Closer to God

I'm not as close to God when I'm alone,
as I am close to Him when I'm with you,
for with each other we are in His zone,
as we are all made in His image true.

"Whatever you do to each other here,"
Christ said to us, "You do it too to Me."
So what we do to anyone, it's clear,
we do to Christ, garbed in His mystery.

Because we're temples of the Holy Spirit,
I best should treat your body here with care,
I truly must respect it and revere it,
because God's Spirit's always living there.

O God, when we look in each other's eyes,
help us to clearly see You in disguise.

                       -- by Pete Voelz        7/09

Helpful Church

How does God’s Church help us from womb to tomb?
It stands the firmest in support of life,
instead of doom, it brings virtues to bloom,
for marriage, children, husband, love and wife.

Church helps the culture’s sacred parts increase,
so we do not desacralize the whole,
opposes violence and promotes the peace,
so we do not desensitize the soul.

Church keeps us looking up instead of down,
for healthy, realistic joy in youth,
forgiving sinners who in sin might drown,
to rigorously define God’s holy truth.

With sacramental grace to help us cope,
You build Your Church, Lord, filled with faith and hope.

                              -- by Pete Voelz       11/20/12

Following God

All nature follows God except for man,
all nature bows in vast obedience,
but we are free to vary from His plan,
though to obey does make a lot of sense.

The sunflower wakes and opens up in awe,
it follows God in following the sun,
the fawn partakes in following God's law,
and both obey to rest when day is done.

To help us follow Him, God gives us light,
to read my heart His writ of right and wrong;
from fallen earth we're supposed to rise to right,
and see the wrong as Satan's siren song.

O God, I pray that I obey You free,
so I'll be free for all eternity.

                            -- by Pete Voelz       9/07

See Christ

I see You in the ones that I admire,
those who impress and prove themselves to me,
but You live too in ones who don’t inspire,
Your living in them seems a mystery.

You live in, Lord, the least, the last, the lost,
though small, they’re still invited to the feast,
though poor, they still with love can pay the cost,
we do to You what we do to the least.

You don’t live there just ‘cause I see you there,
my lack of faith keeps me from seeing Your face,
made in Your image, it is Your face they bear,
I’ll see You when I earn Your light and grace.

O Christ, it’s my flaw that I don’t see You,
help me love more and see You shining through.

-- by Pete Voelz     12/28/12

No Lie Love

O Lord, I want to love You and not lie,
which means, as You have said, I must obey,
or at the least, You beckon me to try,
though what I do counts more than what I say.

But first before I love You, I must know
Who You are, Lord, and then in faith believe,
then serve You so Your love will overflow,
and so give back the gifts that I receive.

Which laws that I obey I cannot choose,
the law of love means that I must love all,
and so obey all laws and none refuse,
especially, Lord, to follow where You call.

O God, I'm ready now for Your commands,
to love with mind and heart, but also hands.

                             -- by Pete Voelz        4/06

Wanton Prayer

What is more permanent--my poem or prayer?
One has God's ear, but heard no other place;
a poem could be inspiring everywhere,
prompting some influence, if not the grace.

Prayer has an audience of One,
unless we count the Trinity as three,
and do the saints and angels count as none?
Of course, their only power is God's decree.

Could not a poem help one's eternal soul?
Yet what God can do with a prayer He hears!
And poems tossed wantonly die, on the whole;
prayers last forever, poems at best some years.

O God, take all my wanton poetry,
and turn it to a prayer from wanton me.

                                 -- by Pete Voelz       5/06

Why Not?

It’s not a question why should I love God,
it’s more a question why should I love not,
to not love God--not to love God--is odd,
when God has given me everything I’ve got.

Who is there who can say we should not love
a God Who gives us all the universe?
It’s Pascal’s wager I am thinking of--
better to love, to not love God is worse.

I love back One Who loves me infinitely,
Who takes my sins and says they’re all forgiven,
Who nothing for but love created me,
Who gives me for my love eternal heaven.

You left Your heaven to die for me, ‘tis true,
could I not love or, Lord, stop loving You?

                         -- by Pete Voelz       12/3/12

Self to Soul

My soul calls me: Why don't you come this way?
Why do I war against my very soul?
My soul tells me: You know I'm here to stay,
you know I'm right, let me have full control.

Why must my soul and I be so at war?
Why are we oft at odds in our direction?
Why does my soul so cut me to the core?
Why must I always stand to its inspection?

My soul is right when all is said and done.
I know that I must hear and heed it here.
My goal is more important than my fun,
more than I think, eternity is near.

Help me, O God, to make my soul my friend,
for You've put us together without end.

