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This evening is our spirited and spiritual discussion about God’s Ear, the favorite poem from last month.

Please join Maria Cataldo-Cunniff and I to do a deep reading of the poem and we all share our thoughts.

Here’s the Zoom link so you can join us this evening, Sunday, July 5^th, at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT for our spirited and spiritual disc…

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Before, I did everything all on my own
and was exhausted by all of the work;
then, I invited others to pitch in;
learned the ins and outs of teamwork. 

You would think when my load was lightened
I would want others to feel free;
rather, I increased their burden.
I’m an unreconstructed Pharisee.

I laden them with my need to be right
made law out of my insecurity
and impose it on others with His might; 
I turned God into my private bully.  

Now, I see. Please, God, help me to fit in
with those carrying the load, shoulder 
to shoulder, so that together we begin 
to make things easier. not harder.

Happy 250^th Independence Day. We pray for our country and the preservation of our democracy.

As always, I like to stay in touch. Let me know your reactions to Heavy Ladened with a comment, heart or email - holipoetry@gmail.com.

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God’s Ear, the poem about hearing confessions, was the favorite June poem for Holy Poetry listeners. Maria Cataldo Cunnif and I will lead a discussion of the poem on Sunday, July 5^th, at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT. Paid subscribers receive an email invitation with the Zoom link. Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription - it helps pay the bills. Thank you.

Images courtesy of A.I. - Poem and video by me.

God’s Ear, the poem about hearing confessions, was the favorite June poem.

Maria Cataldo Cunnif and I will lead a discussion of the poem and what it suggests to you. Join us on Sunday, July 5^th, at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT for our spirited and spiritual discussion.

Here’s the Zoom link to put in your calendar. Favorite Poem Zoom Meeting I…

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Freedom is letting go
and going toward
life-giving love.
We pledge allegiance 
to our beneficence 
whom we call God.

Surrender is the way to win
raise your open hands
walk off the center
of self and register
as a citizen in
the communion of saints. 

Our motto:
“In God We Go”.
Emblazoned on the great seal:  
the fire of the Holy Spirit. 
Our anthem:
Go Where The Love Is.

Every morning 
we raise the flag 
of peace, a peace we share
the way the mountains 
offer majesty and 
forests offer green. 

Dear Subscriber,

Happy 250^th Anniversary of Independence Day. Our founding fathers and mothers were willing to risk everything to establish a democracy. May we be willing to sacrifice to keep our way of life free and vital.

As always, I like to stay in touch. Let me know your reactions with a heart or comment or email - holipoetry@gmail.com.

Next Sunday, July 5^th, is our first Sunday of the month sharing on the favorite poem of June, which is (drumroll please), “God’s Ear”. This poem about confession got the most views and most hearts. Here is the link to God's Ear

Paid subscribers will get a link for our Sunday, 8 p.m. EDT Zoom meeting.

Please, help me find another poetry friend.

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Receive a prophet's reward
seems untoward when the reward 
is to be ignored or put to the sword. 

It takes a grit beyond me, Lord, 
to stick to your prophetic word, 
stand still, and let myself be gored. 

Being your prophet is way more grueling
than being a new-age guru,
which explains why you have so few.

Most use your name to turn a profit;
they baptize their bias and claim your spirit
paid them visit and made them your favorite. 

The few who stay true to you as prophets
will never be invited to church-state events 
but, you give them a seat at your banquet. 

Thank you for being part of the poetry community. 11.5% of American adults either read or listen to poetry, according to the National Endowment for the Arts. You are among the people who love language, find hope in beauty and can think in metaphors. I’m happy to be with you through poetry.

One of the things I love about doing Holy Poetry is being connected with you. I always love to hear from you. Please, send a message or a heart or an email to holipoetry@gmail.com.

Grow the community and share Holy Poetry with a friend.

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I plead for mercy
your truth without kindness 
is a cudgel
and in your ears my truth 
is a patty cake.  

