Trust God

How can I not trust God,
Who's loved me from the start,
Who's folded me inside His arms,
next to His heart?

He made me out of love,
His love will never end,
so long as I obey His laws
and be His friend.

Why did God make me be?
To love Him back, I know,
to love each one as He loves me
since long ago.

He lets me see Him too
in others every day,
and to love them as I love Him
along the way.

As God made me for love,
He also made me free
to put my trust in all His love
for little me.

by Pete Voelz

Places To Go

The Romans took St. Peter to a place,
Christ had told him, he did not want to go;
now me the cancer takes, as doctors chase
each tiny part before they start to grow.

Yet You, Lord, too took good St. Peter to
a better place that long ago You chose,
You choose the way and day our life is through,
cancer’s a lot the way a person goes.

My patron saint St. Peter had no choice,
neither do I when it comes to my death,
like Job, I bow before Your solemn voice,
God gives, God takes, bless You with my last breath.

You give life, Lord, then You give death to me,
I want to go to our best destiny.

                            by Pete Voelz       2/27/15

Two Lovers Meet

I come to You, O Christ, with love each day
because You come to Mass each day for me,
for me not far, for You a long, long way,
I bring just me, while You come powerfully.

First time You came, it was Your Incarnation,
a mighty trip--from Trinity above,
the world was shaken by this Re-Creation,
fulfilling that first Covenant of Love.

But now You come to re-create my soul,
Your presence physical and spiritual,
preparing me with grace for heaven’s goal,
Incarnate Eucharist, Your miracle.

Your blood I drink, Your body, Lord, I eat,
how beautifully two faithful lovers meet.

                   by Pete Voelz        2/26/15

Prayer and Pain

Do I pray best in comfort or in pain?
When I relax in prayer or on my knees?
‘Tis also spiritually true--no pain, no gain?
With prayer and pain, Lord, You I aim to please.

The O.T. prayers were joined to sacrifice,
but hearts, not blood, God wanted sacrificed,
with pain and His own blood, Christ paid our price,
at Mass we offer now unbloodied Christ.

I offer Him with love my pain and prayer,
I eat and drink Him in His memory,
I leave my problems on His altar there,
my ache for Him, His infinite grace for me.

It doesn’t hurt for pain to play a part,
if with my prayer, I also rend my heart.

               by Pete Voelz         2/25/15

Faith Steps

Not a great leap, my faith’s a string of steps,
that reinforce each other like a web:
God's mighty Big Bang start the world accepts,
His tide of laws that make the oceans ebb.

The Scripture stories with such strong appeal,
God's promises a shield no threats could pierce,
a mother's love that taught God's love is real,
her family's faith that made her faith so fierce.

A hero Jesus Who is so attractive,
with miracles to prove His story true,
the Church He founded warm and interactive,
with so much love and care for me and you.

And then, O God, add on Your inner voice,
a string of steps that leave me little choice.

                               -- by Pete Voelz       2/07

God Is a Person

O God, it's true You are a Person too,
a friend Who helps me and I help You back,
we stick together, You and I, like glue,
we help each other under an attack.

In many ways You are the same as I,
like You, I love, and just like me, You care,
through thick and thin alike we laugh and cry,
in common my experience we share.

Friends, comrades, buddies, pals, so close we are,
though smarter than me, You can read my mind,
yet Your revealed Word isn't very far,
and I can feel Your heartfelt love so kind.

In Eucharist I can meet all of You,
and soon I trust we'll meet in person too.

             by Pete Voelz     pmvoelz.blogspot.com

Tout Suite Too Sweet

I fear tout suite I do not feel so sweet
Your love for me that now from her I feel,
though You are God and give me all I meet,
still knowing her sweet love seems much more real.

I can’t see You, Lord, but her pretty eyes
dance in my own and sweep me off my feet,
You made the sun, but I see Your sun rise
when she walks in and my heart skips a beat.