                       -- by Pete Voelz     8/10

Thanks, God

I thank You, God, for all the gifts You've given,
for my existence, self and soul and life,
for faith and Church and baptism, oh, and heaven,
for son and daughter, grandkids, loving wife,
for good folk, working father, caring mother,
for teachers, nuns and priests, for all my school,
for family and dear sister and dear brother,
for my good country and for those who rule.
I thank You for good friends from far and near,
O God, for all my needs that You fulfull,
for all my talents used in my career,
for all Your goodness, good laws, and good will.
You shower me with gifts both good and true,
so, Lord, I thank You most of all for You.

                                     -- by Pete Voelz

Slow-Motion God

God pulls and pushes me to Him by inches,
He knows I must take baby steps to walk,
He gives me little pain, just a few pinches,
He knows when He’s too hard on me, I balk.

Because I’m slow, God reels me in so slowly,
He pities me that I’m so dull and dumb,
He knows it will take long to make me holy,
I have a lot of sins to overcome.

Though I might crawl, God takes it all in stride,
my weakness, my unwillingness, my fear,
He pushes soft so’s not to hurt my pride,
your tortoise wins so long you persevere.

Lord, keep Your patient knocking on my heart,
and I’ll speed up my so slow-motion part.

                       -- by Pete Voelz       12/17/12

God's Greatest Strength

God’s greatest strength is love, so is it mine?
I see my body’s marvelously made,
but God’s made best the side that’s most divine,
He turns my lemon soul to lemonade.

For God is love, His best and brightest trait,
He tries to recreate that love in me,
yet to be love, it carries extra freight:
I cannot love unless I’m also free.

All-powerful love sets limits on God’s power,
if He used force, my freedom I would lose,
in me in order for His love to flower,
He has to sometimes let me evil choose.

The answer’s to put, Lord, my faith in You,
and right now freely choose to love You too.

                      -- by Pete Voelz       12/18/12

Friend Lucas

I have delivered you to God, my friend,
and He will know just what to do with you,
for now with His own life Your life will blend,
from now on just what He wants you will do.

Recall when last I looked into your eyes,
we knew not then that it would be the last,
your death completely caught me by surprise,
that all our friendship, friend, lay in the past.

You have no future now except with God,
no other future would we want to be,
no more complaints, no longer the facade,
you live in light for all eternity.

I helped you, now may you help me, my friend,
so that our life with God will never end.

                    -- by Pete Voelz       12/19/12

Love Will

Love’s a decision, not just how we feel,
if feelings fade, the will to love remains,
it’s the commitment love makes that is real,
so love grows stronger even when it rains.

Love’s not just savored for the moment then,
it should be no surprise that true love grows,
and feelings, though they go, can come again,
but true love, once it’s kindled, always glows.

A loving heart and mind together rule,
we love with our whole selves, not just a part,
our shallow feelings often play the fool,
a heart of whims is not the truest heart.

So, Lord, as I commit to loving You,
may I will too to love my loved ones true.

                     -- by Pete Voelz       12/19/12

Can't See God

How can I love a God I cannot see?
If You’re all beauty, Lord, let me see You.
O God, why can’t You show Yourself to me,
or let me touch or hear or sense You too?

Where are You, God? I look, You are not there,
in Scriptue You write words, then disappear,
though I can’t see, I do meet You in prayer,
and then by faith, in Eucharist You’re here.

“The Father’s seen, if you see Me,” Christ said,
“You do to Me what’s done to one of these.”
Here are two ways that to You I am led,
I get to see You, Lord, but by degrees.

I’m blind, and then I see You by surprise--
I look into a hungry child’s eyes.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/18/12

The Human Cry

O God, I have no place to turn but You,
for You alone can move the universe,
the more we know, the more we see it’s true,
yet not a soul of us do You coerce.

When tragedies occur, we can’t explain,
we know so much, yet drown in mystery,
for final answers, we but search in vain,
and we get little help from history.

In this world, Lord, what are we certain of?
Without You, we have nothing but our pride,
You made us, so we’re certain of Your love,
when all else crumbles, only You abide.

Of all the stories, Lord, Yours is the best,
so if we trust You most, we will be blest.

               -- by Pete Voelz       12/16/12

Love Connects

It's love connects the greatest to the small,
for only love can bridge a gap so far,
without God's love there'd be no bridge at all,
for what could fill the space from me to star?

Love makes God care for us and us for Him,
though we feel duty too and gratitude,
without His love, His care'd be but a whim,
with us bereft of Eucharistic food.

What is love that it fills a gap so wide?
How huge, how strong, how infinite must love be,
from God's love there is no place we can hide,
no light speed can match love's velocity.

O God, Your love's more than infinity,
I thank and love You for including me.

