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