro and the macro.
O Lord, I pray for all of those poor people
Who have no one to hug and pray for them,
And I also pray for those who will not pray.
I do not pray like a pigeon jerking its head up and down.
I Pray like your dog when he puts his head on your knee,
And looks you in the eye with love and devotion,
Pray for yourself until the day dawns in your mind's eye,
And the morning star rises in your heart,
Then begin to love others as you love yourself.
I am a prayer for you, my friend, and you are my "Amen!"

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Like a warm hug...

The sun comes up, and the sun goes down.

The tide comes in, and the tide goes out.

Those who can, survive, to keep hope alive,

Until the Lord comes again to free us from

Our troubles and bring us home to Paradise.

Oh Lord, that our efforts are not in vain,

Please give us this day some daily bread

To share with those who have none

Like a warm hug from an angel, so that we may

Love our neighbors in the communion of brotherhood,

That every person on earth can have a full stomach,

Peace in their heart, and soul, and mind, and the

Blessed assurance of salvation. Amen!

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Inevitable

There is a word called "inevitable"

That is spelled the same in English

And in Spanish. It is pronounced

Differently but means the same thing...

"Unavoidable and certain to happen."

Things that we don't yet understand

Until such time that it is almost too late.

Wake up, oh my soul and look around you

To see where your journey has taken you

And to see where you are presently going.

This is the time for searching out the truth.

It is the day that the Lord has made

For us to rejoice and be glad in it,

To be happily seeking our salvation.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

And my family, all the days of our lives,

And we will dwell in the house of the Lord,

Forever!

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An observation...

After His Baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus prayed for forty days in the desert and then received three temptations by Satan. In his wonderful book, "The Life of Christ", Bishop Fulton J. Sheen writes that the third temptation was political and so Christianity and Politics have been closely associated for about two millennia.

Saint Augustine, in his book "Confessions" said that the third temptation is a wish to be feared or loved by people for no other reason than the joy derived from such power, which is no joy at all. It is a repulsive life of wretched vanity.

If we hold certain offices in society it is often deemed necessary to be loved and feared by people and the enemy of true happiness will always tend to be on the offensive. When we are avid to amass such approval, we may be caught off guard. We cease to find our joy in truth and place it in deceitfulness. It becomes our temptation to be loved and feared not for the sake of truth but for our own sake.

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One more day...

Many of us look forward to eternal life.

But first we must deal with the present reality,

And know how to live here for the time being.

The past is no more, and the future is not yet.

There is only today and eternity to contemplate.

We live in this moment instant by instant.

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery,

And today is a precious gift from God.

This is the day the Lord hath made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it,

"Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,"

For the Greater Glory of God.

​"Hoy, gracias a Dios, un otro día más​."

​Today, thanks be to God, one more day.​

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Like a Hot Wind

It is the characteristic of evil powers

To take advantage of real weaknesses and

Stretch and enlarge them to the utmost.

We should not underestimate how deep a wound

That a vindictive tongue can make with a few words.

The devil likes to whisper his lies in intimacy.

What people call "insinuations" are like gunpowder

When passed around through malicious gossip.

The tongue is a useful tool in the realm of evil.

Truth must come from the heart and not the lips.

Those who drink in false gossip quite eagerly,

And repeat it as a form of gleeful entertainment,

Will slide unknowingly and insensibly into the habit

Of speaking evil to impress and titillate others,

And thus the evil gathers force from the wind

Like a tornado in tornado alley on a hot day.

In the case of lies and false conspiracy theories

The path of the wind leads straight to the abyss.

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With "Prudence and Forethought"

If "In God We Trust," then what is organized religion for?

It is for the purpose of improving the nature of mankind,

In order for the proper governance of our actions, and

To secure peace and progress for individuals and for society,

To render us capable of a more perfect union with each other and

Our Creator, to which our present state of being is probationary.

This is a truth that people of good will who search for truth

Will recognize on its own evidence as morally right.

Okay, so what is morality? Morality is adherence to a set of values,

And prudence is the instrument of morality. Prudence is the ability

To govern and discipline ourselves by the divine light of reason. 

Prudence must precede our actions by choosing right over wrong,

Which we should always do with judicious "prudence and forethought,"

What is prudent and morally good according to our conscience.

