The Train of Saints

(In honor of all the saints on All Saints Day)

The saints are ones who bring to heaven a train,
the souls of those who follow in their wake,
trailing behind as on a long, long chain,
like rows of ducks converging on a lake.

They are the folk a saint crossed on their path,
people they knew--or not, but who they prayed for,
their sheltered souls, avoiding all God’s wrath,
on Judgment Day, their saint they will parade for.

O fortunate few, who for a time once knew
someone you had not recognized as a saint,
from whom you took your cue, though sinner like you,
now you can honor them without restraint.

In heaven, O God, we’ll hear no more complaints
of all Your friends, Your multitude of saints.

                         by Pete Voelz     10/31/14

Holy Halloween

We all know Halloween is Hallowed Eve
because November First is All Saints Day,
we celebrate that Eve like we believe
there is some god of fun to whom we pray.

We hear of “Devil’s Night” and “trick or treat,”
though much is innocent and full of play,
it’s ghosts and death and devils that we meet,
and from God’s holy saints we’re led astray.

At Easter Vigil and Christmas Eve, it’s Christ,
more than some bunny’s eggs and Santa’s sleigh,
Who’s born and raised as death is sacrificed,
while devils bow to saints and heaven’s sway.

The Hallowed deviltry will go away,
while You, Lord, and Your saints forever stay.

                          by Pete Voelz     10/30/14

Auschwitz Max

(St. Maximilian Kolbe  1894-1941)

St. Kolbe, you were faithful to the max,
when Mary appeared, she tested out your ardor,
a red or white rose, which one more attracts?
You chose each rose--red martyr and white martyr.

One prisoner from Auschwitz got away,
the Nazi penalty--death for ten men,
one pleaded for his family in dismay,
you said you’d take his place as number ten.

They took you ten and threw you in a hole,
no food, no water for more than a week,
you led their song and cared about their soul,
and in the end, you turned the other cheek.

A priest of Christ, for Whom your blood you shed,
a saint of Mary, martyr--white and red.

                          by Pete Voelz     10/29/14

God's Answers

We speak to You, O God, and call it prayer,
we ask You, Father, Son and Spirit, for bread,
but how do You speak back with love and care?
With bread, You said, and not a stone instead.

You give us more to prove it’s from Your hand:
a miracle reveals it comes from You,
because a house divided cannot stand,
Your supernatural answer shows it’s true.

Lord, You’re attentive to my prayers down here,
not from below, You answer me from above,
not demons, but You hear my prayer sincere,
You send me bread and miracles with love.

Good cures, good saints, good fruit, all show it’s true,
that’s how we’re sure Your miracles come from You.

                           by Pete Voelz     10/27/14

More or Less Faith

The less God does for me, my faith is more,
the more God does, the less of faith I need.
If God did all, it seems my faith would soar,
yet there would then be nothing to concede.

What if for us God parted every sea?
There would be little left for us to do.
What if we fell and God just let us be?
Our faith would have to then be strong and true.

God rations out His grace, knowing we are
so fickle in our faith if graced too much;
then rations out our troubles just so far,
so that our faith and needs at least can touch.

God, grace me more, yet boost my faith, I pray,
to keep both faith and grace strong all the way.

                                  -- by Pete Voelz      3/06

Messy Certainty

What is there certain in a messy world?
We have to deal with it, there is no other,
where do true lovers turn once they have quarreled?
A child’s so lucky to have a good mother.

That life’s a mess for all, we know is true,
“What is truth?” Pilate asked a suffering Christ.
“I’ll rest,” said Mother Therese, “when life is through.”
She knew life’s best when self is sacrificed.

It’s selfishness that makes life such a mess,
both on a personal and worldly scale,
the saints showed there is nothing God can’t bless,
except our sins, the only way we fail.

While messy ones will muddle as we must,
in God Who made the stars we put our trust.

