In the silence of the manger,
The Incarnation of the Word,
Is surrounded by a peace and joy,
That comes to us from a babe in a crib.
And as the shepherds who followed the shining star,
May we find the charity consecrated in the silence of peace,
And we pray to always understand and welcome,
The wisdom and truth lying quietly in the manger.
As we listen faithfully to Sacred Scripture,
We step closer to the hay filled manger,
And as divine grace gently pours over us,
Our hearts vibrate in union with His heart,
While the heavenly hosts of angels,
Praise Him singing in joyful harmony,
We encounter the grandeur of God's love,
And are silenced by the awe and beauty.
So, as we choose to renounce all the internal unrest,
That constantly depresses and dehumanizes us,
And plunges us into a perpetual whirlpool of chaos,
May we leave behind those blinding lights that deafen us.
O God-with-us, may Your star always follow us,
As we enter into the silence of the manger,
And as we climb the lofty mountain of solitude,
Please help us focus on Your presence in our lives.
And as we embrace the joy of the Christmas Liturgy,
May we pray for the grace to imprint the blessings,
Of the serenity and silence of the babe in the manger,
And keep them forever in our hearts and homes.
December 25, 2018
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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When we are confused and overwhelmed,
about our numerous work and life choices
the Lord’s Prayer breaks through the fog,
with the words,
Thy Kingdom come.
It is a reminder that humility,
confession of our sins,
and a desire to put God first,
is the direction that bring s to,
Thy Kingdom come.
When we refuse to participate,
in our selfish pity parties,
when we turn away from,
the anger and wrath,
we take a spiritual leap towards,
Thy Kingdome come.
When we are depressed,
or suffering from crippling humiliation,
there is a light that shatters the darkness,
it is a gentle strength,
that gives us the courage,
to selflessly give to others,
and we find our way to,
Thy Kingdom come.
When we pray Mary's Magnificat,
we find the tenacity to overcome,
jealously, indignation and envy,
by focusing, like Mary on,
Thy Kingdome come.
Jesus accepted God''s will,
his unjust condemnation,
his suffering,
his passion and death,
by remembering,
His Father's words,
Thy Kingdom come.
When we follow God''s will,
by letting go of ego and self-centeredness,
putting aside our need to feel important,
relinquishing our obsession to control others,
we find the peace, gentleness and compassion
that comes from,
Thy Kingdom come.
December 16, 2018 [Updated February 17, 2019]
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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God created a sacramental escalator,
Its source tucked behind fluffy, white clouds,
And those who try to climb its descending steps,
End up falling back to where they started.
They pick themselves up and seek other ways,
Many tire of looking and worship golden calves,
So God with his endless, loving compassion,
Bequeathed an eminent line of little Messiahs.
Prophets that fill the Bible with warnings,
Shepherds that lead their flocks back to God,
Seeking the lost voices crying out from the wilderness,
Protecting and providing for all God's children.
Wanting to follow the example of other nations,
They preferred their sinful deceit to God’s truth,
They scorned the loving, eternal kingship of God,
And demanded that God give them a king to rule them,
In their weakness they rejected God's covenant,
And when they were exiled and treated like slaves,
They repented and cried out to God to save them,
A pattern that echoed for many generations.
As we witness the crazy love the saints had for God,
How they joyfully carried their heavy, burning crosses,
Through the unbearable, cold, dark nights of the soul,
Their love was a beacon that illuminated their path to Christ.
When we finally force our subjective feelings,
Off the purple velvet throne of our selfishness,
We kenosis our corrupt heart and glutinous soul,
And open ourselves to share our inheritance from God.
God showers us with gifts and graces,
Creating priests to bring us His salvation,
Priests who have the power to forgive sins,
As they pronounce absolution in Christ's name.
And as the living water of God's grace,
Flows from the baptismal font of love,
It covers us with His mercy and blessings,
Healing and regenerating our wearied soul.
And as the Presence of Christ descends to us,
He stands in front of our door and knocks,
And as we put our faith in Christ alone,
He becomes fully present to each one of us.
iKreeft, P. (2008). Jesus Shock. Beacon Publishing.
Who Do You Say That I Am? Dr. William Martel ©
November 12, 2018
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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We come to the chapel with clouds of concerns,
With our truckload of universal, worldly worries,
With our persistent, personal, private pressures,
Weary from the heavy cross we carry every day.
We come to the chapel with love in our heart,
A love we share with family and friends,
We pray for ourselves and our loved ones,
And for those who have no one to pray for them.
We pray for the lost and lonely lambs,
Blinded by tenacious darkness and despair,
Wandering in the thorny desert waste lands,
And crippled by their confusing circles of sin.