(Bob Mrotek 2021)

So where do we go from here?

Those who live in a shadow world, ward off shadow spears with a shadow shield.
They ward off accusations of lying with the abracadabra of a forked tongue.
He or she who would fly without wings must do so in abject delusion,
And find out when they wake that to fly in a dream is but to dream of flying.
The reflective soul sees the hidden reality, and the ever-wanting soul
Sees only what it desires, and lives in a world of metaphor and hyperbole.
The past is colored by the memories of those in power who record it.
History may be laced with innuendo or fantasy or myths or conspiracies
Or even multiple realities by decree of committees and political parties.
The "clash of civilizations" is colliding with a "co-existence" future,
Where atomic weapons have made conventional world wars totally unthinkable.
Battles are fought with economics, propaganda, religious strife, politics,
Racism, misogyny, sexism, xenophobia, genocide, bio-weapons, and euthanasia.
There is trendy liberalism on the left and reactionary conservatism on the right
Moderates are in the middle, viewed as traitors by the left and the right.
I am like a wandering sojourner trapped in a virtual battle of Armageddon,
A man without a grudge, a man without a tribe, a man without an agenda.
I am not mad at anybody. I am just trying to understand everybody else.
What do we do now, who do we believe, and where do we go from here?

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Pass it on...not!

It is the work of the Devil to take advantage of falsehoods and add fuel to the fires of anxiety.
We should not underestimate how deep a wound that a vindictive tongue will make.
The Devil likes to whisper lies in confidentiality and then add "Pass it on."
That which people call "white lies" are in reality powerful "white gunpowder." 
Falsehood, suggestion, and intimation are useful tools in the realm of evildoers.
Truth is written on the honest heart, but lies come from the mouths of liars.
Those who drink in false information and conspiracies, or repeat falsehoods without veracity,
Will slide unknowingly and insensibly Into the habit of speaking evil to impress others.
Thus the evil gathers force like a tornado draws force from the heat on a hot summer day.
In the case of lies, especially big ones, the force emanates directly from the gates of Hell.

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The difference between cheap and free.

There is a major difference between cheap and free.
When things are cheap you are the customer,
And you more or less get what you pay for.
When things are free you are the product.
The worm on a hook looks free to the fish,
The fisherman pays for the the fish with a worm,
And the fish is the product that he purchased.
The poor worm was merely the payment.
There is a saying, "Por la boca muere el pez."
"By the mouth dies the fish", reaching for a freebee.
Mind what you eat, what you say, and what you do.
Freedom is not free either, its price is sacrifice.
Christ died on the Cross so that we could be free.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 

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The truth beckons...

The truth beckons to me like a chimera on the black pavement
In the blazing summer sun where the highway meets the horizon,
Always fading away into the distance as I advance toward it,
Like a rubber ball escaping the grasp of a running child.
The truth can be such a frightening reality to grasp, however,
That many people avoid or even deny it in order to allay their fears.
But if at least some don't deny the truth maybe it's not really true.
Without the ability to choose truth over falsehood there is no free will.
Pontius Pilate once said to the Messiah, "What is truth?"
The scriptures tell us that it is "Every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Though Faith we shall know the truth and it will free us from doubt.
Without Faith there can be no true wisdom and understanding.
Come Holy Spirit, Creator blessed, in our hearts take up Thy rest.
Give us your Grace and heavenly aid to know Thy truth, that we be saved.

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Put on a happy face...

Joy is every step I take in peace and harmony.

My heart is a shining morning sun in a blue sky.

Every flower smiles with me and the trees all wave.

How green is everything at peace, how fresh the breeze,

And and how sweet smelling is the gentle afternoon rain,

That clears the dust from the endless path and renders it

A joy from one beginning to the next without end.

The present moment is the only moment there is to be alive,

And so happiness is possible only in the present moment.

We can't be happy again yesterday because yesterday is gone.

We can't be happy tomorrow until tomorrow comes.

This is the day the Lord has made for us to be happy.

Happy is as happy does so wake up and be happy.

The best way to help yourself is to help others,

And the first step to helping others is a happy face.

Teach yourself to smile and then teach the rest.

A happy face is not the face of a grinning pumpkin,

It is not like an Internet "smiley" either.

A happy face is an unworried brow, a twinkle in the eyes,

And a hint of a smile like the Mona Lisa.