                            by Pete Voelz     10/26/14

A Thousand Minds

A thousand minds far greater than my own
have long ago interpreted the Bible,
for me to change their wisdom all alone
and trumpet mine would surely be a libel.

How could I disagree with Saint Augustine,*
the Fathers of the Church with smarts supreme,
great theologians like Jerome or Justin,
whom Christ appeared to in his memorable dream.

Who am I, but one who’s so often failed
to tell what God’s word means by my conceit?
Why am I wiser than those great ones hailed
by centuries for the scholarship they treat?

How can I claim that I am on God’s side,
when I’m wild-eyed and blind by my own pride?

* Augustine is still taught, even in secular universities, for
his City of God in philosophy and political theory courses.

                         by Pete Voelz     10/16/14

Christ Light

My path is dark, but Jesus is my light,
a searchlight for my train on down the track.
He stabs the fog, a lighthouse in the night,
His light of love, when lost, to lead me back.

Christ is the shining flashlight in my hand,
the headlight bright to show the highway clear,
a candle light for shadows where I stand,
my cell phone glow to light the gloom that’s near.

Christ is the light of faith to see His face,
the light of courage that keeps me in control,
He spreads in rays the sunlight of His grace,
He shines His light of mercy on my soul.

And in the twilight shadow of my life,
Christ will fire up His floodlight like a knife.

                      by Pete Voelz     10/24/14

Power Fear

One part of God I fear is His great power:
what power a volcano can reflect!
The power in a storm or just a shower
strikes fear for nature’s God, at least respect.

The stars, the sun, the moon portray His power,
so much of nature’s far beyond control,
and He, Who forms the beauty of a flower,
much more than I can beautify a soul.

God’s power with the universe is plain,
how fierce the fearsome power of the sea,
how much He rules my comfort and my pain,
I hold in awe His power over me.

God’s care and power with everything is clear,
I’m glad my prayer He has the care to hear.

                            by Pete Voelz     10/23/14

You Crowd Me, God

It’s hard to be alone in such a crowd,
alone with You, O God,--or just alone,
there’s always Three of You, One’s not allowed.
No place, no time--that I can call my own?

In liturgy, so many folks around,
Your Cloud of Witnesses goes everywhere,
my patron saints, Your daily saints abound,
Your angels and my Guardian always there.

Sometimes I just don’t want this crowd I’m in,
though with no crowd there’d be a vacuum,
especially when I have a yen to sin,
then who with his crowd would come in--ka-boom!

I’m most alone when in a crowd of two,
I share, O Lord, my Eucharist with You.

            by Pete Voelz     10/21/14

How Little, Lord

How little do I know of You, O God,
of Your Creation, what I know is small,
yet if I knew too much of You, how odd!
I often feel I don’t know You at all.

Enough for me to know what You reveal,
yet most about you still is mystery,
You tell me just enough to make You real,
though much of what You show I cannot see.

I know what You’re up to--You want my faith,
You want me for eternal life with You,
You aim to save me from eternal death,
You want me to believe Your word is true.

It matters not, O Lord, how much I know,
just so my faith grows and I let it show.

                  by Pete Voelz     10/17/14

Love Force

Your truth is not what forces me to faith,
nor does Your goodness finally make me go,
Your beauty doesn’t, nor does fear of death,
but love, O Love, You make me love You so.

Your love compels because You, Lord, are love,
I’m forced to love by love though I am free,
can I resist love’s home I’m dreaming of,
where You are waiting, Lord, in love with me?

Love brings on truth for all Your love is true,
love causes goodness like a miracle,
all beauty’s lovely power comes from You,
for You are wholly supernatural.

So strong Your love stirs me to loving too,
I’m forced to freely give my love to You.

                    by Pete Voelz     10/18/14

The Greatest Loves

How is it true I am most loved of all?
God’s love is infinite because He is,
His love endured for me beyond the Fall,
He loved me, made me, owns me, I am His.

The Father loved me so, He gave His Son
to be like me, then for me suffer and die,
for only me were I the only one,
from love Christ did all that--I wonder why?

