2015.08.17: bare minimum

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” – Mt 19:21

you know from the start
the love that was NOT in my heart
you saw that i did not love God
i feared his punishment instead
i just wanted to do the bare minimum
only enough to get me through the gates
yet you were so kind and patient
you did not rebuke me
you did not accuse me of my sin
you merely offered a correction
you asked me to give up my possessions
you were asking me to give up my idol
you were asking me instead to put God first
you knew that i would not do it
because i did not love God
you knew that my love of wealth
was greater than my fear of God
so i turned away sad
before i could see your tears
you understood too well
i just wanted to do the bare minimum

2015.08.16: remain in me

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. – Jn 6:56

oh Lord, my God
i’ve been wandering in the desert
thirsting for what i did not know
and then i tasted
the flesh that is your flesh
and the blood that is your blood

oh Lord, my God
i am on my knees overwhelmed
with the love that is you
and the life that pours forth
because you remain in me
and i in you

oh Lord, my God
i raise my voice in songs
of thanks and adoration
knowing that all the praise
and joyful noise i make
will never be enough
to tell the world
how great you are

2015.08.14: hardness of heart

He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. – Mt 19:8

the hardness of our heart lies
within the emptiness from inside
made up of countless empty vows
and broken promises. we fill our
altars with gods of our making and
idols that we fashion. we fill our
scrolls with rules that make “us” feel
holy and make “them” infidels. we
seek to control everything except the
one thing which we can: our choice.
that which grace has given we do not
recognize and do not appreciate until
something or someone takes it away.
yet we worry about the things of this
world that must give way and squander
our chance at a life filled with joy
in abundance. we seek to divorce our
spouse when it is our self which
we seek to separate. the hardness of
our heart is the hollowness of our
soul. there is only one cure.