Our journey can begin at any time,
it does not matter if we are young or old,
perhaps we feel lost or forgotten,
or just need to be refreshed and reinvigorated.
Sometimes our intimate struggles,
are so intense and overwhelming,
that we are blinded to the challenges,
that others are going through,
and we create our own humongous pity party,
where we are both host and inmate.
And the only way to escape,
from the conflicts going on inside us,
is the realization that we are,
stuck on a merry-go-round of misery,
and lobbing grenades into our own foxhole.
However, once we finally get the courage,
to rip off the “poor me” blinders,
and the cataracts of confusion,
we are able to observe the bright warm sun,
hidden behind our clouds of doom and gloom.
And as we begin our journey of faith,
we turn to both Mary and Joseph,
and we start walking behind them,
on their way to Bethlehem.
But, with our child-like legs of faith,
we constantly stumble and fall,
but each time we get back up
we gain strength and momentum.
And as we walk our legs get stronger,
and the childhood prayers,
we recite as we walk along,
become the steps that keep us going.
And as our heart is inflamed with,
the love we feel from Mary and Joseph,
our soul soars upwards towards heaven,
and we are filled with an incredible peace.
And somewhere deep inside of us,
a small seed has been awakened,
and it moves slowly towards,
our renewed and refreshed heart.
As we continue with our prayers,
our minds are motivated to seek,
more of an understanding of the words,
and as our mind and heart merges,
we notice a new awareness,
of those who are walking around us.
But, then distractions come to visit,
rudely steamrolling through our mind,
abruptly disrupting our peace and serenity,
and misleading us with disturbing thoughts.
So, rather than feed into their confusion,
we take a slow, deep, calming breath,
as we gently nudge our mind and heart,
to turn our focus back to our prayers.
And as we walk closer to Bethlehem,
on our spiritual path of prayer,
our relationship with Mary and Joseph grows,
and that tiny seed of love sprouts in our heart.
And as our seed of love starts to grow,
we find ourselves with the courage,
to begin conversing with Mary and Joseph,
using our own thoughts and words,
we talk to them from our hearts.
And the more time we spend together,
the more comfortable we feel,
about sharing things that are difficult,
or problems we are struggling with.
And as we are walk the dry desert,
we start to look back at our life,
and wonder if we have,
any unconfessed sins hiding,
beneath the sand of our soul.
The problem with unconfessed sins,
the ones we bury deep in our heart,
is they fester and ooze a deadly poison,
that blocks God's help and healing.
However, once we confess these sins,
then our connection to the Lord,
becomes a sparkling waterfall,
that brings us closer to Him.
And so as we continue our journey,
our prayers become lighter and happier,
and as we realize how much God loves us.
our steps go higher and higher,
and our prayer transitions,
into praise and thanksgiving,
and our acts of forgiveness,
flow like fields full of flowers.
However, now our journey,
has come to a crossroad,
it is the time for us to take,
the biggest and the scariest step,
we have ever taken,
in fact it's not a step at all,
it's a leap!
It's called a leap of faith,
for we are now standing,
on the precipice between,
mediocre and holiness.
This choice comes between,
following our own will,
or asking God to take control,
and become the pilot of our life!
And once we do that are heart will be filled,
to overflowing with God's love,
and we will be able to focus on,
all our neighbors in need.
And as we reach the culmination,
of our spiritual walk to Bethlehem,
it brings us to the front of that serene stable,
over which the bright star shines down upon,
and we gaze with awe at the babe in the manger.
So, with the help of all the shepherds,
and the angels sweetly singing,
we join our prayers with theirs,
as we are truly in constant communion,
with the God from heaven who loves us.
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise will be continually on my lips.
My soul will glory in the Lord;
let the lowly hear and be glad.
Magnify the Lord with me;
let us exalt His name together.
(Psalm 34:1-4)
December 4, 2021
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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Some days, we just go through the motions,
stuck in a dreary fog of inertia,
and as one day dissolves into another,
we sleep walk through our life.
Most of these dreary days,
start out on a bright, clear morning,
when our minds are coherent and lucid,
and our happy hearts are full of love.
But suddenly, we find ourselves,
sitting completely paralyzed,
as the train of our daily rituals,
begins to slowly and methodically,
climb up the steel tracks,
until it reaches the top,
where it momentarily pauses —
right before it plummets,
down into the darkness.