Nothing will last, Christ said, and yet I will,
to love Him first and most God orders me,
while living evermore, I’ll love Him still,
mine will, like His, last to infinity.

Your love for me’s the greatest love, that’s true,
mine, Lord, will be the greaest love for You.

                             by Pete Voelz     10/19/14

Wafer and Wayfarer

I am a lonesome journeyman, a wayfarer,
although I never travel all alone,
on journeys I’m joined by a fellow-traveler,
and we’re so close, I seem almost a clone.

Each morn I drop by Mass to take a wafer,
my spiritual food with me throughout the day,
my soulful self could not feel any safer,
than with Him here Who’ll ever near me stay.

Just as I am one physical-spiritual whole,
so Christ, beneath what looks like bread and wine,
is Incarnation--body, blood and soul,
a wafer mine, whole, holy, and divine.

We’ll journey high beyond the sky, my Friend,
until our trip comes to a gripping end.

                           by Pete Voelz     10/18/14

Breach of Humility

Is it a breach of my humility
to hope to have a hand in their salvation,
to seek to save the souls from sea to sea,
and lay my axe to all devilish temptation?

Is it my pride bids me strike for the Lord,
be a real “Master of the Universe,”*
to wield on earth His “terrible swift sword,”**
and wage a spiritual war on Eden’s curse?

Who helps Your love to live and evil kill,
who dons invisible armor at Your side?
“Here I am, Lord, I come to do Your will,”***
with no heed of humility or pride.

We are at war with Satan and his crew,
let me not shrink from fighting, Lord, for You.

* Popular saying, movie and toys of fake heroes.
** From the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
*** The boy Samuel’s answer to God’s call to him.

                              by Pete Voelz     10/15/14

Human God

The  whole time Christ is man He's also God,
the whole time now He's God He's also man;
that changeless God changed to a man is odd,
unless Almighty changeless God just can.

Or maybe He just took a different form,
God did not change, but looks a different way;
it's hard to know for God what is the norm,
something can change and then it’s here to stay?

Is changeless God steadfast with fickle me,
or will He tire of all my sinfulness?
Why do I change when I should steadfast be?
Will God love more if sinning I love less?

As my state so depends upon His grace,
I'm glad He's graced us with His human face.

                          -- by Pete Voelz          4/04

Soul-Self Love

In love, my soul comes first, my body second,
my soul made up of mind and will and heart,
my body follows only when it’s beckoned,
my soul-self leads, not some too eager part.

I draw my lead from God who made me whole,
for God is love, to His my love is true,
my soul-self keeps my body in control,
so I am not a slave to devils-brew.

Who am I, what is my identity?
My honor, self-respect, integrity;
the master of my fate and destiny,
that hopes someday to share divinity.

I know I fail sometimes, my love is flawed,
then I repent and grasp Your love, O God.

                   by Pete Voelz     10/14/14

Great Fatima

(On the 97th anniversary of the final vision, Oct. 13)

Why did they build a great basilica,
for what three children told in Portugal,
requested by Our Lady of Fatima,
sealed by a great gigantic miracle?*

St. John Paul’s bullet rests within her crown,
shot her first vision day--thirteenth of May,
the great crowd saw her dancing sun come down
October thirteenth, her last vision day.

Thousands of miracles come to her shrine,
the Church proves most of them, her visions too,
both show her help is by divine design,
as her predictions one-by-one come true.

Your Fatima, O Mary, is so great,
the anniversary days still resonate.

* The miracle of the sun became a story in the N.Y. Times.

                     by Pete Voelz     10/13/14

God Depends

You are so great, O God, You don’t need me,
so why do You resort to one so small,
is it Your masterplan and mystery
rule for some things, I’m needed most of all?

In this world You don’t intervene too much,
You give us freedom so we can discern
how to deal with the ones we meet and touch,
so that our wings to fly to heaven we earn.