Can we at least agree 
about which city of God 
we want to face when we pray? 
How else can we get ourselves out of 
this rank place - you there, me here. 

However, if you are content,
allow me to suggest
the butterfly effect 
is a sacrament.
We, you and I, 
and everybody are
on a dance floor, pick
either to correct or connect. 

I’ve heard it said, God is Love. 
In scripture I read, God is Love.
Three words. Three Syllables. 
That’s what the sacred book says -  
God is simple.

Love God with all you are.
Love your neighbor as you 
want your neighbor to love you.
I want a better neighbor, so, 
I pray to be a better neighbor. 

Do you still want to kill me?

My hope with these poems is to engender hope. Hope for better relationships, hope for a future brighter than our past.

As always, I love to hear from you; your thoughts and reactions. Leave a comment or a heart or send me reply to this email, holipoetry@gmail.com

Feel free to share this poem or any of my poems with a friend.

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“Nothing concealed will not be revealed.” 
Does this mean God is a private eye
slouching in cars with a long lens to spy
and try to pry open what we left sealed. 

We are only as sick as our secrets
is often said, and confession is good
for the soul, is what I’ve always heard. 
If true, God does not have to do audits.

The truth has a specific gravity 
lighter than a lie, it wants to rise up
like a bubble in oil or a hiccup
it wants to raise up its own dignity. 

Perhaps God is not trying to out us
but we are just dying to be honest.  

How else can we see God but through earthy images? How else can we think about our relationship to God? My hope is these poems illuminate ways to see and think about what is holy. Let me know what you think.

As always, I love to hear from you. Leave a comment or a heart or send me reply to this email, holipoetry@gmail.com

Feel free to share this poem or any of my poems with a friend.

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"The poets down here write nothing at all, 
they just sit back and let it all be." 
That's how I feel about theology. 
How can you solve the God mystery? 

Of course, I believe in creation 
and evil is as real as genocide.
But, knowing divine being is fantasy,
it’s playing God, a kind of lunacy.

Faith and reason create theology
a love child that can tell us how to be
but we have to know when to let go
of our choke hold on a metaphor.

We’ll never know the essence of God 
and can not presume to know God’s favorites.
What we can do is show God our true face
and stare into the human face God turns to us.

My favorite line is taken from the Springsteen song, “Jungleland,”which is the last song on the 1975 album “Born to Run.” Thank you Bruce.

We can’t know mystery but we can know love, which is why God came as love.

I’d love to hear from you. And, I’d appreciate to get off the plateau of 445 subscribers, where I have camped for weeks. It would encourage me to find another friend.

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Below the ritual
is their raw trauma;
I offer God’s ear. 

As each wonder comes in
I slow to match their pace
or race to catch up.

One doesn’t stop to breathe
hammers home his complaints
nailing me for God’s punishments. 

Another sums up her life story 
as she sees it coming to an end. 
She needs to rehearse her eulogy. 

I put aside the gavel of judgement 
offer one big ear to let them in,
to hold their pain. 

Some need the low-lit privacy
to reveal their mental illness
to let me hear the voices in their brain. 

Sure, some bring peccadillos,
the crumbs of scrupulosity,
to brush from their laps. 

But a mother breaks my heart
with her adult heart break.
Next, her seven-year-old girl,

a miniature of her mom,
makes her first confession
so sweet it hurts. 

All are absolved, their regret 
is their penance. I pray they find 
God’s grace on the far side of hurt. 

Confession is a sacrament of healing. That’s how I’ve always approached it and I hope this poem reflects its healing power; to be listened to, accepted and forgiven.

I debated about publishing such a poem since confession is a confidential time but I don’t point to any one individual. I just recall an amalgam of people and situations from over the years to paint a picture of a powerful experience.

Let me know what you think in comments or email or a heart.

Please, share a poem with a friend.

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Damn this nonsense of romance 
it’s no good to explain
what goes on between us. 