Sitting in the chapel we are mesmerized,
By a small flickering flame of faith,
That ignites the spark of hope in our hearts,
As we contemplate the Presence that is with us.
As we silently murmur our prayers and petitions,
The Eucharistic Presence is slowly vanquishing,
All our subconscious angers and resentments,
That lay hidden in the hollows of our heart.
His love comforts and surrounds our soul,
Healing our bruised and wounded heart,
Giving us the strength and perseverance,
To endure the thorns that pierces our soul.
Jesus patiently listens to all our heartaches,
Crying with us when we are distraught,
Gently holding our hand when we are lonely,
Revealing his bloody crown when we are impatient.
Whenever we sit face-to-face with Jesus,
His Presence rejoices that we came for a visit,
And He longs to share His love and mercy,
So we can share that love with all those we meet.
November 18, 2018
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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All human beings are created with a desire for happiness,
But some passionately pursue it with misguided perceptions,
Believing we have the power to mold it and control it,
Convinced it can be obtained without having to sacrifice.
We chart our course using our pre-programed GPS,
And travel in the comfort of our luxurious vehicles,
Confident we know the route and direction to take,
Determined to get to our destination unscathed.
Some prefer a stroll through a flower filled meadow,
And when we stumble over the hidden serpent,
In our pain and frustration, we blame God,
Believing that our way is better than God's plan.
And when happiness seems to evade our every attempt,
Anxiety and anguish become our constant companions,
Our prayer life perishes from persistent procrastination,
Our life purpose is concealed by a scarlet cloak of delusion.
We encase our spirituality in a gilded, ghastly fortress,
Holding it captive with a rabid ferociousness for secular passions,
And as we seek to crown our head with power and prestige,
Our narrow, narcissistic mind dreads gray hairs and wrinkles.
Our version of happiness is thrilling, but frequently fleeting,
It comes with a zealous enthusiasm that too quickly fades,
Leaving us wanting more, but unable to recreate the rapture,
Some seek dangerous situations to resuscitate the passion.
Some think happiness comes in the form of acquisitions,
Possessions stuffed into rusty shopping carts we take with us,
Or sometimes we flaunt our gluttony in locked, glassed cases,
While others become addicted to the treasures they hoard.
The good news is the happiness is easily obtainable for all,
However, be forewarned, for the gate that leads to it is narrow,
But the gate and the road that leads to destruction is wide,
And unfortunately, those that enter through that gate are many.
But there is hope for all of us looking for happiness,
Jesus gave us the Beatitudes to help us and guide us,
Through them Jesus offers to help us carry our heavy cross,
And we are given the freedom to drop our yokes of slavery.
When we realize that suffering is not the opposite of happiness,
That through our pain and our suffering, we are purified,
We learn to die to our materialistic passions and selfishness,
And suffering becomes a transcendent teacher for all of us.
So, when the path we walk becomes dark and difficult,
We just remember Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount,
His words will help us discern the path our lives should follow,
And as we carry our cross, the happiness we seek will find us.
June 24, 2018
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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The evil one comes exhibiting his smile of envy,
Wearing a shirt of our favorite color,
He talks to us and gains our confidence,
As he slithers the poison into our drink.
He holds a gigantic, gleaming, golden platter,
And on it is our deepest, cherished dream,
But the glare from the golden glitter,
Blinds us from seeing his true nature.
He woes us with his smooth, silvery speech,
Saying all the words we so want to hear,
Filling our hearts with his words of deceit,
Words that deafen us from hearing his jealousy.
He gives wings to all our unfulfilled wishes,
Our flight takes us higher than Mount Everest,
The lack of oxygen makes us breathless,
We ignore the meteors that blast past us.
Just when all our senses have been dulled,
He strikes the fatal blow,
We spiral out of control towards the earth,
And crash on the rocks below.
Bruised and battered we look up,
And see the evil one laughing,
He has abandoned his disguise,
And we see him for who he really is.
He holds our most cherished dream in his hands,
Flaunting in just out of our reach,
Snickering as we try to grab for it,
Pulling it out of the way at the last minute.
Bloody, exhausted and weary,
We fold our hands together,
And pray for God's forgiveness,
Surrendering our will back to HIM.
The road back is filled with painful boulders,
But somehow we find the strength to walk,
Unaware the God is holding us gently up,
As we bounce from boulder to boulder.
When we finally get back home,
The sun is shining and the breezes are welcoming,
Our smile slowly returns to our face,
And we pick up our cross and continue on.
February 6, 2018
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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