Mist and Mystery

God’s there just like a mount beyond the mist,
a mountain larger than just mystery,
too big to hide too much in Eucharist,
beyond, within where eyes of faith can see.

For faith can pierce the mist around a mountain,
as we can see through mists to waterfalls,
as wine can’t hide His blood from loving fountain,
nor bread, the God of love Who so enthralls.

What we can’t see He has Himself revealed,
the mysteries loom beyond our time and place,
of Christ’s great love not much remains concealed,
when we see Him, we see the Father’s face.

I thank You, Lord, for clearing up for me
Your love so much from mist and mystery.

                             by Pete Voelz      10/31/13

Christ's Touch

With Christ my every deed is turned to fire,
without Him, all my fiery acts are cold;
with Christ my words can silently inspire,
without Him, they sound petty as a scold.

Christ puts His spiritual weight behind my deeds,
His power is in my work, though it's unseen;
His strength does not force me, but mostly leads,
my sting He softens and makes more serene.

There is a price He asks for all His aid,
to cool myself and fire my faith in Him,
to grow some courage and be not afraid,
to try to conquer evey scornful whim.

Much of Christ's help is hid in mystery,
what's there it takes the eyes of faith to see.

                          -- by Pete Voelz          9/05

Strong Arm God

O God, I ask that You would strong arm me,
I pray You put Your weight upon my soul,
for Your strong gentle hand I do ask free,
to steel and strengthen my weak self-control.

Do not test me, O God, much on my way,
lead me not into old temptation's grip,
let me not sin to our mutual dismay,
hold me fast, be true anchor of my ship.

I do not ask You lighten up my load,
but that You make me strong to run the race,
O Lord, let me not kick against the goad,
just let me feel the power of Your grace.

To help me bear this world, God, keep me strong,
with Your strong arm, so mighty, large and long.

                                                    by Pete Voelz

Soul Sediments

I take my leave from life empty of all
material possessions, people too;
it seems that I have nothing left to haul
to heaven for my final rendezvous.

Only the sediments of my soul remain,
invisible in my spiritual residue;
my daily prayers I felt were so mundane--
a million gems now sparkle like the dew.

The liturgies, boring as seminars,
kind deeds, old virtues polished up as new,
dull rosaries--all shine like the megastars,
and, oh!, my sins are registered there too.

How glad I am to bring along the droll
and dull debris, the sediments of my soul.

                      -- by Pete Voelz          7/05
pmvoelz.blogspot.sg

God's Motive

I wonder what God's motive really is,
He doesn't need me any shape or form,
all things within the universe are His,
He always wins because He sets the norm.

The one thing that He needs must come from me,
for I possess the one thing that he wants,
love's only meaningful if it is free,
He made me free to hold back my response.

God has a lot of love He wants to share,
it's natural for love to be that way,
so He in turn asks us to love and care,
and we refuse to love to our dismay.

I do believe all this love stuff is true,
O God, in faith I choose to love You too.

                             -- by Pete Voelz       2/07

Love Most Exciting

The most exciting part of love is love,
I see, O God of love, You are so great
for making me down here from far above,
with thanks and love I do reciprocate.

But it’s Your love I feel most grateful for,
to make me’s good, to love me now is best,
that I excite Your love, make Your heart soar,
excites me that You love me as Your guest.

Yet even more exciting I can see
my love sent back to You excites You too,
You yearn to feel the love that comes from me,
so You’re excited most when I love You.

The thought excites me, God so great and real,
how so excited my love makes You feel.

                          by Pete Voelz      10/24/13

A Word of Prayer

A Word of Prayer      10/24/13

One word of prayer is worth a thousand ships,
for prayer invokes the infinite power of God,
with this some find it hard to come to grips,
while pray-ers don't find it the least bit odd.

One word of prayer is worth ten thousand planes,
for prayer works truly in the spiritual realm,
'round this some find it hard to wrap their brains,
but physical things the Spirit can overwhelm.

One word of prayer is worth a million guns,
some just refuse to try to understand,
a spiritual thing weighs more than many tons,
creation and the Spirit go hand in hand.

Unlike our things, the Spirit rules everywhere,
that's why there's power inside a word of prayer.

                                  -- by Pete Voelz          10/06
pmvoelz.blogspot.sg

God Said to Me

God said to me--I did not hear His voice:
“Love all of them as I have loved you too.”
I heard Him say, “I’m giving you a choice,”
with ears of faith: “Choose Me as I chose you.”

When I saw God--I didn’t see His face,
the Gospel paints a picture I can see--
He shows His life, His words, His cross of grace,
He looks at me and says, “Come follow Me.”

God came to me--I met Him in my soul--
He touched my hand--I’m talking spiritual--
we both reach out, and I embrace Him whole,
mine is His Eucharistic miracle.

