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Heart Afire

Posted in Art, Catholic, Christ, Christian, Church, devotion, Holy Spirit, Poetry, Prose & Prayer with tags , , , , , , , , , on April 3, 2012 by Joann

Jesus, Heart Afire,
Furnace blazing,
Fueled by Love,
Burning without consuming,
Radiant heat,
And all pervading.

Soul, drawn to escape
The hell of Darkness,
With an exchange
Of holy vows.
Free to flee,
Though enraptured
By superior desire.

Created One,
Of two natures,
Once at peace,
Fallen, then to warring,
Barred from Eden’s gate.

Blazing Promise
And Redemption,
Offering Sin’s undoing,
Constant in Your wooing.

Creat anew,
As once in Paradise,
Purified and restored
Exceeding recognition.
Raised beyond perfection,
Melted, purged,
Merged, and welded,
Seamless life as Mother’s garment.
To live now
In Thee,
For Thee,
Through Thee.
Knowing All
In knowing Thee.

Two natures,
Now at Peace
Both lost,
And found,
In Loving Thee.

Copyright Joann Nelander 2011

All rights reserved

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The Fisher and His Net

Posted in Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Prose & Prayer, Religion with tags , , , , , on March 28, 2012 by Joann

You are inconvenient Truth.
I want to believe myself alive.
I tout myself spiritual.
You are the spoiler
In the midst
Of my presumptions.

I run with the world
And You fish for me.
Cast your net after me.
I duck the toss,
Scamper out of reach.

Though its weave
Be that of Love,
It’s warp be reason,
Faith the weft
That elevates,
I fear your net as chains.

If I only knew
Who it is
Who is constantly
Trolling the Deep
To save me.

If I could see
That I am blinded
In the chaos.
Trapped in ancient lies,
Ensnared in deception’s trenches.

Tides and currents,
Direct my movement.
I am not free.

I flow
Caught in the embrace
Of the masses,
Pitiful humanity,
Chained by tumultuous sensation ,
And arrogant bravado,
Regardless of Truth’s freedom.

Relentless Pursuer,
Plot the routes of my escape
To wait for me
In the shallows
And guide me.
Then encircled
By Your arms,
Lift me beyond myself.

Deliver me, O, Fisher
From the waters
In which I drown.

Draw me up
To Yourself
Separating the flotsam,
And jetsam,
Counting me Your own.

© 2012 Joann Nelander

All rights reserved

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A Man Clothed in Sin

Posted in Art, Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Prose & Prayer with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 27, 2012 by Joann

A man clothed in sin
Walked the long aisle
To stand before the Crucifix.

Long years,
No tears,
He came to say,
"You died for me,
And I don’t give a damn!"

The hardened before the Hallowed,
The clock running down,
Time spent and unreflected,
Deeds done and unrepentant.

Challenged to say the words,
He began,
"You died for me,
And I don’t give…"

Undaunted, he repeated,
"You died for me
And I don’t….."
Gaze focused
On that bloodied Corpse,
Resolute, again, he began,
"You died for me…"
…….
"You died for me…"
"You died for me!"

Tears, tears,
Rivers of tears,
Years unspent,
And now in flood.

Miracles at the Red Sea,
Yet, none greater
Than the Passover,
One innocent Lamb,
Slain, and yet standing,
Lifted up,
Drawing thee.

© 2012 Joann Nelander
All rights reserved

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Holy Fetus

Posted in Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Prose & Prayer, Spiritual, Spirituality with tags , , , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2012 by Joann

O, Holy Fetus,
One cell, two cells,
Cell upon cell,
You took shape,
Within the Virgin’s womb.

O Holy Child,
Born to die,
You were born in Bethlehem
City of Promise,
But conceived in Nazareth,
Crossroad of sinners,
Now graced
By the Holy.

Cell upon cell,
Grace upon grace,
The Virgin’s
“Fiat”
Alleluia!

Copyright Joann Nelander 2012

All rights reserved

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The Visit

Posted in Art, Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Prose & Prayer, Religion, Scripture with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 24, 2012 by Joann

In flight
Into Egypt
Hungry,
Hurried,
Yet at peace.