I hear Your thunder, God, but her fair voice
is hypnotizing to my hungry ear,
between You, Lord, and her, have I a choice
of what seems better in the now and here?

Our eyes meet, then she speaks, we almost touch,
O God, I want her more than You so much.

                                           by Pete Voelz

Foolish Blame

I’m sorry, but God gets to go both ways,
there is no limit to His bold Creation,
our puny minds can’t comprehend His maze,
the mysteries that He does, like bi-location.

God’s foolishness is wise beyond our ken,
His long infinity’s outside of time,
His ways profound cannot be bound by men,
His will a dream to what we deem sublime.

We see the wars, the pain around the globe,
we’re tempted to assign God all the blame,
confused and hurting, we still pray like Job,
God gives, God takes, blest be His holy name.

We lost, Lord, must be humble to submit,
You ask of us just trust and faith a bit.

                  by Pete Voelz       2/21/15

Blessings Time

Now Lent has come, I went for my confessing,
I asked the priest what penance he would give,
instead of prayers, thank God for every blessing,
so I must change my thoughts to positive.

I’m blest for free with all God’s great Creation,
free body and soul, all free my sins forgiven,
free family, friends, the freedoms of my nation,
my love for God, and almost free--His heaven.

All these a mix of physical, spiritual things,
like Sacraments God graces for us free,
Christ’s Church graced free for common folk and kings,
God’s love freely available for me.

This blest list, Lord, and more--it’s quite a thrill--
to count again as per Your blessed will.

                                by Pete Voelz       2/20/15

Faith to Grace

How does my little prayer help someone there?
Our cell phones use the satellites in space,
sending their messages beyond the air,
our prayers must sail the space from faith to grace.

We trust our prayers will land in God’s own ear,
our faith is that God’s there to hear us pray,
we trust He’s good, and cares about us here,
and that He’ll answer us in His own way.

We trust God answers in His Church and book,
the teachings we learned at our mother’s knee,
we see God’s grace at work wherever we look,
with eyes of faith He graces us to see.

God drapes His grace in spiritual disguise,
that sometimes brings a physical surprise.

                       by Pete Voelz       2/19/15

What Ashes Ask

Ash Wednesday once again announces Lent,
I’m s’posed to give up something that will hurt,
and look back on how good a life I’ve spent,
before I turn to ashes, dust, and dirt.

But I should also do things positive,
after I love God first, then love my neighbor,
to take from all I take in turn to give,
give of my gifts, my talent, and my labor.

Besides the fasting and the giving alms,
I should in Lent acknowledge God in prayer,
go more to church, sing hymns, and pray the psalms,
repent my sins, let me my ashes wear.

If I do these, and let my forehead ashen,
I proper can prepare, Lord, for Your Passion.

                           by Pete Voelz       2/18/15

God's Movie Star

The movie stars that flit across the screen
can’t hold a candle, God, to Your great role;
You have to be believed to best be seen--
You as the true Creator of our soul.

Instead of just emotion and our feeling,
You do a script for mind and spirit and heart;
with love and care that make You most appealing,
You write the play where I’m the leading part.

Producer and director, Lord, You are,
as You proceed to tell my real-life story,
I co-direct, but You make me the star,
if I act well, mine is the fame and glory.

You make me Your celebrity, O Lord,
Your heaven, my Academy Award.

                 by Pete Voelz       2/17/15

Gone Memory

No one will care about me when I’m gone,
it really doesn’t matter they don’t care,
they have their lives, and they need to move on,
I do hope some remember me in prayer.

And I hope all my sins have been forgiven,
and though are done my days of deeds on earth,
God lets me do good by my prayers in heaven,
which have from there--more than here--greater worth.

Who cares if all have here forgotten me,
for soon there will be left none of my friends,
they will have joined me in eternity,
where their love, just like God’s love, never ends.

What matters is I leave here--as above--
an everlasting legacy of love.

