God's Holy Face

Part II

Lord, only you can put the happiness in our heart. Only you can give the joy and peace in our heart. ‘Many keep saying ‘who will put happiness before our eyes?’ Let the light of your face shine on us. Yahweh, to my heart you are a richer joy than all their corn and new wine’ (Ps. 4: 6-7). Lord, when we see your face I feel your outpouring grace on me.

Lord, I am a sinner, help me to reconcile with you to see your radiant Holy Face ‘You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; no sinner can be your guest. Boasters cannot stand their ground under you gaze.’(Ps. 5: 5) Yes Lord, your face is always hidden for the wicked. The boasters and hypocrites cannot approach you.

Lord, forgive us for our lack of wisdom and faith in knowing the truth. Lord do not forget us, and do not hide your Face from us. But against the wicked you turn your face away from them. ‘God forgets, he has turned away his face to avoid seeing the end’ (Ps. 10:11) Lord, you see everything that is hidden in our heart and mind.

Lord when you created Adam and while you formed his face, you made it in Jesus’ Your Son’s own image Gen.1: 26. Genesis 1:26 (NJB) ²⁶ God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.’ You were never hardened Your Holy Face towards our wickedness, but you were always merciful to us sinners.

Lord, because of our sin you were sentenced for torturing and even death on the Cross. But none of us realised this in our generation. Lord, we all neglected your merciful eternal love. Lord, forgive us for all our rebellious actions towards you.    ‘Forcibly, after sentence, he was taken. Which of his contemporaries was concerned at his having been cut off from the land of the living, at his having been struck dead for his peoples’ rebellion?’ (Is. 53: 8.)

You never uttered a word to your persecutors; you never complaint and were kept quiet. This way you won the heart of Heavenly Father to give us inheritance of your Kingdom. Lord, only you can carry our sins. ‘Ill treated and afflicted, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb led to the slaughter –house, like as sheep dumb before its’ Shearer’, he never opened his mouth. (Is. 53:7)

You never done a sin either, but you were counted as a sinner for our sake. You never hide your face to anyone who seeks you. Lord let me see your face in my sorrows, in my persecutions, in the darkness, in all my weaknesses and in all my ways.  ‘Although, he had done no violence, had spoken no deceit. It was Yahweh’s good pleasure to crush him with pain; if he gives his life as a sin offering. He will see his offspring and prolong his life and through him Yahweh’s good pleasure will be done’. (Is. 53: 9-10)

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Continued............

God's Holy Face

Part I
A consecration to the Holy Face

Lord, Jesus I give thanks to you that you have made me know your Holy Face. It was on the Feast day of the Holy Trinity, after the Mass in Jebal Ali Church I came to the camp and I was just reading the passage from the Prayers of St. Therese of Lisieux (chapter 11 & 12) I was so touched by her love for Jesus Christ and her attitude towards His Holy Face, and it was contemplative. (Then I remembered the time when I came to Jesus I was just going through the word of God, and not understanding anything. Then I remember when Br. Joemon has given me Is. 53 to read and meditate. When I read this, it was so touched and my heart was filled with the image of Jesus’ blood stained face. St. Therese was so touched by this particular chapter of Isaiah 53 and ‘They were the foundation of all her piety’. In her own words “I too, have desired to be without beauty, alone in treading the wine press, unknown to everyone”, yes indeed! Like Mother Mary she never tried to be known to anyone.

I felt I would write a song in her honour and the Spirit of God was guiding me to write this.

St. Therese, St. Therese, of child Jesus

Oh Little Flower; of God’s own garden

Pray for us, pray for us, poor souls,

Pray for us, pray for us, poor sinners.

          You saw the Face of Jesus our Lord,

          In the light of His eternal glory,

          When we see Him face to face,

          Pray for us, to share His eternity…... (Pray for us.)

You wrote the prayers; in the heart of Jesus

Together we do the sacrifice, for the poor souls

An act of oblation we make for God,

To save the poor sinners, for Jesus…....(Pray for us.)

          You prayed to Jesus; wholeheartedly,

          In his Holy Heart you rest in peace.

