Why Love Christ

O Christ, why do I think I love You so?
Is it Your miracles that I admire,
 is it the ones You do for me I know,
or ones You work in hearts that You inspire?

Is it that You respond to all my prayer,
that You are willing to forgive my sin,
Your spiritual power also shows You care,
Your miracles in both ways show You’ll win?

Am I impressed, Christ, from Your Trinity,
You flood me with Your mercy, infinite love,
You suffered, died, and conquered death for me,
I’m grateful thus for all of the above?

O Christ, besides all that for me You do,
You are my God, so truly I love You.

                -- by Pete Voelz       10/29/12

God's Happy Thought

God comes to me--is that a happy thought?
There’s no surprise--He’s come to me before--
He once created me--so I’ve been taught,
and He loves and sustains me to the core.

I’m happy that His love I can’t resist,
but happier He comes to me in full,
His fullness in His happy Eucharist
is His amazing awesome miracle.

He hosts me with His Body and His Blood,
He guests me His soul and divinity,
with His great grace and strength my soul He floods,
with power He works His miracles in me.

O happy thought, Lord, turned to happy deed,
You heal this broken oft-unhappy reed.

                        -- by Pete Voelz       10/30/12

Miracle Prayers

The answers to our prayers are miracles,
albiet little miracles at best,
a subtle normalcy that God annuls
or small creative change at His request.
 
For most of them God doesn't override
the intricate design of nature's law,
as mastermind and providential guide,
He speaks and all of nature bides in awe.

Why does my prayer thus make God so respond,
my great God Father putting in the fix,
could He but be of me so really fond,
engaging in celestial politics?

However done, of them I am aware,
and grateful for the miracle of prayer.

                           -- by Pete Voelz      12/04

Attentive God

Who is this God Who's at my beck and call?
I can't see Him and yet I know He's there,
I sense His voice but don't hear Him at all,
though in no place, He hovers everywhere.

Him I touch not, yet somehow I can feel
His constant presence and concern inside,
invisible yet spiritually He's real,
His gentle pressure serving as a guide.

I feel much better when I go His way,
He shows me, then I feel bad when I balk,
others point out I feel the same as they,
it's nice He is the topic of our talk.

O God, Who's so attentive, loving, true,
help me give more attentiveness to You.

-- by Pete Voelz         11/05

God's Tug of War

If God is Love, what means does He use most
to work His way with us about this Love?
And in the end, who will most likely boast
to win this war between below-above?

Before our eyes of faith a tug of war
is waged within the world and in our hearts,
and we decide which side we’re working for--
our angels or their demon counterparts.

Of course, this war Almighty God will win,
His version of this Love triumph at last,
the devil’s false facade of Love as sin,
will lose, and like all else be but the past.

God uses grace to draw us to His way,
once graced by Love, we will forever stay.

               -- by Pete Voelz       9/10/12

Faith in Prayer

O God, I put my faith in You and prayer,
but I doubt sometimes if my faith's well placed,
when foes oppose me seeming everywhere
and I feel my prayer strategy's outpaced.

I must work as if all depends on me,
I pray as if it all depends on You;*
I trust in You this strategy will be
the one that works to make my work come true.

Yet I know life's ambiguous at best,
in this world I sense sometimes I must fail,
I pray You, God, will help me stand the  test,
and prove that prayer will rescue me so frail.

O God, I do believe despite the tears
through prayer You help the one who perseveres.

* St. Augustine

                                -- by Pete Voelz            9/05

Great Kind God

Can God Who fixed the universe so fine,
exploding infinite space so fast so far,
forget this tiny beggarly heart of mine,
destined for heaven, far greater than a star?

Would God Who made each particle so small,
and keeps a million molecules in mind,
ignore the most important part of all,
and plan to treat this little man unkind?

Shall God remember not this human soul,
shaped in His image true right from the start,
divine spark formed for an eternal goal,
His Godly life and highest work of art?

This personal, loving God gives me such care
that I know He, dear friend, is truly there.

                         -- by Pete Voelz       5/04