                             -- by Pete Voelz          09/05

Real Is God

Why is this world so real while God seems not?
The world did not make God, no, He made it.
It usually seems this world is all we've got
and that the here and now is all we'll get.

The physical part of us just seems so real,
and yet we know so well our soul inside;
material things affect the way we feel,
it's easy to make spiritual factors hide.

O God, Who made the stars and world and sun
and will make all them disappear so soon,
impress us that You are the only One,
there's more to heaven than just the sun and moon.

Show us, O Lord, the things that are more true,
so we may pay attention more to You.

                             -- by Pete Voelz        11/04

More Trust

O God, why can’t I put more trust in You?
I kinda sorta trust You off and on,
I do believe that all You say is true,
yet when I must, the trust is often gone.

You said, Lord, “Ask the Father in My name
and He will do it,” answering our prayer,
I find it hard to trust in all You claim,
and yet I do believe You really care.

I should put trust in One Who walks on water,
St. Peter did and found that he could stand
on water ‘til his trust began to totter,
yet he was saved when he reached for Your hand.

You trusted me, Lord, when You made me free,
let me trust You Who put Your trust in me.

                     -- by Pete Voelz       12/14/12

The God Chase

I play “Chase God” instead of “God Chase Me.”
I’m tired of--when He calls--I run for cover,
I think it’s more fun plumbing mystery,
to try to capture “This Tremendous Lover.”*

Brave David wrote his psalms and guarded sheep,
God said he was a man after His heart,
it’s boring playing God games on the cheap,
St. Trez vowed she’d not be a saint in part.**

In chasing God, I let Him take the lead,
with Him I will more likely reach our goal,
the challenge is to keep me up to speed,
to hang tough on the fast track of the soul.

Then, Lord, when I’m about to cede the chase,
You turn around and catch me with Your grace.

* Title of a book about God’s love 
  by Ven. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

** “I do not want to be a saint by halves.”--
St. Theresa (Trez in French) of Lisieux

               -- by Pete Voelz       12/8/12

Do I Know Christ?

How do I know that I know Jesus Christ?
'Tis no small matter for it's heaven's gate.
Do I believe in all He sacrificed,
that He left heaven to free my heavenly fate?

Do I know Christ if I do not know love?
Not for my friends, the pagans all do that,
but unknown ones I should be caring of,
my foes and all who share my habitat?

Do I know Christ if it's to Him I pray?
If I receive Him in His Eucharist,
if I attend His altar every day,
and it's His blood and body most I've kissed?

O Christ, I've not loosed sandals on Your feet,
but I still hope to know You when we meet.

                       -- by Pete Voelz       12/07

Our Solitude

Each day I crave some solitude with You,
a quiet time far from the world and noise,
we need to talk, I need to listen too,
and hear You out on all my woes and joys.

My conscience, God, gives us our solitude,
the place we hash it out--what’s right and wrong,
where nary friend nor enemy may intrude,
when You and I can learn to get along.

We wish to be up close and personal,
with You I feel I have to, Lord, keep pace,
so You can work in me Your miracle,
to make ours a relationship of grace.

Alone I hear what puts me, Lord, at ease,
Your quiet voice--a little whispering breeze.

                      -- by Pete Voelz       12/11/12

God's Not a Game

God’s not a toy, and faith is not a game,
the Church Christ founded’s not some ball or frisbee,
we treat God like His Holy Day and Name,
with humble due respect before His mystery.

We don’t judge God by standards we invent,
we don’t make Him jump through the hoops we make,
we don’t just heed the laws we don’t resent,
He sees right through a faith we try to fake.

I’m not some actor and life’s not a play,
faith’s a commitment, honest and sincere,
it takes God’s power to keep the enemy at bay,
I need to tell Him “Yes!”--right now, right here.

Let me react, not just with how I feel,
but to You, Lord, so loving, true and real.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/9/12

The Face of Love

If God is love, we have no face to love,
and God forbids an image of His face;
the Holy Spirit's pictured as a dove,
but for His face, the dove is out of place.

We need a face to light the love in us,
Christ came to us to show the face of God;
He came to earth to bring us happiness,
He is God's face, He shows us no facade.

"If you see me, the Father's face you see,"
He said to us, "for I and He are one;"
it matters not so much is mystery,
faith and His grace suffice when all is done.

O Christ, Your face of love's enough for me,
blest to believe though not much can I see.

                              -- by Pete Voelz       9/07

Dying to Live

Drawing his blood, they prep his gifts of hope,*
cutting the organs out before he dies,
soothing the grief of those who barely cope,
they keep the heart alive midst tears and cries.

Bringing the sacraments of sick and dying,
physical host of the Incarnate Christ,
the spiritual priest and nun bless the good-bying
before the organ gifts are sacrificed.