          When you walk with Jesus hand in hand

          Tell my sorrows to Him graciously… (Pray for us.)

         

Oh my Little Flower! Together we can search the Face of our Lord and pray for the salvation of many souls. Lord your beauty was snatched away by our sins Is.53: 2.We betrayed you without any reason and we are not able to see your Face, because it is blood stained. ‘We averted our gaze, despised, for whom we have no regard’ Is. 53:3. Lord we never respect you and never consider you, as you are our creator and our only God. But you bear all our sins in a pleasant way; and with a smiling face you are looking to us. Lord, we have no regard about your suffering.

But we thought God was punished you for your guiltiness Is.53: 4-5.

‘Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing,

Ours the sorrows he was carrying,

While we thought of him as someone being punished

And struck with affliction by God;

Where as he was being wounded for our rebellions,

Crushed because of our guilt;

The punishment reconciling us fell on him,

And we have been healed by his bruises.’

(continued......)

Lord, Have Mercy on Your People Poem 15

Poem - 15

Lord our God, why have You finally rejected us,

Lord, Your anger blazing against us, Your own flock that You pasture 

Lord, remember Your people, before Your fire consuming us,

Lord, You gave us the Mount Zion where You lived

With your own tribe, You redeemed since the beginning

Lord, come to restore these endless ruins of Your Sanctuary

The enemy has sacked everything in the sanctuary;

Lord, your opponents made uproar in the place of assemblies,

Lord, we are eaten up with zeal for Your house.

Lord, they fixed their emblems over the entrance, 

Their axes slit deep in the wood of your own Cross,

As they done with Your own flesh on the Cross in Calvary

They battered Your Alter down with axe and pick; 

They were get rid of the panels, in front your Holy of Holies

They set fire to Your sanctuary, profanely razed to the ground

They mock Your Holy dwelling-place of Your Holy Name.

They said to themselves, ‘Let us crush them at one stroke!’

They burned down every sacred shrine in the land one by one.

We see no signs, no prophet any more, and none of us knows how long it will last.

How much longer, God, will the enemy blaspheme?

Is the enemy to insult Your name forever?

Why hold back Your hand, why keep your right hand hidden

Yet, God, my king from the first, author of saving acts throughout the earth,

By Your power you split the sea in two,

You saved Your own people Israelites from Egyptians

You smashed the heads of the monsters on the waters.

You crushed Leviathan’s heads, gave him as food to the wild animals.

You released the springs and brooks,

And You turned the ancient rivers into dry land.

Yours is the day and yours the night, you caused sun and light to exist,

 You fixed all the boundaries of the earth,

You created summer, autumn, spring and winter.

 Remember, Yahweh, the enemy’s blasphemy against you

The foolish people always insult Your Name

Do not surrender Your turtledove to the beast;

Do not forget forever the life of Your oppressed people

Lord, have mercy on Your people of Syria

They are in distress and mourning for Your help

The enemy surrounded them and made them captives

Enemy killed many of them, Your Priests, men, women and children

How long, how long O’ Lord; we wait for justice on your people

Syria, where Your Apostles and disciples lived and gathered in Your Name

You gathered many Christians there and led them to your Sanctuary

But Lord, we are very few now to proclaim Your Truth

Lord, Your own people are oppressed by the enemy

All the hiding-places of the land are full, haunts of violence

The enemy is hiding even in the midst lambs

Syria, where Your people were called Christians

Syria, the cradle of Christianity, once Your beloved land

Where Your servant Paul were converted and became your instrument

Where many were martyred for their faith in you

Where Your holy men and women St Takhla, St Ephraim,

St Ignatius of Antioch, St Jerome, St John Chrysostom, St Polycarp,

St Simon Stylite and courageous St John Damascene were lived

Lord, look to Your Most Holy Covenant!

Remember the cry of Your people in Egypt

One by one the enemy eaten up Your people

Lord, put Your infinite love in the heart of your people

Lord, give them the strength to sustain in their faith

Lord, hear our plea, our tears are dried up

No more voices are coming from our mouth

Lord, You made the Everlasting Covenant with us,

By shedding Your own blood, and redeemed us

Do not let Your downtrodden flocks retreat in confusion,

Give the poor and needy cause to praise Your name.