Then, dazed and immobilized,
we experience an anguish,
that seems to be interwoven,
into the daily fabric of our lives,
and we find ourselves unable to break free.
So, we sit and stare spellbound
at the scenery flashing by the window
and we calmly watch the re-runs of the
video footage of our lives.
And as we review the tapes,
we realize we have been gifted,
with quite a few gradual graces,
that softly slipped in,
secretly sheltered within,
their spiritual, sacred silence,
and with a discreet perseverance,
have begun to melt our once
impenetrable, hardened heart.
The footage helps us to acknowledge
the momentous, slow progression,
of integral, tiny transformations,
as well as insightful, felicitous epiphanies,
like the brave little dandelions,
trying to squeeze through,
the tiny cracks in the concrete.
And even though we are still immobilized,
we are able to accept our situation,
and discern that it is only temporary.
And with God's help,
we use this new perspective,
to help us to let go,
of all those agonizing, repressed wounds,
we have carried around since childhood.
Also, with our gleaming, new perspective,
we are qualified to quietly observe,
all our family, friends and neighbors,
and even those who persecute us,
with the cataracts of judgments,
cleansed from our eyes.
And now we are free to perceive,
the heavy burdens they carry,
and as we also recognize the silhouettes,
of the demons and fears that stalk them,
we are able to say special prayers for them.
And the other grace we have received,
is that we are better able to see ourselves,
in the roles we sometimes play.
We are grieved when we recognize,
all the times when we were,
the churlish conductor,
demanding to see everyone's ticket,
and then commenting on whether or not,
their destination is the right one for them.
And we are sorrowful when we identify,
all the occasions when we became,
the anxious, indecisive passenger,
unable to look at our ticket,
for fear we were being taken to a place,
we either didn't want to go to,
or a place we were positive,
would only bring us additional,
pain and suffering.
But we felt the worst for those times,
when we were so angry at the world,
that we stormed into the engineer's cab,
and in an impatient rage,
we viciously grabbed the engineer,
and physically threw him off the train.
So, after reviewing all our video footage,
we now have the unique opportunity,
to completely re-write all the scenes,
and give them a totally different ending.
And as our train breaks through the fog,
into the bright, warm sunlight,
we are able to look out the windows,
and as we see the beautiful scenery,
we are able to appreciate,
that God has been the engineer,
that has guided our train,
to this new destination.
September 30, 2021
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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For those of us with childhood wounds,
that in the darkness of ignorance,
they were allowed to fester into massive,
oozing tumors of shame and fear.
And because we never put a voice,
to all those doubts and despairs,
we had while we were growing up,
we now fail to realize the depth,
of God's gentle love for us.
So, instead of turning to God,
we listen to the violence,
from a world of selfish people,
trapped by their own insecurities.
And as we surround ourselves with others like us,
together, we wander the deserts of frustration,
hoping to find someone that can help us.
But with only the broken as our beacon,
we allow our pain and misery to lead us,
and it drags us kicking and shrieking,
down into the darkness of its grief,
and we scream a cry that has no sound.
We feel like we are being split apart,
and what has worked for us in the past,
no longer seems to be helping us,
so, we pray for someone to guide us,
but the words fall from our parched lips
as dusty, wordless wailing's.
And when our decision making process,
is never allowed to form or grow,
we never learn how to balance,
our unique independence with,
our faith in God's infinite love.
And even as God attempts to seek us out,
we continue to listen to the murmurs,
and we hide in the bushes of our guilt,
thinking our sins are unforgivable.
But when we force ourselves,
to sit in the silence,
we hear the sweet songs,
of praise and thanksgiving,
sung by the saints and
the others who have gone before us,
leaving a trail of bread crumbs,
that brings peace to our hearts,
and heals our wounded souls.
September 28,2021
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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When it feels like God is hiding His face,
that HE has forgotten or abandoned me,
my soul suffers unending anxiety,
and my sorrows cloud my mind
with ceaseless concerns.
Night and day incessant images
of doom and gloom,
flood over me like a raging river,
drowning all my attempts,
to keep my head
from being inundated,
by the torrents of surging fears.