You pass my way.
Because you are holy
We are worlds apart.
Yet you touch me
By your plight.

You must eat.
You must drink.
Rest a moment
Under my tent.

Holy visitors,
Let me wash your feet.
Your smiles
Enter my heart
As a symphony

Stay the night.
Bring the star
From heaven
To light my adobe.

Dwell forever
Here in Spirit
Though you must hurry
On your way.

Journey on,O, Protector,
O Mother, O Child.
With me,
In your hearts,
Now, I wait
For you forever.

I tucked a little rattle
Under His blanket.
Perhaps, He’ll hear me
In the sounds,
A remembrance,
Like a prayer,
In the rattling of beads.

By Joann Nelander

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Message from Holy Love

Posted in Catholic, Christian, Faith, Our Lady with tags , , , , , on March 21, 2012 by Joann

Holy Love
March 20, 2012
Public
Blessed Mother says:  "Praise be to Jesus."
"I am about to advise you concerning the resolution of the last Marian Dogma, and why Heaven asks for prayers toward this end.  Once this Handmaid of the Lord is officially accepted as Mediatrix, Co-Redemptrix and Advocate, the Spirit of Peace will pass over the world.  Every heart will be pervaded by Truth.  It is at that moment in time souls will need to decide either for Truth or against it."
"Truth will be as a winnowing fan separating the chaff from the grain.  All error will be exposed to the Light.  Enmity will transform to friendship."
"I tell you these things now so that no one can say they did not recognize what was taking place.  No one can discount the events as they occur and lose the opportunity for conversion of heart."
"Pay attention!"

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Be the Sun in Me

Posted in Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Poetry, Prose & Prayer, Prayer with tags , , , , on March 20, 2012 by Joann

Be, O Lord, the Sun in me.
Despite, my clouds,
Masking Your Beauty,
Be seen as light invisible,
Going forth, in the Spirit,
To the world,
A world in need of Revelation.

Pierce the veil of my travail.
Linger long to suffer my malaise,
My unsettled wine.

By grace, bless me,
As you bless those
Blind to Your Presence in me.

Sacrament and penance,
My claim upon Your Heart.
Light, undiminished,
Under my bushel,
Burning bright within my core,
Make of me a lampstand,
In Your Father’s House.

Be, O, Lord,
The Sun in Me,
To a world in need of illumination.

Copyright Joann Nelander 2012
All rights reserved

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Apple of Your Eye

Posted in Catholic, Christ, Christian, Lent, Prayer & Prose, Religion, Spiritual with tags , , , , , , on March 16, 2012 by Joann

You, the indwelling God of the faithful,
Have called me
"The apple of Your eye",
Look, therefore,
Out upon my world,
And bless those about me,
Good and bad.

Bless them not,
Because I see and intercede,
But because You see,
And, beholding their misery,
Reach out.

 
Being that You are Compassion,
Change my world,
Person by person,
Day by day.

See through me,
As the pupil of Your eye.
Use me as Your window
On my world.

Your Presence in me
Is as the Sun in the heavens,
Shining out,
And penetrating even the clouds
I place in Your way.

"In Your Light,
We see Light. "



Copyright Joann Nelander 2011
All rights reserved

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On a Visit of the Pilgrim Virgin

Posted in Catholic, Christian, Faith, Mary, Our Lady, Photography, Poetry, Prose & Prayer with tags , , , on March 15, 2012 by Joann


untitled (6 of 8)
Pick me up, dear Mother
Your visit means so much to me.
O, how I need a mother.

I gaze at your image,
And you engrave it on my heart.
The beating of my heart,
Reminds me of my mortality,
And how you were
At a moment in time, Mary,
The young virgin with Child, in Nazareth,
Living life on earth
As I do now.

O,  how I wish to live
In your purity
And simplicity of heart.

Here I am
At your feet in supplication,
Pleading peace,
That I might live
In the spirit of Shalom.

Here is my kiss.
Remember me,
As You gaze on your Son.
Engrave my name upon His heart,
As  your fire of love blazes
In His presence.
I am love,
Awaiting the embrace of Love.