                          by Pete Voelz       2/16/15

Dear Valentine

My Valentine to You, O Lord, is cheap,
it did not cost me even just one penny,
yet here so dear this promise I must keep,
this valentine of faith can cost me plenty.

Humility and courage cost my pride,
it’s hard for me to love You more than me,
to help me face my selfishness inside--
this hero known for his love and loyalty.

When Rome stopped Christian matrimony true,
priest Valentine married them secretly,
caught Valentine, they made a saint of you,
the “patron saint of lovers” you would be.

Dear Valentine your martyrdom severe
shows that love’s valentine can be so dear.

                      by Pete Voelz       2/14/15

Proof for Faith

I put my faith in God more than in me,
I’ve less with Him, with me He has more clout.
How can one doubt His creativity?
He’s earned the benefit of any doubt.

Christ won my faith the way He lived and died,
there’s proof enough in Scripture and His words,
the only block to faith is just my pride,
my stubborn lack of faith is for the birds.

Christ’s Church has also earned this faith of mine,
though in this world, full of imperfect people,
not so its Founder, perfect and divine,
its history great, the grace beneath its steeple.

Need more proof yet, before Him I embrace?
Then, Lord, I’ll earn no heaven and no grace.

                          by Pete Voelz       2/13/15

Evasive God

Evasive God, I chase You every day,
I sense You near but still avoiding me,
I want You close so I can go Your way,
not wander in the fog of mystery.

You wake me up and then evade my gaze,
You want me to be spiritually aware,
to search for You and make it through the maze,
You want me to desire You and care.

To get to know You better’s not a science,
but You want me to see You in their face,
Your image we show deference, not defiance,
and aiding them, I won’t evade Your grace.

What looks like an evasion’s when You lead
me to You lurking in my neighbor’s need.

                by Pete Voelz       2/12/15

Almost All God

God made me to be now and put me here,
God breathed my self to be when He made me,
God sent my father and my mother dear,
God formed my soul so imperceptibly.

God gave me life and set me on a hill
to see but not to know His mystery,
God gave me power to do His or my will,
to exercise my choice, He made me free.

How little do I own and yet how much,
my knowledge is just what He lets me see,
I only touch the things He's made to touch,
and yet He's let me set my destiny.

Your contribution’s great, Lord, mine so small,
yet mine is all, and Yours just almost all.

                       -- by Pete Voelz       12/07

Creation Traits

Which traits did God employ for His Creation,
the greatest, best for His eternal style?
In Genesis He lights up His narration,
His motive free and perfect with no guile.

Omnipotent, God used His power with care,
omniscient, God knew all with clarity,
He in control had to be everywhere,
from chaos--order, law and symmetry.

With no deceit, all of His rules were true,
He made all very good, so He declared,
and bringing life, it was all beautiful too,
for man, all was with infinite love prepared.

Almighty God, all wonderful and smart,
why do I waver when You seek my heart?

               by Pete Voelz       2/10/15

God's Incarnations

Christ buried in the God of Trinity,
the Three together doing Their Creation--
a mix of matter-spirit mystery--
though Christ alone becomes The Incarnation.

Christ is both physical and spiritual,
then God made us both soul and body too,
we are an incarnation miracle,
the human-supernatural through and through.*

Christ’s Church shows incarnation every way,
the Sacraments with visible signs of grace,
each statue, picture, station helps us pray,
the Eucharist that hides His Holy Face.

Blest water and cross, Christ’s power in disguise,
cast out the demons right before our eyes.

* The great priest-paleontologist Tielhard de Chardin
said, “We are not humans with a spiritual side,
we are spiritual beings with a human side.”

                             by Pete Voelz       2/9/15

Warm and Close

How can I warm up to Almighty God?
How can I close in on the Trinity?
Yet, Lord, You made me, wouldn't it be odd
if You were not now warm and close to me?

With You inside me there's no space between
us two, for me to hide or stand away;
on One so close it wouldn't hurt to lean,
to One so warm it wouldn't hurt to pray.