But as I am swept along,
by the various scenarios,
I end up circling the whirlpool,
of optimistic and pessimistic currents,
that bobs me up and down,
like a buoy on a windy day.
But as I begin to flow,
with the rhythm of the waves,
I find myself swaying,
with the rising and falling,
of the swirling water.
And I smile as a song,
floats into my heart,
a canticle of God's love and kindness,
a tune of trust that buoys my soul,
and encourages me to find,
delight in the deluges,
that drench me.
And as the water
rushes around me,
I are confident,
with my spiritual life jacket,
that holds me close to God,
like a psalm of prayers,
that pleads for my protection.
As my song serenades,
the surges and swells,
and my hearts rejoice,
with the joy of the risen Lord,
who carries me in His arms.
Until the surf subsides,
and I am safe and dry,
back on solid ground,
singing and strolling along,
my sunny spiritual path.
September 28, 2021
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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Whenever questions or concerns arise,
the ones that haunt our waking moments,
constantly swirling around in our mind,
and drowning all our confidence and trust,
it is in these moments of despair,
that we unknowingly unlock
the door of our heart,
and fear silently slithers in.
It coils around and enslaves us,
paralyzing us with indecision,
forcing us to watch re-runs,
of all our past mistakes.
We try to close our eyes,
but the pictures keep,
rewinding and replaying,
over and over in our mind.
When we try to wrestle free,
the slimy serpent simply,
tightens his grip.
We cry out to God,
begging Him to help us,
but our sins prevent Him,
from coming to our rescue.
So, we rock back and forth
from the pain in our heart
trying to remember our sins.
But we are unable to see them,
so, we reach up and push aside,
the veil of our pride and ego,
which unleashes the truth,
of exactly where we stumbled,
off our spiritual path.
But no matter how far,
we have drifted off our path,
God loves us so much,
that He rains His grace,
and unconditional love over us.
And as it mixes with the tears,
we are unable to unleash,
together they all,
slowly seep into our heart,
giving us a joyful courage.
And with our newfound strength,
we begin to softly mummer,
the Our Father and the Hail Mary.
But it's not until we start to recite,
the Creed, followed by,
a sincere Act of Contrition,
that we feel the heavenly warmth,
slowly melt the icicles in our heart.
And as our spiritual strength flows,
and fills us with perseverance,
we are able to endure the pain,
and turn back to our loving God.
And when the serpent realizes,
that we have stopped resisting,
he loosens his grip,
and slinks away in defeat.
Still dazed from the trauma,
of our combat with the serpent,
we stumble into the waiting arms,
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
and as we look up,
we see our fearless St. Joseph,
valiantly standing guard.
And as we slowly begin to recover,
we realize the battles are not over,
and the skirmishes will,
most definitely continue,
and may even possibly,
increase in intensity.
So, to prepare ourselves
for our next confrontation,
we review the many sins,
we discovered hiding,
behind our veil of pride.
And we schedule a time for confession,
in order to purify our soul,
and return us to,
a state of sanctifying grace,
we hope this will provide
an iron-clad, spiritual shield,
for the serpent's next visit.
We all suffer in this lifetime,
some from physical ailments,
others from emotional disorders,
while other suffer,
moral or spiritual torments,
and some from the traumas,
that burst into our lives.
But no matter the type of suffering,
we all have some sort of thorn,
that reminds us of our status,
as temporary dwellers here on earth.
Our various sufferings and sorrows,
can be a blessing or a curse,
but when we give them up to God,
we can be confident that He,
will use our afflictions,
to give us the courage and fortitude,
that draws us closer to His love.
I can do all things in Him
who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:13)
March 15, 2021
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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God cries for His children,
living in a secular world,
riding the merry-go-round,
and striving for the brass ring.
We blindly stumble through life,
like the Jewish priest and the Levite,
we cross the street,
to avoid the bruised and beaten,
half-dead man in the gutter.
Unfortunately, the more we overlook,
the poverty of our neighbors,
the thicker the cataracts,
calcify over our compassion.
Many of us spend too much time,
in shopping malls and stores,
accumulating trinkets and toys,
that we stuff into our hordes,
of overflowing treasure chests.
And as the days turn into years,
our cataracts grow and spread,
creating an impenetrable layer,
that covers our defenseless heart,
with a stone slab of indifference.