I hear, I see, I hold You, Christ, complete,
when in my conscience--and Your heart--we meet.

                             by Pete Voelz      10/25/13

Trading Faith

I want to trade God's faithfulness with mine,
I know God's faith in me is always there;
just as the branch is faithful to the vine,
I'd like to match my caring to His care.

Of course, my faith will never equal His,
His faith is infinite while mine is small
compared to how much faith in me there is,
I feel I don't have any faith at all.

God's faith stands fast while mine just comes and goes,
His faith flows free, mine is conservative;
my sordid sins break faith with Him, God knows,
but His great love lets faithful Him forgive.

O God, I pray You hearken to my aid
to make my faith for Yours a fairer trade.

                                      by Pete Voelz

Love Deal

O God, we two, we have this special deal,
that You put up with me, and I love You,
we play a kind of game--a game that’s real,
like, what You say, I pay attention to.

Love means I put You first by Your commands,
of all my whims and wants I keep control,
down here I be Your voice, Your feet and hands,
You be the grace and guardian of my soul.

The suffering You offer me, I take,
the pain, good works I offer You, You treasure,
together our eternal home we make,
Your mighty contribution I can’t measure.

We two deal out our mutual destiny,
so big to You, so everything to me.

                    by Pete Voelz      10/22/13

Mean to Pray

God, when I pray, You know I really mean it,
You know before what I am going to say,
You read my heart before I can convene it,
You see inside I mean the things I pray.

Your knowing of my prayer sustains my hope,
You know that I will pray and where and when,
You know Your answer that will help me cope,
as well You know the sins and souls of men.

You would not let me waste my time in prayer,
unless You knew what will be my reward,
my prayer is my assurance of Your care,
my smallest prayer is infinite to You, Lord.

I trust my prayers, Lord, help me get to heaven,
for any flaw in prayer is soon forgiven.

                                 by Pete Voelz

Bucket word

What do I want to do before I die?
A bucket list for this world’s just a waste,
it doesn’t matter one bit what I buy,
I hope to keep my soul from being dis-graced.

I want to do some things I know will last,
but everything down here will pass away.
What of my life remains once I have passed?
You said, O Lord, Your word alone will stay.

It’s urgent I do what You’ve told me to,
to show You and the world I love You best,
love neighbor next in what I say and do,
just follow these and fill in all the rest.

It’s not like it’s a message I’ve not heard,
not, Lord, “Show me the money,” just Your Word.

                     by Pete Voelz      10/20/13

Daring to God

O God, do You know that I really dare
to plainly come to You and not forsake
Your flood of favor, love and gentle care,
with little bother for the risk I take?

There is presumption in my turn to You,
there is obedience too though I am free,
I do it 'cuz I know You want me to,
together we control my destiny.

It takes some courage to admit I must
stand humble as I let You break my pride,
to show the sinful soul You raised from dust,
to raise anew, all caution tossed aside.

I play Your game, for You, Lord, are my ace,
Your yoke is tame, Your burden full of grace.

                          -- by Pete Voelz         4/09

Fragile Freedom

I choose to go to church because I wish,
my radical autonomy secure,
I could as well go to the lake to fish,
or go online to some website impure.

God made us free with every little thing,
with choices lasting to eternity,
of my own thoughts and aims I am the king,
I can disdain most rulings over me.

I choose to make God master and my Lord,
His gift of freedom I return to Him,
His slave a while, His heaven my reward,
though He too fills my cup here to the brim.

O God, help me to choose You every day,
in case my fragile freedom starts to stray.

                              by Pete Voelz

Love Weakness

You know my weakness, Lord, I want to love,
and then, of course, at times to be loved too,
not too much though--just be thought better of,
but most of all to know I’m loved by You.

Do I know love, if felt love’s never known?
Sometimes I must feel love so that I know
how those I love feel when my love is shown,
and, Lord, how You feel loved when love I show.

Love shows best when I speak love with my deeds,
I may feel and speak love, but what I do
speaks louder so my loved one sees and reads:
“It’s less about me being loved than you.”

I better love as my deeds better speak,
by loving strong, my weakness is not weak.

                            by Pete Voelz      10/16/13
pmvoelz.blogspot.sg

God Wing

I never thought of God as being wide,
spread out across the sky like some great wing,
to cover all outside and all inside,
an atmosphere that touches everything.

Yet God’s wing stretches way beyond the sky,
the planets, stars and galaxies above,
creating and sustaining low and high,
designing with intelligence and love.

Then going wider, deeper than we see,
to penetrate our souls with powerful grace,
the spiritual world His main reality,
reflecting back His own celestial face.

How wide and wonderful this wing of His,
spread over all that will be, was, and is.

            by Pete Voelz      10/16/13
pmvoelz.blogspot.sg

Look Beyond

You always tell me, Lord, to look beyond,
beyond just practicing my faith for now,
that in my heart I should try to be fond
of You Who bless as I obey and bow.