How does one put a twinkle in the eyes?

By thinking twinkle thoughts, of course,

Like peace on earth and goodwill to everyone. 

When we wear a happy face we show a happy heart.

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In the blink of an eye...

Through the mystery of poetry one can encompass

The vast universe within the scope of an epigram.

In the frenzied pace of this unfamiliar "new normal,"

We need to aim for the highest concentration of thought,

In the topology of nodes and edges, links and vertices,

The quantum connectedness beyond time and space.

In the "blink of an eye," as it were, a single phrase

Must carry the whole weight of an entire paragraph.

In quantum thought a nanosecond is the new paradigm.

We didn't even see it coming, but we sure do feel it.

Thought must now travel even faster than light.

A mere symbol must serve in place of a chapter.

Four symbols together will tell a complete story.

We must familiarize with the future, not the past

And defamiliarize with the past and then let go. 

It is no longer necessary for history to repeat.

There are too many bright futures to choose from.

Do not tax your life with forethought of grief.

Live your life expecting happiness and peace.

Go beyond the suffocating bondage of normal.

The path to gold is not at the rainbow's end.

The bits of gold are scattered along the way.

We won't need gold where we want to end up.

Life itself is part of our eventual destination.

Just follow the light of Divine Providence. 

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It's not too late...

What are you up to Mister Moon,

Way up there in the star domed sky,
When you rise in the night and pass me by?
What do you see and what do you ponder,
Before you set in the morning yonder?
I see you above the trees and roofs
A smiling face for the human race
Under whose gaze we dream of a life
We hope to find in a new tomorrow,
A life that is better than we found,
In the struggle of many yesterdays.  
Today is the day that the Lord has made,
Let us rejoice and be happy in it.
Each day we survive this worldly mess,
We should realize that we are blessed.
And to live in the past or future is foolish.
We can only be truly happy right now,
If we are happy in the Lord our God.
Come my friends, It's not too late
To seek a newer and better world,
Where we all join together in peace,
To be united and happy in the Lord.

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Un otro día más...One more day!

The past is a different country where we used to live.
We can't visit there either because it is very far away.
The present and the past are separated by a great expanse.
The past seems farther away each day, and dimmer as well.
It is a bittersweet nostalgia that nothing can comfort,
Like the crying child whose balloon has escaped his grasp
And goes flying high among the treetops, lost forever.
Memories of the past we carry with us are both good and bad,
But they are distorted by time and space and happenstance.
Our journey from past to present was brisk, looking back,
And our journey into the future seems even brisker still.
We face each morning with the thought, "Aha, one day more,"
Each day ends with, "Oh, no, one day less," and with regret.
The time to rejoice is in the now, not in the rest!

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The Natural Order of Things

The correct way to live is in harmony with the natural order of Creation.
Once upon a time people lived together in harmony with the natural order.
In the next age they chose to be led in harmony by rulers whom they chose.
The rulers didn't follow the natural order but ruled by personal desires.
In the next age the people began to fear their rulers and this led to anxiety.
After a while, the people grew angry with their rulers and began to despise them.
When morality, truth, and justice are deficient in a leader the people follow.
The politicians begin to play the blame game with clever words and slogans.
The honest "yes" or "no" versus the shady "perhaps" or "maybe so" (or "not").
Little is the difference that they portray at first, or second, or third debate.
But if one were to examine all of the motives, be they good or be they ill,
What space between the two and what truth or lies are offered the gap to fill?
There IS an unchangeable Being in existence before both Heaven and Earth.
It is the Progenitor of all in the natural order of things, the uncaused Cause.
We call this Being "Almighty God" and God is Goodness, and Truth, and Justice.
What is not in harmony with God is doomed to failure and will come to an end.
Faith in God and the natural order of things is the key to the portal of life eternal.

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Like a warm hug...

If your mother has already gone on to heaven,
And she can no longer comfort you here on earth,
Lay your wreath of fond memories where she lies.
The tomb of a mother is such a holy place,
That there is no place holier to one's heart, than
The grave of the woman who labored for your birth.
When your soul is pierced by arrows of adversity,
Go there to her grave to shed your tears of sorrow,
And the spirit of your mother will comfort you.    
It will feel like a warm hug from an angel.