You come along 
with your crown of thorns 
dug inot your heart 
proving that love 
is not about valentines 

Your life spilled out 
for us, your way to say,
“this is how much love costs.”

The Latin phrase Cor ad cor loquitur (heart speaks to heart) was the motto of Cardinal John Henry Newman, one of the great theologians of the 19^th century. For him the phrase meant that faith is transmitted not by learned theology or arguments but by the encounter of one person with another. Also, by God’s direct communication with the human heart.

Friday, June 12^th, is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Catholic Church, the great symbol of Christ’s love and connection with humankind. In this era of division in religion and politics we need to be able to speak to each other heart to heart.

As always, I love to hear from you; your thoughts and reactions. Leave a comment or a heart or send me reply to this email, holipoetry@gmail.com

Feel free to share this poem or any of my poems with a friend.

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Images courtesy of A.I. - Poem and video by me.

Here’s a reminder about this evening’s discussion of the most popular poem of Holy Poetry in May, New Vessel.

If you’d like to see it again, here’s the link: New Vessel

Maria Cataldo-Cunniff and I will lead our conversation. First, I’ll do a close read of the poem then Maria will start our discussion. I’m curious to hear if you tied this poem…

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A six-foot fireplug in a black suit 
is loafing by a pink Lincoln Town Car, 
a white purse dog rampant at the window,
yapping for her celebutant mistress
shopping in Fred Segal’s for the latest 
tight and torn craze of expensive undress.

Me, I’m just eating a meatloaf sandwich  
on a bench outside an upscale café
in LA on a break from biking home.
I ask the bodyguard, “Do you want half?” 
He puts out his hand, we share the sandwich. 
His name is Joseph and he loves meatloaf. 

Peddling home, I wonder if the grace 
I said over the meal extends to him, 
was he included in the blessing 
of thanksgiving, in the petition 
of connection? I think of a line 
from St. Paul about participation.

                        ###

Let me know your thoughts on the Eucharist or meatloaf or anything between. I always love to hear from you. Thanks for a heart or a comment.

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Images generated by of ChatGPT. Poem and video by me.

This Sunday, June 7^th, is our first Sunday of the month discussion of May’s favorite poem. Paid subscribers - look for a Zoom link in your email.

Wisdom Figure, bearer of sacred light
or 	
Keeper of the Law who is always right

Wounded Healer learning from his pain	
or
Wound spreader fighting his demon 

Pastor, a leader for social action
or
Mogul, his hand out for a donation	

Celebrant of God’s awesome creation
or
Liturgy cop laying down a regulation

Witness To the Lord in all ways at prayer
or
Crusader ladened with heavy hardware

Servant Leader in the midst of people
or
Overlord dominating bedraggled people
		
Poet of the Word, a Christian gentleman
or
A shaman haranguing women and men 

Standing between facing mirrors 
every pastor needs to walk through one.	

The true priest is a pastry chef.
On Saturdays he prowls the locksmith’s shop. 
On Sundays he gives sweat breads 
with keys inside.

                              ###

Let me know your thoughts on this clerical poem. I always love to hear from you. You're the best. Thanks for a heart or a comment.

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Next Sunday, June 7^th, is our first Sunday of the month discussion of May’s favorite poem, New Vessel, the poem about Pentecost and Margarita's. I’ll send a Zoom link to paid subscribers.

All of creation 
tends to connection
a web of relations
that follows the pattern
of the prime origin
the divine co-relation 
the trinitarian communion.
 
The key to satisfaction
to all self-realization 
to all human completion
to genuine gratification 
is the mesh of relations 
in the divine design
of trinitarian association. 

The key of spirituality 
for all of humanity 
finds its perfect tonality
in a global solidarity 
that mirrors the mystery 
flowing from the divinity
the dynamism of the Trinity.
                     
                    ###         

I hope this poem is helpful in some way. As always, I love to hear from you with a message, heart or email holipoetry@gmail.com.

Reminder: our monthly first Sunday of the month meeting for paid subscribers will be on June 7^th.