To look beyond a person’s outer skin,
and see inside the Christ I claim to love,
beneath the bread and wine to see within
the Eucharistic Lord Who reigns above.

To look beyond this temporal life so dear,
strip worldliness away in order to
detect the spiritual world beyond my fear,
to the eternal life I’ll spend with You.

You point beyond my body so I see
my soul, Your face, my true identity.

              by Pete Voelz     10/10/13

Love Worth

I have my doubts, but You know what I’m worth,
Your love for me is infinite, they say,
You love me, Lord, more than the stars and earth,
except for me, they all will pass away.

I know Your love for me is infinite,
for God is love, so You love infinitely,
the earth is good, You called it good, and yet
not it, but me You give infinity.

What’s there about me makes You love me so?
In me You see Your image and Your face,
but more, I’m free to love You back or no,
and for my love You love me by Your grace.

Because You make me free to love You too,
I’m worth Your heaven for loving You when I do.

                            by Pete Voelz      10/14/13

We Co-Creators

With medicine, Lord, You co-create my health,
just as we co-create our children too,
we co-create our products, crops and wealth,
my whole life, God, I co-create with You.

My mind and will with prayer we both control,
with exercise and diet this body mine,
together too we co-create my soul,
already I partake in Your divine.

This world I help make with my fellowman,
we here below, with, Lord, You from above,
You help us fallen souls do all we can,
we do best co-creating with Your love.

You, Lord, must love a lot to like to be
my Co-Creator for eternity.

by Pete Voelz      10/13/13

Whence Kindness

If I am kind, where comes my kindness from?
It does not come from me though steeped in it;
yet I did not invent it, I'm too dumb,
and I and kindness do not always fit.

Much of it's from the way that I was bred,
but when did all my teachers find it too?
More than from me, to it I feel I'm led
when I do find it in myself anew.

Part me, part breeding or infused each time,
my kindness finally comes from the same place;
my natural kindness God sets out to prime
by virtue that His Spirit prompts with grace.

Because my God is tender, caring, kind,
I turn to Him, and there my kindness find.

                                  by Pete Voelz

God Undry

I’m dry, but You, O God, are never dry,
how can a God be dry Who made the sea?
Though dry, there’s still a tear within my eye,
I’m lonely, hurt, so sad and bored--so me.

If You’re all full of love, where is it now?
Not logic love, I want a love I feel,
can’t You a little love like that allow?
Would not such love, indeed, have wide appeal?

Lord, You are love, I know Your love is there,
to make it mine, what would You have me do?
You made me for Your love, I know You care,
You haven’t moved, I must come back to You.

Come now, O Lord, and please show me the way,
You have already, here I am to pray.

                             by Pete Voelz      10/11/13

The Lord Alone

The Lord alone knows when and how I'll die,
He planned my birth from all eternity,
why not so carefully when it's goodbye?
I do believe He knows what's best for me.

God wanted me to be where I was born,
He willed my first and last and every breath,
He makes me sleep, He wakes me every morn,
He takes me to my rendezvous with death.

My birth, my death, my life are in His hands,
so I’ll remain on His side come what may,
I freely choose to follow all His plans,
though I'm afraid, I'll let Him have His way.

Almighty ruler, I let You control
the goal, why not the journey of my soul?

                         by Pete Voelz

Onion God

God’s like an onion with its layers of skin,
to get to know Him, you must do some peeling,
each bit of knowledge comes in strips so thin,
yet full of precious grace and powerful feeling.

Sometimes the Godly knowledge makes you cry,
like vapors of an onion bring a tear,
but tears of joy are mellow to the eye,
and waves of grace don’t sting, so have no fear.

A little God-learn goes a long, long way,
so He won’t let us strip aside too much,
unlike the onion peel, His favors stay,
to flavor us and everything we touch.

Beneath Your onion skin, what do You hide?
Lord, let me peel with faith to see inside.

                   by Pete Voelz      10/9/13

Eyes See

You see me, God, and You can see right through me,
not just my deeds, You see inside my soul,
my mind, my heart down deep You see into me,
each part of me You see, and see me whole.

You give me eyes of faith to see You too,
to see through nearby clouds, through stars so far,
the outward signs of Eucharist, right through,
to see Your Spirit, Lord, wherever You are.

Why did You give my faith these powerful eyes?
As I can’t hide, You too won’t hide from me,
to show my soul, although my body dies,
will see You, God, for all eternity.

No more with eyes of faith, I’ll see You clear,
but first I must believe in You down here.

              by Pete Voelz      10/8/13

Rosary in the Rain

In honor of Our Lady of the Rosary on her feast day today.

I love to say the Rosary when it's raining,
each drop a Rosary bead of blessed prayer,
the patter of the water's soft refraining
join patterns of my Aves in the air.

