For a Woman

Remember, Daughter of Eve
Do not forget, O Woman –
Many are the years that have passed upon the earth
Flowers faded, forests grown, mountains crumbled
And memories become like mist.
The stories told are often tales
Of darkness or even soulless gray,
But it was not always so.
And now the Light has dawned,
Life is come, the gift is giv’n.
The Morningstar rises,
Eden glimpsed again.

Who is this that rages now?
He with empty, burning gaze,
That dragon, mankind’s bitter foe.
He desires your ruin, the ruin of your soul.
O Daughter of Eve, keep your guard!
O Woman, with such wonder were you made!
Crowning beauty of God’s creation!
Though you fell into death’s dark grasp,
The weight of sin upon your soul –

Look! Your Savior comes!
Conqu’ring death itself, he storms the darkened keep
And wakes his Sleeping Beauty with a tender kiss.
And now you, O Princess,
You whose name is Precious One, Beloved,
Daughter of the King,
Remember!

Remember who you are.
Heed not the dragon’s lies.
Do not listen to his clever tales.
He will try to enchant you,
To put you under his spell of darkness,
To cause your soul to sleep
And slip away into death,
To forget the One who created you,
The One who claims you as his own,
To fill your eyes with deep shadows
That you might forget the light,
Or, still rememb’ring, to despair of seeing it again.
He does not want you to know, nor to understand
That you were created for life, for love
That God has endued you with beauty
Beauty that radiates from your soul –
You are a reflection of the glory of God.

Written 7/13/04 Rev. 10/27/04

Darkened Glimpse of Splendor

O Lord, who adorns the sky with galaxies
and fills the heavens with golden moon and stars,
"What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?"
The earth is yours, and everything in it;
nothing was made apart from you.
Truly, all of creation declares your glory
and the heavens sing your praise.
Yet neither the rising and setting of the sun
nor the waxing and waning of the moon
nor the glistening of the dew at dawn's first light
nor the gleaming jewels formed by winter's breath --
none of these reflections of your beauty can compare with the radiance of your glory;
they are but a darkened glimpse of your splendor.

O Mangum Mysterium

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O great mystery of Love! I possess the one who possesses me.
I possess all, for I am possessed by the Blessed Trinity
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Longing

The sight of the silver moon entranced my heart, inspiring thoughts of devotion. In my joy I almost failed to see that her beautiful light was but a dim reflection of the radiance of another. I sought the moon, but the moon showed me that her beauty was but a glimpse of a far greater glory. If I can rejoice in seeing her, how much more can I rejoice in the rising of the sun?

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Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple

Psalm 42:1-2
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

Psalm 63:1
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

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