Copyright Joann Nelander 2012

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Your Saints in Glory

Posted in Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Prose & Prayer with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2012 by Joann

At the moment
You lift Your saintly friends
From the Earth,
And plant them
In the Heaven of Your Being,
At that precious moment,
And by that fateful act,
You endow
The sons and daughters
Of Your Covenant,
Remaining in this world,
With more,
Not less.

When Your friends
Journey forth,
All the Earth
Is, henceforth, blessed,
And not, otherwise,
Disposed or deprived.

As Your Servants,
Enter Your Realms of Light,
Their charisms become infinite,
In their capacity to bless.

When the smallest of the small
Cries out,
In the name of Your forever Friends,
These other Christs
Answer with Your power to succor.

In the Now of Your Essence,
They share Your Glory.
In Heaven,
There is only one glory,
Which cannot increase.
United to You,
Who, are unchanging,
This new rain falls to
the Earth,
And it’s consenting
creatures, here,
Can and do change,
In the shower
Of Your abundant dew fall.

We are, henceforth,
The beneficiaries of new riches,
Streaming from Your Side,
The Door, by which Your saints
Entered Eternity.

Glory upon glory falls,
As golden droplets,
Upon the land
Of sunrise and sunset.

Your gifts do not cease
With the death
Of those who are Yours.
Heaven is united to earth,
And in the celebration
Of their new birth,
Rejoices.

©2012 Joann Nelander

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The Detained

Posted in Catholic, Christian, Faith, Lent, Spirituality with tags , , , , , , , on March 9, 2012 by Joann

Who has died and gone to the side of Christ,

That does not make intercession,

For all the people

He has failed in life?

 

Who can stand in Purgatory’s flame,

And cease to cry out

For loved ones

Left in Time?

 

God hears the cry of the poor,

And who is poorer

Than the abandoned,

And detained at the threshold of Heaven,

Awaiting the forgiveness of those,

Who are careless of their fate?

 

No one goes to Heaven alone.

The cleansed and the holy,

Grab the tassles

Of your prayer shawl.

 

Lower your eyes.

Beat your breast.

Forget yourself.

Remember the family of God.

 

Together let us

Praise the Living God,

Who waits in Mercy for mercy,

For He calls all

To be His own.

 

©2012 Joann Nelander

 

 

 

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Bath Waters

Posted in Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Prose & Prayer, Spirituality with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2012 by Joann

Heavenly Mother,
It is told,
You allowed a leper babe,
To be washed in your Baby’s bath,
And, immediately, the infant was healed,
His skin, supple and pink,
By an act of God,
A miraculous gift.

Plunge those forgotten in life,
Into that water of refreshment,
In which, to remove the dust of the world,
You bathed your Babe.

It is God, Who hears,
The cry of the poor.
God, Who, is not far off.
He sent His Christ,
To enter that sea,
The Jordan of Man’s Sin.

One day, it’s waters
Would wash the multitudes,
And it’s streams
Flow over the Ages.

God, indeed, hears
The cry of the poor,
As He heard the wail
Of the leper babe.

“This is my beloved Son.”,
He announces in loving unity,
As an open invitation for us to enter in,
And lay our claim in holy hope.

Mother, do for the disabled,
What they cannot
Do for themselves.
Meet us in our leprosy,
And, bathing us, say
With the Father,
“This is my son,
In whom I am well pleased.”

© 2012 Joann Nelander
All rights reserved

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Where True Beauty Lies

Posted in Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Prose & Prayer, Religion with tags , , , , on March 6, 2012 by Joann

Forsaking the Land of Shadows, yet again,
And prostrate before You,
I enter with my candle,
Wick, barely alive,
Smoldering,
Awaiting the gentle breeze,
That will kindle my flame
To blaze forth, anew.

Praise rises in my soul,
As a lifetime of thanks given,
Recall to memory
The reason for my trust.

Can Faith be called blind,
When a thousand thousand yesterdays
Form the foundation of our friendship?

Now, I look upon You,
Upon the Altar of Adoration.
Beauty captures my attention.
The monstrance, a delight to my eye,
All aglow,
As it catches the early rays of morning.
Golden shafts stream from its center,
Whispering "Glory."

