Poems and Reflections

St. Anthony of Padua

A son of noble parents rich
Of Portuguese lineage
His Baptism name Ferdinand
Grew up fifteen of age

He never cared for lucre;
He renounced worldly things;
To follow Christ seemed greater,
‘The Lord and King of Kings!’

He loved the habit friars wore
Of St, Assisi clan;
So, left the Augustinian door
To be a hermit man.

He read the Holy Scriptures well
And preached and taught, they tell;
His memory was indeed swell,
Although he had turned ill!

The Lord gave him the gift of the gab,
To Anthony, now named;
His erudite speeches would stab
heretic’s hearts unashamed.

He worked miracles so often;
He found lost things quickly;
He sermonised to fish even;
Although he had ‘dropsy’!

He loved the poor brethren so much;
He taunted crime-doers;
With hands of miracle a touch,
He made them church-goers!

His love of Jesus was too great;
He loved a martyr’s fate;
Poison didn’t work when he ate;
His life was clean a slate.

And when he died, most children cried,
‘The Holy father’s dead!’
All on their own, most church bells tolled
In Padua, people said.

The hermit was made saint too soon,
A year after his death;
His earthly life was all a boon,
Until his very last, breath!

They say that baby Jesus came
And climbed upon his hand;
He had a stick with live lilies –
An icon of the land!
‘June 13th, is his feast day’
Fondly dedicated to the mighty saint
In loving memory of my dear dad
(Late) Shri. A.T.Antoniswami M.A.L.T., CBE
Copyright by Dr John Celes 10-09-11

Don - Excellent reflection!!! Thank you for sharing!!
P.S. Buying an air conditioner for a lower price in the winter is a great idea!!!

sheilakathy - 'The Speck and the Plank'! How true!!! Thank you for sharing!!

dr_john_celes - Your poem for Our Blessed Mother's Birthday is so beautiful i don't really have the words to say how much I love it! May I share this and your other prayer about Mary with my 'seniors and shut-ins' and 'Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother' groups? I think they would really love them! Please let me know!!

Good morning, all,

Dr. Celes,
Love your poem about Holy Mary, Mother of God.

shielakathy,
Your poem about that plank fits me, too. Thanks for bringing that up.

Reflection
I try to remember St. Francis of Assis's advice to not compare myself to others. Instead, I just remind myself, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

God loves all of you, lurkers, too,
Don

The Speck and the Plank

I had a speck in my eye
then it grew and grew
before I knew it
nothing much would come into view

I sure couldn't see
that speck in my brother's eye
nor could I tell
when he was telling a lie

Then I had to remember
I've told lies too
often I don't realize
until the lie is through

Forgive me, Father,
please forgive them too
really, the only One we've sinned against
is sadly You!

sk

September 8th – Dear Mother Mary’s Birthday!

If not for Mary, would we have Jesus?
If not for Jesus, would we know Mary?
She was a Lady, prophesied truly;
She crushed serpent’s head, through Christ’s birth duly!

Her seed was Jesus, who fought the devil;
He won temptations, and over evil!
Mary was special, chosen by Maker,
To be Heaven’s Queen, God so did make her!

Mary was born of two saints, tells history;
Virgin was sin-free, says Bible story;
Her conception was immaculate, yes!
Generations will forever her, bless!

“Happy Birthday, Dear Mother Mary!”
We gratefully recite your Rosary.
Prayerfully dedicated to our Heavenly Mother
By Dr. Celestine, wife Mercy, daughters: Cathy and Diana
Copyright by Dr John Celes 08-09-11

Good morning, all,

shielakathy,
Sorry your computer's on the fritz. I'm having trouble with my default browser. Right now I'm using Internet Explorer.

God's Holy Will,
Thank you for your prayers. I hope to get a lower cost on new air conditioner by buying it during the winter.

God loves all of you, lurkers, too,
Don

dr_john_celes 'Pearls of Wisdom from Jesus' is wonderful! 'A Special Prayer to the Blessed Mary Ever Virgin' is truly one of the most wonderful poems I ever read of Our Lady! Your true love for her shines through each word!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!

sheilakathy - 'How Is It That...?' is sad but 'My Computer Is On The Fritz' is funny! i hope your computer is up and working soon!!!

Don - I hope that when next year comes around and it's time to get an air conditioner for your living room, that your tax refund is big enough so you can get one! I'm going to pray to Our Lady about this!!!

My Computer Is On The Fritz

Computer is on the fritz
I'm at the library
this one hardly works either
so my brain is all hairy!

sk

Good morning all,

Dr. Celes,
I love your "A Special Prayer to Blessed Mary Ever Virgin". Thanks for sharing.

God loves all of you, lurkers, too,
Don

A Special Prayer to the Blessed Mary Ever Virgin

Hail O Mary, full of grace!
Ev’r virgin with heav’nly gaze!
Mother of Christ and human race!
Bless’d lady with divine face!

Handmaiden of Son of God;
Woman who crushed the Serpent’s head;
Help of dying and those dead;
Favoured-most amongst kindred!

Virgin who bore Christ Jesus;
Have pity and pray for us;
Don our souls with Heaven’s dress;
Free us from all sins, trespass!

Mary with heart immaculate;
Succour to souls until date;
One who changes hell-bound state;
We pray, plead to better our fate!

Queen atop God’s mountain’s peak!
Perpetual aid of those who seek;
Mediatrix, miraculous , meek;
Strengthen minds, bodies, hearts weak!

Sorrowing heart that bears sorrows;
One who makes pleasant morrows;
Comfort of hearts pierced with arrows;
Better our lives and how world goes!

Mary with her Lamb of God;
Mother of the Saviour Lord;
‘Rosaried’ Virgin of Word;
Grant Peace to all souls and world!

Mary assumed into Heaven!
Give us health, relieve our pain;
Change to boon, our every bane;
Help us walk in Heaven’s lane!

Copyright by Dr John Celes 7-09-11