Fair warning! You don’t have to read this if you think
that in our country and the Church everything is hunky dory. If you find the
judgment songs offensive, they are, and so is the state of our society.
JUDGMENT SONGS
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put
darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet
for bitter” [Isaiah 5:20]!
Let Them Be Called Anathema : Priests, Princes, Prophets,
and People.
[Ezekiel 22:23-31].
The Jaded Land
Anywhere
we go throughout this jaded land
The
faithless huddle in buildings made of stone,
Or
brick, or board; their houses built on sand,
Crustacean
shells for flesh and blood and bone
Shielding
those who flee from God’s clear command.
There’s
no life, no living among such dead,
No
prophetic voices, no angelic singing,
No
humble hearts for whom the Blood was shed.
Bishops,
priests, deacons, people, cry no bitter tear.
All
alike to the wicked world are clinging,
They
will reap the whirlwind and despair.
Ichabod! Their glory has departed!
They
have no future, their past’s beyond repair.
Lo!
They reject the Word with hearts undaunted.
To them the Word of God is clear, “These things you have
done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I
rebuke you and lay the charge before you” [Psalm 50:21 ESV].
Blind Lust is a Fool to Wanton Gaze
Blind
lust is a fool to wanton gaze
At
emptiness tricked out to daze
Not
heeding the emptiness within.
What
soul lies behind those wanton eyes,
Decked
out with death and dead’ning lies?
That
breast uplifted, those silken thighs,
Those
welcoming arms, those hidden harms,
Bid
the blind unwary enter in.
The
fool enters through the gate of pleasure
Tasting
the lascivious fruit of sin,
Not
seeing death its hidden treasure.
Blind
lust is a fool to wanton gaze
At
emptiness tricked out to daze,
Heeding
not the nothingness within.
Remember that “death lies close by the gate of pleasure”
[St. Benedict], at least certain types of pleasure.
The Wicked Nod and Smile
The
wicked nod, smiling ever sweetly
And
the simple smile in glad return
Not
knowing those wicked smiles will burn.
Even
though the wicked man acts comely
His
hidden intent is often deadly.
To
control you alone his heart doth yearn,
For
this he labours, that your heart should churn.
He
controls when he treats you cruelly,
For
he knows when you by fears are ridden
His
own fears may be quietly hidden.
Wicked
is as wicked does, smiles mean nothing,
Control
is all. Over you he’s flaunting
Usurpation
of your private power
For
when you are weaker, he is stronger.
Always write what you know? This is one of the things I
know; that there are wicked men and women, even as there are many who are good.
Sometimes what you don’t know can hurt you.
Lecher Priest
God
save us all, we have a lecher priest
Whose
every word and smile is oily sweet,
Whose
love denying love is just a cheat,
Whose
words and actions show his inner beast.
He
did not start thus, no, not in the least.
He
once longed with ev’ry trembling heartbeat
To
be a star, to be a true athlete,
Presiding
at the altar and the feast.
His
heart was never silver, only tin,
His
feet were partly iron, partly clay
When
he began to show the beast within.
Hidden
within his heart was sad dismay
And
all alone he faced his inner sin.
Where
was the Church upon that fateful day?
Abuse!
The
child was bothersome,
So
she slapped it up
the
side of the head
and
it yowled,
which
bothered her
even
more
challenging
her
control
which
she barely had.
So
she slapped it up
the
side of the head
again.
Then
the child grew up
never
understanding
why
it bothered her so much
when
her child was bothersome.
So
she slapped it up
the
side of the head
and
it yowled
which
bothered her
even
more
challenging
her
control
which
she barely had.
Jesus tells us that whatever we
do to others we do also to him (Matthew 25:40).
This applies not only to feeding the hungry, giving the thirsty a drink,
welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and those in
prison. It also has a broader application
to issues such as child abuse. The
voices of the Church, the voices of you and me, need to be heard, and where we
can, we are responsible for reporting abuse, and for education.
The Trumpet
What
glad trumpet shall my soul awaken
When
the pillars of the earth are shaken?
What
resonating tones will sound
Gathering
all my moldy bones around?
What
ringing cry shall tear asunder
Heaven
and Earth in awesome wonder?
Shall
I be glad? Shall you be sad?
When
the angels come to sort the good, the bad?
Surely,
clearly, when all is said and done,
When
eternity’s new day has now begun,
Naught
of human evil shall endure
But
only those whose humble hearts are pure.
He
seeks the poor, the maimed, the halt, the blind,
He
calls home the ones whose tender hearts are kind.
