Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Canticle of The Soul and The Bridegroom

St. John of the Cross
Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

A Spiritual Canticle of The Soul and The Bridegroom

Composed by Saint John of the Cross

Translated by David Lewis

In search of my Love
I will go over mountains and strands;
I will gather no flowers,
I will fear no wild beasts;
And pass by the mighty and the frontiers. ~ 3

A thousand graces diffusing
He passed through the groves in haste,
And merely regarding them
As He passed
Clothed them with His beauty. ~ 5

Reveal Thy presence,
And let the vision and Thy beauty kill me,
Behold the malady
Of love is incurable
Except in Thy presence and before Thy face. ~ 11

O crystal well!
Oh that on Thy silvered surface
Thou wouldest mirror forth at once
Those eyes desired
Which are outlined in my heart! ~ 12

My Beloved is the mountains,
The solitary wooded valleys,
The strange islands,
The roaring torrents,
The whisper of the amorous gales;
The tranquil night
At the approaches of the dawn,
The silent music,
The murmuring solitude,
The supper which revives, and enkindles love. ~ 14 & 15

O killing north wind, cease!
Come, south wind, that awakenest love!
Blow through my garden,
And let its odours flow,
And the Beloved shall feed among the flowers. ~ 17

The bride has entered
The pleasant and desirable garden,
And there reposes to her heart’s content;
Her neck reclining
On the sweet arms of the Beloved. ~ 22

There He taught me the science full of sweetness.
And there I gave to Him
Myself without reserve;
There I promised to be His bride. ~ 27

My sole occupation is love.My soul is occupied,
And all my substance in His service;
Now I guard no flock,
Nor have I any other employment:
My sole occupation is love. ~ 28

If, then, on the common land
I am no longer seen or found,
You will say that I am lost;
That, being enamoured,

I lost myself; and yet was found. ~ 29
When Thou didst regard me,
Thine eyes imprinted in me Thy grace:
For this didst Thou love me again,
And thereby mine eyes did merit
To adore what in Thee they saw. ~ 32

Despise me not,
For if I was swarthy once
Thou canst regard me now;
Since Thou hast regarded me,
Grace and beauty hast Thou given me. ~ 33

The little white dove
Has returned to the ark with the bough;
And now the turtle-dove
Its desired mate
On the green banks has found. ~ 34

In solitude she lived,
And in solitude built her nest;
And in solitude, alone
Hath the Beloved guided her,
In solitude also wounded with love. ~ 35

Let us rejoice, O my Beloved!
Let us go forth to see ourselves in Thy beauty,
To the mountain and the hill,
Where the pure water flows:
Let us enter into the heart of the thicket. ~ 36

We shall go at once
To the deep caverns of the rock
Which are all secret,
There we shall enter in
And taste of the new wine of the pomegranate. ~ 37

There thou wilt show me
That which my soul desired;
And there Thou wilt give at once,
O Thou, my life!
That which Thou gavest me the other day. ~ 38

The breathing of the air,
The song of the sweet nightingale,
The grove and its beauty
In the serene night,
With the flame that consumes, and gives no pains. ~ 39

***

For additional biographical information about the spanish mystic and his life as a priest, please visit the following link: St. John of the Cross

The stained glass window detail can be seen inside of the Saint Teresa of Avila Mausoleum which is located on Passaic Avenue in Summit, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2010 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com


Bookmark and Share

Monday, October 12, 2009

The Anointing of the Holy Spirit (Poetry)


Photographed inside St. Mary's Church, Denville, NJ

The Holy Spirit

Wings of loving freedom—
soaring peacefully into harmony with hymns of faith
encircling earth in search of virtuous souls
encountering scores of compassionate hearts
in tunes of praise and glory—
the gospel music of salvation.

Our Heavenly Father
aggrieved by turbulent winds
and clouds of fury
that displace innocent lives,
humanity is gifted with prayer to mitigate ominous storms,
protecting God’s children from misfortune.

The outpouring of divine love
thawing humanity’s chilled heart,
shadowed in moments of indifference,
blessed and thoughtfully forgiven by grace.



Photographed inside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Boonton, NJ

In unified prayer of mercy,
Jesus pardons our sins,
wipes away tears—
prepares our soul to embrace the Holy Spirit.

Behold the Light of Resurrection—
the Choir of Heaven in symphony with the Book of Life
recording all who believe in God’s providence!