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Don't cling so much...

Don't cling so much to the past and torment yourself.

Don't give your ego-shadow too much importance.
The wrongs you committed are smaller than you imagine.
The spark of goodness in your soul that brings on remorse
Is brighter than you think and it leads you forward.
So don't listen to the devil of despair who holds you back.
Perhaps you have forgotten the related circumstances
That might have mitigated your guilt in some way.
Perhaps the neighbor that you have trespassed against
Has already forgiven you as you would have forgiven them.
Don't let anyone walk through your mind with dirty feet.
Oh, your sins are real, and no doubt you are a sinner,
But fed by fear and remorse they grow in your imagination.
No temptation has taken you that isn't common to man or woman.
Temper the remorse that is always against you and move on.
Repent! Ask God to forgive you and to remove the stain of guilt
From your soul and make it like new again.
Go and sin no more. Your faith will save you.

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Which is longer?

Which is longer, the river of time or the sadness of parting?
Where under Heaven do sad hearts feel the most pain?
At the doors of the emergency room where loved ones part.
Last night I dreamt that I became a happy butterfly,
Or did a butterfly happily dream that he became me?
Passing from one life to another all things are one.
Those who seek only wealth and power, surely you must know
That these are merely vanity and fantasy and just a shadow show.
Why can't God just save us in the beginning and not the end,
Welcome us when we get old, and meanwhile leave us alone,
To choose good over evil and Heaven over Hell? Meanwhile,
The Devil says we have nothing to lose then greets us in Hades.
Go make your choice, but remember, once you decide for sure
The decision is final. Once you breathe your last, beware,
There will be no turning back. You better take care!

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Go long, my friend, go long!

 In this strange "no man's land" interval of a deadly pandemic,

As I leave the shores of the old normal and set out for the new,
I realize that when I am fast asleep, there is another me,
On the other side of the world, toiling upward through the night.
The ticking clock is my tormenter as I get longer in the tooth,
And struggle to improvise, adapt, and survive for one more day.
The chaotic world of now is like being invited to a football game
And discovering that the seat assigned to me is inside the football.
To and fro I go, and I look for the wide receiver Lickety Split.
It would make perfect sense if only I were in a cartoon.
Tom and Jerry, the Roadrunner, and Bugs Bunny would agree,
And certainly Fred Flintstone, and Mister Peabody would too.
I try to solve my problems by staring at them intently,
But that doesn't seem to work without animation. Imagine that!
So what is the way out of this chaotic and horrible mess?
My Creator whispers in my ear, "A touchdown, of course!
Go for a Hail Mary pass and your faith will save you,
Remember your option of Eternal Life with me in Paradise."
Says I, "Oh Lord amen to that!" Go long my friend, go long!

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Making payments...

Upon the misty pane of my window to the world,
The scattering of troubles are like drops of rain.
The drops run down and slide around and some collide,
Then suddenly halt, one a splotch the other a blur.
Reality is hard to fathom through the foggy glass,
And I can hardly see through all those tears.
From inside out I peer with glum forbearance,
Yet I still have hope that the sun will come again,
Until that day when its account is low on funds,
And it stops making payments...

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To those who are high and mighty:

For those who fall down low from high places,

How difficult it is for them to learn the language

Of humility, poverty, and servility.

They must learn to meet the eyes that reject them,

And say "Thank you" to whatever fate offers them.

They must learn to bow their heads and genuflect,

And learn to let insults pass, and to smile like a simpleton.

Yes, Mr. and Mrs. High & Mighty,

This could even happen to you.

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My moonlight shadow and I.

The bright moon, my moonlight shadow, and I,

Up there along the silver river of the Milky Way,

My thoughts of sadness drain away among the stars,

And I think of my mother, Armella,  and our old home.

My mother and I, though separated by time and space,

Would always meet in the light of the full moon,

She, at her window, and I at mine, and there

We would chat heart to heart with no words needed.

Tonight the moon is full and she is in Heaven.

We still heart-to-heart in the light of the moon,

When we both lean out of the open window,

Bathed in the glow of the understanding moon,

And we are connected again in spirit for a while.

I yearn to cross that heavenly river to hug my Mom.

"Not yet," she says, "Not yet, but soon, be patient.

In the sweet bye and bye we'll be together again."

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