So long before, the donor sought to give
his body parts up to his final breath,
same as the priest’s gifts so the soul can live,
incarnate in him two ways conquering death.

That others live, the organs quick they sever,
the Last Rites seal the soul will live forever.

* Gift of Hope is the organization that facilitates
the donating of body organs to people needing
them, as I witnessed for a friend this week.

                       -- by Pete Voelz       12/6/12

Outside God

The whole world stands inside of God save us,
we stand outside of God because we're free,
yet we are only part way out and thus
obey we must in order just to be.

Our free part's there not to deny God's law,
that gives all other things their rightful place,
but to let us choose to hold God in awe,
and on our own accept His gift of grace.

How much of us resides outside His sway?
Barely enough to let us cut the cord;
we are just free enough to choose to pray
and humbly take the blessings of the Lord.

A tiny speck of faith God asks of me
to go inside for all eternity.

                        -- by Pete Voelz        11/05

At Sea with God

O God, I cannot fathom Where You’re at,
Your ways are sunk in so much mystery,
My Ark I strand upon Mt. Ararat,
when I should dive down deep into Your sea.

Alone it seems I launch my tiny craft,
tossed by a tempest or the smallest squall,
yet it’s Your rigging steers me fore-and-aft,
I need but set my sail to where You call.

In prayer You strengthen me, but not by force,
to trust in You and cruise by my free will.
“But He Who has the steerage of my course,
direct my sail,”* as my heart I keep still.

So well You tell how my soul I might save,
to know Your love below and above the wave.

* Prayer of Romeo that night as he assesses,
unknowing but trusting, his meeting Juliet.

                              -- by Pete Voelz       12/6/12

Tainted All

All things are tainted by our sins and flaws,
as God’s grace blesses all the things we face,
and just as all are bound by His great laws,
our misdeeds too are tainted by His grace.

With no free will, the rock obeys the rules,
the flower has life but has no wish to stray,
the lion moves by instinct, unlike fools
who use their freedom most to disobey.

Our fallen world is no fault of our own,
yet we still have a tainted fallen choice
to fall to all temptation as we're prone
or rise to grace with all our strength and voice.

O God, I freely pray my prayers You heed,
so Your grace more than taints my every deed.

                             -- by Pete Voelz      3/06

Three Friends

(Dedicated to my friend Lucas Goerner--RIP.)

If A’s good friends with B and B with C,
then aren’t both A and C, Lord, good friends too?
So as we’re good friends, Lord, as he’s with me,
then is not he a good friend, Lord, with You?

So if to You, O Lord, for him I pray,
will You not see Him too as Your good friend?
And if we three friends do not drift away,
will You not then befriend him to the end?

So long I pray we friends will stay the race,
so long our friendship three will never cease,
I pray we rate with You our state of grace,
and pray You share with us Your life and peace.

Befriend us, Lord, in this our hour of need,
so we can follow where, O Lord, You lead.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/4/12

Miracle Prayer

My prayer can help the pain that's more than pain,
for prayer can bring the power of God to bear;
more likely than our yen to pray for rain,
a prayer for spiritual cure can prompt God's care.

We all are doctors when it comes to souls,
just as church is a sinner's hospital,
the power of prayer lets us take the controls,
and prayer just takes a quiet interval.

To help prayer even more it would be nice
to put a bit of body on the line,
and add to words a little sacrifice,
and give our humble thoughts a little spine.

O Christ, You said, "Ask and you shall receive,"
to give us miracle power, I believe.

                                      -- by Pete Voelz

The Fog of Faith

God keeps me in a fog so I can’t know
all about Him, so He’s still mystery,
He does not want His soul too much to show,
that Him we figure out like history.

God partly shows Himself in His Creation,
but can’t reveal Himself to us too much,
He tells more--like His Son--through Revelation,
Someone like Him to see and hear and touch.

For all this information, God still hides,
compared to all He is, still pretty slim,
for final proof, only our faith abides,
our puny minds just can’t know all of Him.

It’s not mean God wants to leave us bereft,
to know Him, faith’s the only thing that’s left.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/2/12

Love's Show

If God is love, then what does God's love show?
If God is love, then what does God's love say?
See His love in creation on the go,
hear His words rescue us in our dismay.

But God's love showed the most when He made man,
the innocence of children everywhere,
and spoke best when His Word God-man began,
and offered all of us His heaven to share.

It shows best when His love in us we see
 returned to Him and others every day,
to get our love, He had to make us free,
to show His love or throw it all away.

O God, You show and say Your love so well,
I hope to go to heaven's great show and tell.

                                      -- by Pete Voelz