By Loci B. Lenar


Photographs © 2009 Loci B. Lenar 
Poem © 2005 Loci B. Lenar
Registration Number TXU1-286-432


Bookmark and Share

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Tribute to King

Free Clipart Photo of Martin Luther King Jr - Civil Rights Conference 1964. Click Here to Get Free Images at Clipart Guide.com

Photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr - Civil Rights Conference 1964
In Honor of the great legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr


Tribute to a King

Freedom fighter in words of flaming love
Passionate zeal of soul through humbling marches and dreams

Unlocking the gateway to civil liberty
Announcing a legacy of social equality amid hands of joy and unity

Proclaiming peace and harmony on behalf of posterity
Messenger of the Lord into footsteps of Calvary—

By no means forgotten—

Resurrected in spirit and seated among the elect
Hero and saint of God’s heavenly kingdom

Champion of Christianity and Martyr of the 20th Century—
The great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

© Loci B. Lenar

Tribute to a King (Poem) was registered in December of 2003 though the United States Copyright Office with certificate number TXU 1-149-847.

Photo supplied by http://www.clipartguide.com/


Monday, January 28, 2008

Tribute to a King: A Sign from Heaven


Pope Benedict XVI called for Christian unity on Friday, January 26, during a vespers service at Rome's Basilica of St. Paul's. He said during a prayer service that "Unity with God and our brothers and sisters is a gift that will come from on high." My response to Pope Benedict's statement is for the Catholic faith to respectfully consider honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Beatification. The following story will provide insight to the issue:

Tribute to a King is written in honor of the great legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr with words flowing in revelation. In the early 1990s, the Spirit of the Lord imparted me with a vision of our world gifted and Blessed in Peace during a spiritual visitation. Through discernment, the Lord is preparing our Millennium for the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy by building a bridge of peace and unity between people and cultures, including reconciliation amongst religious denominations.

In Revelation 19:9, the following is conveyed: 'Then the angel said to me, "write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These words are true; they come from God." '

I discussed the matter with my spiritual advisor, Father Richard Tartaglia of Saint Mary's Church, Denville, NJ, and indicated that God's Will is to usher in an era of peace with unity. I also disclosed that through a spiritual locution/impartation, our Lord conveyed that Dr. King is "a saint of my kingdom."

The following is noted in Psalm 145:21, "My mouth will speak your praises, Lord; all flesh will bless your Holy name forever." With the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord indeed speaks through the faithful. As a Christian and Catholic, the legacy of Dr. King should be remembered for not only his great dream, but for courage in following in the footsteps and gospels of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Quoting the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr : "So I say to you, seek God and discover Him and make Him a power in your life. Without Him all of our efforts turn to ashes and our sunrises into darkest nights. Without Him, life is a meaningless drama with the decisive scenes missing. But with Him we are able to rise from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope. With Him we are able to rise from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy. St. Augustine was right - we were made for God and will be restless until we find rest in Him."

Dr. king also said, "Love is the most durable power in the world. This creative force, so beautifully exemplified in the life of our Christ, is the most potent instrument available in mankind's quest for peace and security."

Not only a great civil rights leader, but Dr. King was a Babtist Minister and a co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church from 1960 until his death in 1968. The Catholic faith should respectfully consider honoring King as a doctor of the church with Sainthood. Canonization should not be limited to Catholics, but also be considered for virtuous Christians of other denominations as well. I believe changes are needed in the church in order to help bring forth unity amongst all Christians and Catholics.

The following is conveyed in Isaiah 55: 9 and 11, "As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it."

In Psalm 37, Verse 4-6, the following is noted: "Find your delight in the Lord who will give you your heart's desire. Commit your way to the Lord; trust that God will act and make your integrity shine like the dawn, your vindication like noonday."

Let us not forget that in the house of God all are equal! In unified prayer all is possible through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The vision will come to pass with God's timing. I give praise and glory including thanks to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for all the gifts and spiritual wonders unfolding. (To read poem, please click on image)

Copyright 2008 Loci B. Lenar


Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Blessings - Rainbows from Heaven (Free Download)

Blessings is a reflection of Christian tradition designed into a contemporary and colorful art print with encouraging words. Download the poster by clicking on the image and then choose All Sizes. Use your computer software for printing the free image. (For personal use only - not for resale unless permission is granted by the artist).

Copyright 2008 Loci B. Lenar