My Father wants obedience for love,
dear Jesus wants me to see Him in others,
the Spirit asks I aim for what's above,
like focus more on helping here my brothers.

Closeness to God has little mystery,
and coolness melts with warm humility.

                                 by Pete Voelz

To Pray Before Prayer

“May You, O God out there,
attentive to my prayer,
so far beyond my fear,
come near to hear me say,

“May You, O God in here,
aware of every tear,
with care to share today,
respond I fondly pray.”


Why Pray Before I Pray?

Why is it good to pray before a prayer?
To see the wait and say, “I see Who waits,”
to view “I Am Who Am” Who’s way out there,
the great Creator waits and still creates.

Why is it good to know He has no fear,
far from the petty passions of my day,
except to fear I won’t invite Him near,
I know He’s close enough to hear me pray.

Why is it good to sense Him here inside,
where He can feel like me these tears of mine,
where here from Him I can no longer hide,
where I can taste a bit of His divine?

God of my soul and Lord of far beyond,
share me Your care, please to my prayer respond.

                          by Pete Voelz     2/6/15

Christ Science

O Christ, You are the specimen of my study,
the greatest subject to observe of all,
I gaze upon Your body broken, bloody,
and read Your message there and hear Your call.

Your death, Your words, Your life--my laboratory--
make up my natural experiments,
I witness, read and try to live Your story,
my supernatural experience.

I put our souls into my centrifuge,
what is the residue after the spin?
Results of my analysis are huge--
what’s left is love, once separate from my sin.

O Christ, my scientific search for You
confirms for me my faith and Church are true.

                   by Pete Voelz       2/4/15

Our Daily Grace

The Pater Noster prays our daily bread,
yet we should also pray our daily grace,
we need to nourish more our souls instead,
with bread that’s spread from God’s eternal space.

Our souls are fed by promised bread from heaven,
by sacraments and Mass and Eucharist,
by sins confessed, forgotten for forgiven,
by spiritual grace that ever will persist.

This daily grace we merit by faith and deeds,
by humble hope and most by holy love,
to help the hungry and their daily needs,
our spirits fed less here, more from above.

I sense, O Lord, when all our days are through,
our daily bread is daily grace to You.

                by Pete Voelz     2/2/15

Wimp Christ?

Christ was a man, but was He masculine?
About Him there was nothing that was limp,
human like us in every way but sin,
He gave His life for us, He was no wimp.

In life Christ showed His masculinity,
with strength and love and courage He was full,
how brave He stood against the powers that be,
who else would dare to pull a miracle?

Christ showed the spiritual life is manly too,
“Come follow Me,” and not just be a fan,
our hero with a faith life strong and true,
in history, the most admired man.

Let me show, Christ, my spiritual manliness,
to bless me as a man like You, no less.

                          by Pete Voelz     2/3/15

Bet on God

I just bet God and once again He won,
no sooner had I placed my bet, than there
He showed His chips and cards, the game was done,
God never loses in the game of prayer.

Best not to pray, best not to play His game,
unless you want to lose the game you’re in,
remember that not every game’s the same,
He wins at prayer, you think you win at sin.

How do I play a game that’s more like war?
How long a game of war can I abide?
Like any game, I know both sides keep score,
yet I can win with God on the same side.

Like Pascal's bet, the game I want to ace
is Yours, O Lord, of mercy, love and grace.

                     by Pete Voelz     2/1/15

God's Three Frees

God’s free to make us free with His three frees,
God must be free to give us freedom too,
He chooses free to make us free with ease,
that you can’t give what you don’t have is true.

God’s next free is to give us His free gifts,
He makes us warm and cool if we are not,
from misery His human race He lifts,
He gives us everything for free we’ve got.

And finally God with us His freedom shares,
to love or not to love is our free choice,
His gifts of love and freedom show He cares,
so we’re free to choose heaven and rejoice.

Free God, free gifts, free us, all are so free,
may Your three frees, Lord, be my destiny.

                          by Pete Voelz     1/29/15