Augustine said to pray like all depends
on God, but work like all depends on me,
and JFK says, as his great speech ends,
on earth God’s work is ours because we’re free.

Just as we, Lord, depend on You above,
below You must depend on us to love.

                        by Pete Voelz     10/11/14

God's Hunger

Why does God hunger for me if He’s full?
Does not some hunger leave an empty place?
I feel Him push me, then I feel Him pull,
this hungry “Hound of Heaven” gives me chase.*

Upon His cross, Christ thirsted for my soul,
His emptiness appears to me a flaw,
to fill that space, God’s left me in control,
such power, such freedom leave me full of awe.

What shall I do because I am so free?
See God’s face in my neighbor here on earth,
discern God’s will amidst His mystery,
see in His hunger just how much I’m worth.

I know, Lord, Your desire for me is true,
stir up in me a hunger strong for You.

* Famous poem about God by Francis Thompson.

                             by Pete Voelz     10/9/14

Love in Bloom

Love’s not just now, it grows from deeper roots,
it buds in little ways beyond our eyes,
the tender shoots take time to bear their fruits,
still its maturing blooms come as surprise.

Sometimes like an Hibiscus overnight,
love flowers quick with blossoms opening fast,
yet love will test love flowering at first sight,
will love fade fast, like blooms that do not last?

Love fast or slow needs nurturing to grow,
God’s nature means for us to do our part,
the gentle work must oft be done just so,
or love will never last beyond the heart.

On looking back, we easily see love’s sprouts,
true love finds joy, forgetting all time-outs.

                         by Pete Voelz     10/10/124

Remember and Survive

I think a lot about my own survival,
for food and clothes and house I’m in a sweat,
for helping those I love, I have no rival,
but You, O God, I tend here to forget.

O Lord, when do You come to my attention?
If I don’t listen, I do not hear their pleas--
the hungry, thirsty, homeless that You mention,
I help You when I help the least of these.

You said, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you alive,
you love yourself--love Me, and love them too.”
I also need to help my soul survive,
when I see them, let me remember You.

O God, when I hear You and heed their plea,
by helping them I will be helping me.

                      by Pete Voelz     10/5/14

God and His Love

God’s not my lodestone, but His love sure is.
How can I love His love, but not love Him?
Since God is love, and all my love is His,
the difference ‘twixt Him and His love is slim.

If I don’t know Him, I sure know His love,
I wallow in the gifts He loves to give,
I love His earth below, His stars above,
I dearly love the life He lets me live.

I do not fear God’s love, it’s Him I fear,
so much of God is such a mystery,
I want His love, but don’t want Him too near,
He sees my sin and may be mean to me.

I’ll never give up on your love, it’s true,
so, Lord, I guess I’ll have to love You too.

by Pete Voelz     10/4/14

Francis and the Wolf

(For Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi)

The wolf was large and hungry at the door,
his fame became part of the village lore;
the hungry wolf would sometimes chance to meet
a village child that he would quickly eat.

St. Francis was a famous holy man,
to him the desperate parents finally ran,
and Francis bade the hungry carnivore,
to not eat any children anymore.

Through Francis' gentle chiding in the end,
the wolf obeyed his animal-loving friend,
and Francis bade the villagers to feed
the hungry wolf, and all of them agreed.

O dear St. Francis, you I do implore
to keep the wolf from scratching at my door.

-- by Pete Voelz

To Help God Give

God gives Himself as much as I can take,
He slowly lifts the veil so I can see,
He shows Himself for mine, not for His sake.
How much? He mostly leaves it up to me.

God is the light of truth for which I search,
He dawns on me from youth, but not too bright,
His light shines through my family and our Church,
to see more, I must keep Him in my sight.

God shows me more, the more my faith grows stronger,
the world’s distraction make the light grow dim,
it’s I decide if I look higher longer,
God’s sight’s on me, and mine should be on Him.

Lord, if more of Your light I want to know,
more of my faith and love I need to show.

               by Pete Voelz     10/2/14