The droplets pelt the thirsty plants like leaven,
to nourish arid gardens in the sun;
my prayerlets climb the sunbeams up to heaven
that flourish when the ardent rains are done.

The harvest will be fuller in the morning,
the rainfall fortifying all our food;
as heaven harvests sinners without warning,
my Hail Marys will bring beatitude.

If God gave us His rainfall for our growing
to nourish the material life we feel,
how much more He'll flood graces overflowing
on those who thirst for spiritual rain so real.

So listening to the raindrops as they're falling,
I let the beads slip silent as my prayer,
secure in quiet faith that keeps me calling
His rain of grace to shower everywhere.

                        by Pete Voelz

God's Goose

Your cross, O God, is like a golden goose,
a goose I bear that lays a golden egg,
it’s heavy and I’d like to set it loose,
but with no gold, I then would have to beg.

Your cross of grace is often so demanding,
do this, do that, but don’t do that at all,
I need You, Lord, Your guidance and commanding,
You carry me and catch me when I fall.

O God, I know You’ll never let me go,
I am Your cross, I’m heavy for You too,
You took my eggs of sinning blow by blow,
can’t I accept some painful eggs from You?

Let me not throw away, Lord, or misplace
this goose that lays Your golden eggs of grace.

                             by Pete Voelz      10/6/13

Sore Prayer

Sometimes I pray for things I do not want
because I know they are the best for me,
like chicken salad in a restaurant,
when I'd prefer to have the fricassee.

God knows what's best, sometimes I know His mind,
I pray, against my will, His will be done,
He makes His will well known, gentle and kind,
I pray to please an Audience of One.

I ask He pull desire from my sore heart,
sore from what I should not enjoy or feel,
that it be gone, that it should not restart,
so later greater hurt’s less hard to heal.

O Lord, I pray you make the soreness leave,
so I this loss no longer sorely grieve.

                           -- by Pete Voelz       5/10

Ambiguity God

God is not black and white ‘til heaven and hell,
down here He’s full of ambiguity,
He wants our heart, not one that will rebel,
but how we give our heart is hard to see.

We’re always sinners here, and He knows this,
that’s why He gives us slack in shades of gray,
our normal deeds and love are hit or miss,
but our pass-fail exam’s due Judgment Day.

As we grow up, more black and white sink in,
so many ways both large and small we choose,
our souls tend to a state of grace or sin,
along the way, our trend is win or lose.

Finally the ambiguity is gone,
Your either-or eternity, O God, goes on and on and on and on.

                       by Pete Voelz      10/4/13

The Bend of Love

Christ died for us, not for the universe,
and Einstein proved that space and time can bend,
the Sabbath’s made for man, not the reverse,
it’s all for us, for we live without end.

God bends to me in His humility,
He bends way down, Who reigns far up above,
then He requires humility from me,
humility’s the product of true love.

Proud people do not bend, they break and fall,
Pope Francis bends to wash and kiss the feet
of little ones--the poor, the sinners, all,
so I must bend to everyone I meet.

It’s all for us, yet when all’s said and done,
all’s offered, God, to You by Christ Your Son.

                   by Pete Voelz      10/3/13
pmvoelz.blogspot.sg

Before My Yes

God was with her before He came to her,
she “full of grace” before she said her “Yes,”
God gives His grace like it’s a kind of lure,
to bless me some, before He more will bless.

Before I say my “Yes,” He gives grace first,
my fallen nature needs His grace to start
my prayer of “Yes” that has to be rehearsed
before He sends the grace that floods my heart.

Before His gift of faith I could accept,
He had to give me power to be free,
though with God’s grace and freedom I’m all prepped,
response is my responsibility.

Lord, if I want Your “Yes” forevermore,
to speak my “Yes” I must pray “Yes” before.

                               by Pete Voelz      10/2/13

Flying Without Wings

I cannot see you, Angel, but I know that you are there.
You watch me in the dark of night and in the sunlight's glare.
You look at me from pictures, and in books I've met you too.
So even if I tried I couldn't get away from you.

I've heard a lot about you from the people that I trust.
I can't help but put faith in you, and so I know I must.
The Bible tells us there are lots of angels just like you.
And Jesus vows you guard me, so I know it must be true.

He says you stand in heaven before His Father's face
and pray for little ones like me to share in all His grace.
God's love entrusts me here to you, and so I have to care
enough to show my gratitude by greeting you in prayer.

So I pray to you, dear Angel, when I see the morning light,
that you guide and guard me all day long and when I sleep at night.
I'd recognize your face if I could see it, so it seems,
for once on Guardian Angels Eve I met you in my dreams.

So when I try to sense you here but cannot find a trace,
I'll just set my sights on heaven where I'll see you face to face.
The best of friends we will become while the angel choir sings,
and forever we together will go flying without wings.

by Pete Voelz