Poetry

THE SONG OF JESUS
My heart, like a weary dove was searching
For a place to rest,
In the garden of your heart, on the flowers of your beauty
It now makes its nest.
Unlike roses that soon fade away and die,
My longing inside grows each day, watered by thoughts of you,
And I sigh.
Poems they say, are nothing more than the heart
Singing,
How, then, can I not write, when to my heart new songs
You are bringing.
Your eyes are like the sky on which a
Symphony plays,
Your smile, the hymn of sunshine that chases the
Clouds away.
In thoughts of you, so sweet, I find
My delight,
From nowhere, you stole my heart like a thief
in the night.
I was caught off guard, but
I let you in,
I was captured by your mercy and the cleansing
Of my sin.
Now, the song of Jesus is what
My heart sings,
A song renewed each day in my heart,
In my soul it rings.
Can you hear the chorus? Can you hear the canticle
It imparts?
It’s my soul soaring to it’s rest in the meadows
Of your Sacred Heart.
Fr. Jon

WHEN I THINK OF YOU, JESUS
The days drag on, the nights seem longer,
How true it is, Love makes the heart grow stronger.
Why my heart feels this way, Jesus, I haven’t a clue,
I only know it beats faster
When
I think of you
When we talk in prayer, time fades away,
Like icicles that form on a warm winters day.
To be in your presence makes me smile anew,
And my troubles take flight
When
I think of you
Your voice, like the cry of a dove,
Carries my thoughts to the clouds above.
There the Cherubim sing songs that are true,
My heart joins their melody
When
I think of you
Time! Time! What torture you bring!
Hurry before me! Take to the wing!
Let the beauty of your face, Jesus, be ever in my view,
Because I find my greatest joy
When
I think of you
Fr. Jon
DIVINE EMBRACE
My head rushes, I lie awake at night,
Thoughts of you in my mind race,
I smile remembering your gentle voice, how right,
And I close my eyes and
Dream of
Your embrace
A short time I left you Jesus, but you would not leave me,
My soul fell asleep, like dead roses in a vase,
But you moved my heart like the waves of the sea,
And now I think of you still, Jesus, and
I miss
Your embrace
I wake up each day and turn my thoughts to you,
My life goes on, my dreams I chase,
But as spring grass is kissed by morning dew,
Thoughts of your gentle love make me
Long for
Your embrace
Now each night before I sleep,
I pray you, Jesus, for this one grace,
To shorten the days, shorten the nights so deep,
To sooner be eternally in your arms
Lost in
Your embrace
Fr. Jon

LOVE DIVINE
In the quiet of the night, my heart calls out to you,
You bring it joy that before it never knew.
Your name is the rhythm with which it now beats,
Being in your presence are the thoughts it now meets,
Things we regret most are the things left unsaid,
So I’ll tell you the things in my heart and the thoughts in my head,
When I left you Jesus, I left something behind,
When I searched my soul, it’s your name I would find,
To think of you now, Jesus, is to fall into a dream,
Is your mercy and forgiveness as real as it seems?
Then let my heart be the garden for your love to grow,
Thoughts of you will be the sun, your smile the rainbow,
I think of you, Jesus, and the joy that will be mine,
When forever in heaven, I will know your love divine.
Fr. Jon
PERSEVERANCE
( THE SOUL STRUGGLING THROUGH THE SEVEN MANSIONS OF ST. THERESA OF AVILA’S ‘INTERIOR CASTLE’. THIS IS THE SECOND MANSION)
I look into the depths
Not yet void
From the flesh’s pull and steps
I climb, or fall, by the world decoyed.
I search among the clutter
For treasures mislaid
A voice as a whisper, a mutter
Comes then fades.
My soul hears it truer
Than the things that I find
Stepping, straining over the manure
I stumble as one blind.
From whence does this voice come?
Which direction do I turn
To that which I am dumb
Yet for which my heart burns
My journey takes much strain
My intellect flies here and there
Always earthbound, now untrained
Fettered by the flesh’s care.
A presence in the darkness near
Comes as a gentle breeze blows;
“Perseverance is needed here,
there are yet five more to go”.
Fr. Jon
Thank you for helping us to keep our eyes always
on the Lord in faith, to trust in His Greatness
in hope, and strive with our strength to
love Him with an undivided heart. +
t
December 29, 2008
It sounds like you have been in contemplation, while you have been away, and that you have written some beautiful poems to share with us–thank you!
Kevin & Mary
Mary P. Murphy
December 29, 2008
Thank you for these. Still praying for you. Christus omnia vincit.
Tom
January 15, 2009
Fr, Jon, I am so happy to hear about your new “Nest”. Think of you so often and want to wish you a very Happy Birthday on the 31st of January. You made such an impression on us with your beautiful homilies.
Tink
January 27, 2009
Father, your poems are wonderfull and i wanted to wish you a happy birthday….. Kevin
Kevin
January 30, 2009
Your poems are wonderful, each time you read them you see something new. Sue and I wanted to wish you a happy birthday a day in advance. We hope everything is going well with you.
w. dobrzykowski
January 30, 2009
Happy Birthday Fr. Jon! This year I offer a
rosary for your intentions and the joy you
bring our Lord, contemplating the Joyful
mysteries.
Stephanie Lanzillotta
January 31, 2009
words fail me right now because of the beauty
of the words that God put in your heart.
lana
February 4, 2009
I was just introduced to this wonderful website and will share your beautiful poetry with my 17 year old son who likes to write poetry. May God bless you. I know you are missed in the Archdiocese of Baltimore
Debbie
February 21, 2009
Hello webmaster
I would like to share with you a link to your site
write me here preonrelt@mail.ru
Alexwebmaster
March 3, 2009
I have printed out your poems and shared them, they are beautiful,hope all is well and want you to know you are in our prayers daily. Miss your desert scene in front of the altar this Lenten season,,
Tink
March 8, 2009
Fr. Jon,
You will be missed at our Trilogy Service this year. What a blessing your poems are – I feel God’s presence when reading them. Thank you for sharing. Have a Blessed Easter. In His love.
Kitty
April 9, 2009
It was good to see you at the pro-life vigil today – that is the first one I have been to. There haven’t been any new posts lately so Father Fred must be keeping you busy! How is the youth ministry going? Kind regards Joanna (Bennett)
Joanna
May 19, 2009
Fr.Jon:
Thought of you and prayed for you on your
Anniversary. It would be so nice to hear from you
Think of you often!!!! Hope all is well!!!!
Tink
June 4, 2009
It was good to see you today Father at Capel; Marino Restrepo is always good to hear his testimony. Nice weather today. i couldn’t stay long today. It’s time you posted something on your Blog or I might have to take you off the Blog list – lol.
Joanna
August 2, 2009