The pedestal,
Ornate with pomegranates, grapes and lilies,
Celebrate the gift of Your Creation.
Yet, You, in Your splendid Humility,
Reside in true beauty, Unadorned, and at rest,
Your work accomplished,
Awaiting only my disfigurement.

What will You with me?
Transfigure in longed for alchemy of Spirit.

By heartfelt confession and remorse,
At Your Word,
Spoken in Persona Christi,
I wash my robes clean
In the Blood of the Lamb.
You do not horde Your beauty,
But send it forth,
To renew all creation,
And, forgetting not the least,
Remember me.

Copyright 2012 Joann Nelander

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My Prayer

Posted in Art, Catholic, Christian, Faith with tags , on February 27, 2012 by Joann

Words are swirling
Like leaves,
Lifted heavenward,
On bursts of emotion,
Only to settle quietly,
As the storm of love passes
Into Abiding Presence.

By Joann Nelander

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Into Stillness Poetry–Listen, Read, Preview /book

Posted in Art, Catholic, Christ, Christian, Poetry, Prose & Prayer, Religion with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on February 26, 2012 by Joann

Preview and Listen to the poetry of Joann Nelander

Listen to individual poems hear

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Who?

Posted in Anti-abortion, Catholic, Christian, Culture of Death, People, Poetry, Prose & Prayer with tags , , , , , , on February 22, 2012 by Joann

“Who do you say I am?”
Jesus asked.
Who do you say I am?

The jars lined the walls.
Each one marked:
A weight and words,
“Products of conception.”

Parts, just parts!
Parts, just parts?
Who do you say I am?

©2012 Joann Nelander

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Golgotha of Jasna Gora

Posted in Art, Catholic, Christ, Christian, Church, Culture, Faith, Lent, Spirituality, The Cross, Tradition with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 21, 2012 by Joann

H/T Julia : Golgotha of Jasna Gora – Artist: Jerzy Duda Gracz

 

 Here a bit more information about the images.

In the shrine at Czestochowa, upstairs from the famous icon of the Black Madonna, a 21st-century Way of the Cross reminds us that our real enemy is not the evil outside of us but the sin within us. In March 2001, the late Polish painter Jerzy Duda Gracz presented the monastery at Jasna Gora, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the world, with new Stations of the Cross. Gracz named these paintings after Golgotha, the mountain where Jesus was crucified, but many of the landscapes and faces he included in them are eerily recognizable to present-day viewers.

More Golgotha of Jasna Gora

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The Blessing of Sleep

Posted in Art, Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Prayer, Religion with tags , , , on February 21, 2012 by Joann

St. Gertrude Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, I accept this sleep in the spirit of love with which Thou didst sanctify it when Thou didst deign to sleep in Thy most sacred humanity, to the glory of God the Father, and for the salvation of all mankind; beseeching that, in union with Thee, it may tend to increase in grace and glory of all Thine Elect in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory.
Amen.

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Contemplation

Posted in Art, Catholic, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Prose & Prayer, Prayer & Prose with tags , , , , , on February 7, 2012 by Joann

I held the ocean to my ear.
I heard it speak with peaceful roar,
And hearing I went off,
Leaving on the shore,
The secret of His presence,
But not forgetting,
What He had said
In that moment of Eternity,
Which is forever
Yet, not of Time.

© 2012 Joann Nelander

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Radiant Light

Posted in Catholic, Christ, Christian, Faith, Poetry, Prose & Prayer, Spiritual with tags , , , , , , , on January 13, 2012 by Joann

Darkness, fleeing at the approach of Promise,
Star bright and resplendent,
The Sun, illuminating the Virgin’s womb,
Making of it a palace
Fit for a king, a King of Kings.

Light bright angel,
Carrying her “Fiat” heavenward,
Enfolding humility, modesty and obedience,
In the gold of innocence and virtue.

Most High overshadowing,
Virgin most pure and lowly,
Conceiving by privilege,
Godhead and Son of Man.

© 2012 Joann Nelander

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