This poem was inspired Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, paragraph 240. Here’s the text.

The divine Persons are subsistent relations, and the world, created according to the divine model, is a web of relationships. Creatures tend towards God, and in turn it is proper to every living being to tend towards other things, so that throughout the universe we can find any number of constant and secretly interwoven relationships. This leads us not only to marvel at the manifold connections existing among creatures, but also to discover a key to our own fulfilment. The human person grows more, matures more and is sanctified more to the extent that he or she enters into relationships, going out from themselves to live in communion with God, with others and with all creatures. In this way, they make their own that trinitarian dynamism which God imprinted in them when they were created. Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to develop a spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery of the Trinity.

It is too simple to say 
the Shamrock family
mom, dad and baby. 

Better, a math problem you see
run off the blackboard to infinity, 
no solution just more mystery.

Best to say the fire of love 
between a lover and beloved 
and the heat from their love. 

Thinking about the Trinity this week and how all creation is a web of relationships.

More about how everything is stamped with the image of three in this weekend’s poem.

Let me know your thoughts about this poem. I always love to hear from you. Thanks for a heart or a comment.

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A gale from the Sea of Galilee
a storm of sanctification
cacophony morphs into harmony
Babel reversed becomes Shalom.

We are sent to embrace
 to forgive, to hold 
accountable 
then release.
Justice and mercy kiss
join in celebration.

Freed from the shame of separation
healed by belonging
different tongues become one. 

Pentecost is my favorite feast of the year. I love the presence of the Holy Spirit and the renewal that it brings.

I hope the poem was helpful. Let me know with a comment or heart or email. (holipoetry@gmail.com).

All these poem are free to share, please do.

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A blue-rimmed, hand-blown glass decanter, 
an empty, expectant container
salt already adheres around the rim
slices of lime lined up, ready to float.

The swirl of creation pours in
from beyond borders; so much juice,
so much joy, so many languages, 
the kind of drunk where you feel in love. 

I’m an ice cube thrown 
in the air to drop in 
the stir of dreams and visions. 
Such a gift, just to melt

and be awash in your Spirit
as tequila swirled in a Margarita. 

In the description of Pentecost there is a line that says that the people who saw the disciples filled with the Holy Spirit thought they were drunk. That’s the inspiration for this poem, which anticipates the feast of Pentecost on Sunday, May 24^th.

Let me know what you think. I’d love to I hear what you think via a comment below or a heart or an email (holipoetry@gmail.com).

All these poem are free to share

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There he is, ascending in all his glory,
risen from the dead, on top of the world
and the ordinary John, Jim and Pete
who see the score: death-zero, Jesus-one, 
still aren’t willing to give him his props. 

They give me hope that my full-of-holes
faith still has enough substance 
to cast a shadow, to affirm with shade
the radiance of the risen Lord. 

My memory fades with every step down
in my quicksand shoes. 
I crave to reclaim his height. 

Remind me that I was once astonished
lift the eyes of my heart 
to the things once seen.  

These days we all need a reason to look up and have hope. The Ascension lifts all of us up.

It is always a gift to me when I hear from you via comment or heart or email (holipoetry@gmail.com).

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You can’t claim
your own nickname. 
It can be a mockery 
given by a bully

or an endearment 
given by an intimate
but, you don’t assert
your own nickname.  

We pray we don’t get 
Fatty or Fake Barbie
who wants Sissy
or Drama Queen?

Take heart, dear one,
for in this poem
the origin of nicknames
is the One before all names.

God calls from above
names us, “Beloved.” 
calls us friends in a
world without end. 

Being God’s Beloved
doesn’t mean you’re a puppy.
To live in God’s love
is to be a barking prophet.

Who wouldn’t want to be called “beloved?” What a gift to be loved, especially from one above.

It is always a gift to me when I hear from you via comment or heart or email (holipoetry@gmail.com).

Feel free to give Holy Poetry to someone as a gift.

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