Arise, God, champion your own cause,

Remember how fools blaspheme You all day long!

Do not forget the shouting of Your enemies,

They are countless and many are our persecutors

Lord mercy on us for our countless sins

Lord, forgive our sins and grant us Your salvation

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House of My Lord Poem 14

Poem- 14

Lord my heart burning with zeal

For the House of my Lord

In silence, let me tell my weakness to you

In silence let me confess my sins to you

Lord, let Your Temple fill with Your Glory

Lord, let me make your Altar with all richness of the world

Let our prayers, like incense reach in your presence

Make your house a holy and adorable place

But who can live in Your Holy Temple

Only who lives blamelessly and uprightly

Who can speak the truth from his heart?

Those keep the tongue under control 

My sins are like scarlet and red as crimson

Lord Jesus, Son of God, I am a sinner have mercy on me

Lord, let me not be discouraged, by my sins in serving you

But Lord cleanse me by your precious blood

I am not worthy to serve you by my unclean heart,

But cleanse my thoughts and feelings

Lord, send me your Spirit, to guide me and teach me

Let my path, always seek truth and justice in your eyes

Lord, mould me to lead a holy life

But Lord, let me make Your Word my home

Lord, make me; your disciple and

Set me free by keeping your Holy Word

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Holy Tears Poem 13

Poem - 13

Oh, holy tears of Apostles, martyrs and saints

Oh, cleanse me from all my uncleanness

Oh holy tears, a blessing for those who wanting God

Oh holy tears, a blessing from Lord who seek Him earnestly

Lord, you shed tears for my sins in Gethsemane

My spiritual father told me, shed tears everyday

And you will keep the steadfast faith in our Lord 

I cried day and night for my sins and He kept me safe

Lord, you taught me; sow in tears and sing as you reap. 

I went off, went off weeping, carrying the seed, 

I came back, came back, singing, 

Bringing  in my sheaves and returned home.

Lord I lift my eyes towards you,

Just as the eyes of a slave on his master's hand,

Or like the eyes of a slave girl, on the hand of her mistress,

So my eyes are on my Lord and my God, have mercy on me.

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The Fire of Grace Poem 12

    Poem - 12

Oh, Mother most pure and chaste
Oh! Fire from Heaven unceasing love
Mary, you were so pure,
A living Tabernacle of everliving God

The Angel appeared to Moses in a flame
In the eternal fire of our Lord
The bush of the Ever Living God
The living Tabernacle of Eternity

She is the sign of burning bush
The Fire of eternal love
The Mother of Eternal Word
The Mother all the nations and race

Moses afraid to approach her the fire of love
God told him ‘come no nearer’
He told him repent and confess his sins
Because she is so pure and holy

Yahweh, my God of ancestors
You chose Mary to be your earthly mother
Let us approach her with pure heart and mind
To know your truth and and sublime love

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Pardon Me Lord Poem 10

Poem -10

Woe to me, Lord; when I disrespect God my Father

Woe to me, Lord; when I disrespect Jesus Christ my Saviour

Woe to me, Lord; when I disrespect Mother Mary, all the angels and saints

Woe to me, Lord; when I disrespect my teachers

Woe to me, Lord; when I disrespect my mother and father

Woe to me, Lord; when I do not respect others

Woe to me, Lord; when I do not love my enemies

Woe to me, Lord; when I am going after good food

Woe to me, Lord; when I am looking for comfort

Woe to me, Lord; when I am asking for favor from others

Woe to me, Lord: when I ponder evil thoughts

Woe to me, Lord; when I judge others with no reason

Woe to me, Lord; when I neglect my duties

Woe to me, Lord; when I gossip about others

Woe to me, Lord; when I look on someone with lustful eyes

Woe to me, Lord; when I am not humble

Woe to me, Lord; when I neglect holiness

Pardon me Lord; cleanse all my sins by your precious blood!! Amen!!!

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