Although, for most of us,
are sins are not as grievous as Saul,
however, we still may need to be,
knocked off our high horse.
Sadly, many of us are oblivious,
to the sins of pride,
that secretly slither into our thoughts,
convincing us we are justified,
in parading around,
on our black Belgian of arrogance.
And for those of us,
cast aside by parents,
who themselves were blinded,
by the cataracts of selfishness,
we realize as the years pass by,
that our eyes are also shrouded,
and our heart is cold and callous.
Plus, the fine line that divides,
self-importance and humility,
becomes so blurred and obscured,
that we are easy prey to evil’s tricks.
So, without knowing we could turn to God,
we develop a survival mode system,
that we utilize when making decisions.
Fortunately, over time many people,
are able to learn from their mistakes,
however, some of us spend many years,
stuck in a whirlpool of suffering.
God is patient with our tantrums,
which generally are a combination,
of our inability to comprehend,
what following God's will requires,
and the frustration emulating,
from our diminished senses.
We continuously cry out to God,
but we hear nothing in return,
and regrettably, we are clueless
to the fact that our black Belgian of pride
is preventing God from helping us.
And so we continue to plead,
often unaware that what we want,
will be detrimental for us.
But sometimes God does relent,
and when HE gives us what we ask,
the ship we thought would save us,
ends up sinking and leaving us stranded.
The good news is that God's love abounds,
and one day when a friend in pain reaches out,
somehow we are able to respond,
with the promise of healing prayers.
Because it's our friend,
our prayers start out,
as desperate appeals,
but the more we pray,
the more we feel the need,
to surrender to God's will.
And when we do, we notice,
a small, inconspicuous door,
that opens with a tiny, light,
that explodes and breaks up,
our clouds of confusion.
And then, without our knowledge,
miniscule slivers of cataract,
flake off slowly from our eyes,
and the armor of stone,
surrounding our cold heart,
slowly begins to drip,
from the heat of God's love.
When God chooses not to knock us off,
our black Belgian of conceit,
HE sends instead,
small flickers of epiphanies,
like having a friend,
petition us for prayers.
And as our pupils constrict,
and the blood flows in our heart,
a subtle transformation commences,
and we emerge out from under,
our depressing clouds of despair.
We discern a change in our perspective,
the slings and arrows that tore our flesh,
no longer harm us,
and our steps become oddly lighter.
A quiet sort of peacefulness,
settles into our soul,
and all our questions and concerns,
just seem to melt away.
Instead of the usual imploring and pleading,
our prayers flow with more gratitude,
and our previous relationship with fear,
has been replaced with a confidence in God.
And when the dark clouds do converge,
we look up and smile,
with a buoyant feeling of security,
knowing that Jesus is just asleep,
in the bow of our boat.
February 13, 2021
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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As each one has received a special gift,
employ it in serving one another as good stewards
of the manifold grace of God.1
With faith as strong
as the bold, iron cross,
that welcomed everyone
to Saint Magdalen''s Refuge,
George Manly Muir
had an inner fire of compassion,
that burned as brightly as a bonfire.
And with the motto,
The salvation of one soul
is worth more than the
conquest of an empire,
which Mr. Muir adopted
from Champlain,
the Father of New France,
he became an eager instrument
of the Society
of St. Vincent de Paul.
And impelled by the Holy Spirit,
Mr. Muir felt called to work with
the outcasts of society,
and made it his mission,
to help women recently released
from the Quebec prison.
And so we are challenged,
by the humility of Mr. Muir,
to take care not to perform deeds
in order that people may see them,2
but to become faithful stewards,
who remain quietly in the shadows.
Our hearts, filled with charity
and a compassionate calling to help others,
can be discreetly communicated,
by sharing our talents and time,
or by listening attentively to others,
and not babbling like the pagans,
or by simple acts,
like bringing a plate of shrimp,
or other various delicacies,
to the monthly Affiliate meetings.
Mr. Muir and others like him,
enrich our broken world,
by focusing their humble hearts,
on helping those in need.
Mr. Muir's moral and spiritual strength,
is a beacon of faith that lights the way,
for all those who chose to become stewards,
so that in all things God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ.3
11 Peter 4:10
2Matthew 6:1
31 Peter 4:11
January 2, 2021
© 2007, Jacqueline Newport, Purple Poetry Path
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