What for did He plant the vineyard, 
what for did He prune the vines? 
What for did He watch the harvest,  
if not to make His wine?  [i]
 
Why use a short, sharp sickle,
to cut with sudden shock,
why trample in His winepress
the cluster on the stalk ?  [ii]
 
Fruits – hundreds, sixties, thirties,  [iii]  
must separate from skins
and peel away the refuse
to tear away all sins   [iv]                  
 
Press the juice out freely 
and leave the rotting Must  [v]
yielding precious nectar 
that lasts beyond the Last 

(2020s)

  [i]   Luke    3:16-18  –
 “John answered them all, saying, ‘I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming .... He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’  ”

[ii]   Revelation 14:18-19  –
 “Then another angel came from the altar, who was in charge of the fire, and cried out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, ‘Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth’s vines, for its grapes are ripe.’  So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage. He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury.”

[iii]   Matthew 13:8, Jesus telling the “Parable of the Seed and the Sower”  –  “But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

[iv]   “Purgatory”.   Wikipedia.org.  {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatory}  (accessed December 1, 2021). –
 “Purgatory is, according to the belief of some Christians, an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory is the final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.”   

[v]   “Must”.  Wikipedia.org.   {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Must} (accessed December 1, 2021). 
 “Must (from the Latin  vinum mustum, "young wine") is freshly crushed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit…. Making must is the first step in winemaking.”  

  
“This generation seeks a sign,”
that is – we the Living,
with souls immersed in sense,
as we approach the Infinite
ask for  SOMETHING  here and now,
either Without or Within, to echo divine emanation
 
      Something that may or may not condemn,  [i]
      some THING to show us
     THE GREAT I AM
 

“No sign will be given…except the sign of Jonah,”
Jesus said:  he preached God’s Word for Nineveh,
– enough for Ninevites to hear, believe and change,
to count possessions less than dust and ashes,
fasting from squandered time, to call on God,
leaving their violent will and evil path.
 
      Nineveh with Word from Jonah will condemn  [ii]
      for there is SOMETHING GREATER here:
      I AM THE WAY
 
 
“From the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom,”
the Queen of Sheba came, to test hard questions –
Solomon’s renown calling across the world’s desert –
she sought an end for curiosity or yearning.
And nothing was too hard for Solomon,
she found he had exceeded all reports.
 
     The Queen with Solomon’s Wisdom will condemn  [iii]
     for there is SOMETHING GREATER here:
     I AM THE TRUTH
 

“Jews demand signs
and Greeks look for wisdom,”
says Paul, “but we preach Christ crucified.”
The “weakness of God
and foolishness of God”   [iv]
confound those seeking in wrong places
but beckon hearts that wish to see and hear.
 
     Eternal compassion WILL NOT CONDEMN  [v] 
     any who ask for bread – “Will I give you a stone?”  
     I AM THE LIFE  
 
     ( K.L. – thanks for:  Adventure of Faith by Shraddha Liertz, 2013)
 
[i]   1 Corinthians 1:22-23,  St. Paul says  –
“Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles….”   

[ii]   Luke 11: 29-32,  Jesus says   – 
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation .... At the Judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”  

[iii]   Luke 11: 29-32, Jesus continues –
“At the Judgment the queen of the South will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.”  

[iv]   1 Corinthians 1: 25,  St. Paul says  –
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” 

[v]   Matthew 7: 8-9, Jesus says  – 
“For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;  and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread?” 

 
Oh, these troubles
falling from the sky
one here, one there…. [i] 
No question, Why ?
I know it is for Good   [ii]
 
but if I could
see each as Gift,
my hands, my mind
would lift, and find
my doubting stopped.
 
Each drop 
then brings a benison,
And I would gain
from love of rain
 
Get under drops
and let them fall
welcome love,
his Love in all
 
(2020s) 


[i]   Matthew 5:45,  Jesus said  –  “…so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” 

[ii]   Romans  8: 28, St. Paul says  – “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

 
They are happy,
      happy who dwell in your house,
forever singing your praise,
      forever ….  [i] 
 
They are happy,
      happy whose strength is in you,
in whose hearts are the roads to Zion,
      roads to Zion ….
 
As they go through the Bitter Valley,
      – Bitter Valley
they make it a place of springs
      – autumn rain with blessings
 

I AM the light of the world  [ii] 
– never walk in darkness
I AM the way, the truth, and the life
– seek and you shall find
I AM the door for the sheep
– enter through me
I AM the Good Shepherd
– accept my life laid down
I AM the Bread of Life
–never go hungry
I AM the true vine
– remain and bear fruit
I AM the Resurrection and the Life
– though you die, live forever
 

They walk with ever growing strength,
          growing ….
They will see the God of gods in Zion,
          in Zion ….
 

Before Abraham  was   –   I AM   

(2010s)


[i]    “Ordinary Time, Week III – Monday, Morning Prayer”.  “Psalm 84”.  The Liturgy Archive.  {http://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/loh/week3mondaymp.htm}  (accessed December 1, 2021).   – Verses 6-7 at the beginning, Verse 8 at the end, mixed in the poem with the “I AM” sayings of Jesus.  

[ii] “I am (biblical term)”.  Wikipedia.org.  {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_am_(biblical_term)} (accessed December 1, 2021). –  At various times Jesus spoke  the  “I AM sayings” from New Testament, John, Chapter 8. 

 
Angelus domini nuntiavit Mariae   [i]  
et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
 
Ave, Maria,        the Angel said,
Gratia plena,                 full of grace you were.
Dominus tecum,                         the Holy Spirit welcome,
Benedicta tu in mulieribus:                    Earth’s only pure child,
Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesu :    pure Life born to bring life
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae:  
      May we be born into Jesus, and live in him forever.

* - * - *
                                               
Ecce ancille Domini,
fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
 
Ave, Maria,      we look to thee,
Gratia plena,           unfailing,
Dominus tecum,                         you accepted His will,
Benedicta tu in mulieribus:         a life of acquiescence,
Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesu: “Thy will be done,” his chalice
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae : 
      May we know, do, and love the will of God.

* - * - *

Et Verbum Caro factum est,
et habitavit in nobis.
V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
 
Ave, Maria,        one still must live,
Gratia plena,           your life fulfilled,
Dominus tecum,                       while He died beside you,
Benedicta tu in mulieribus :    giving us Jesus, dearer than life,
Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesu:  His fullness of life was death
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae :
      In union with His holy sacrifice,
            may we love you and Jesus as you love
                                                 
    * - * - *
 
Gratiam tuam quaesumus, Domine,
mentibus nostris infunde,
ut qui, Angelo nuntiante,
Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus,
per passionem ejus et crucem
ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.
 
 Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
Thy grace into our hearts;
that we to whom, by the message of an angel,
the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son, was made known
may by His Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.
 
* - * - *                               
 
As the Angel’s message brought joy,
          as members of Jesus may we find joy.
 
As the Angel’s message met a graceful heart,
          so may the events of our lives.
 
As the Angel’s message brought the birth of Jesus,
          may His life continue in us,
 
As Mary’s lips revealed the conception,
          may her prayers bring us into His life.
 
                             (Boat trip, Yokohama  to Vietnam, 1961)


[i]   “Angelus”.  Wikipedia.org.{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelus}  (accessed December1, 2021): 
 “The Angelus  (Latin for “angel”)   is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation.  As with many Catholic prayers, the name ‘Angelus’ is derived from its incipit – the first few words of the text.  The devotion is practiced by reciting as ‘versicle and response,’ three Biblical verses narrating the mystery, while meditating on the prayer ‘Hail Mary.’  ” 

 
As when the Devil sows his tares in wheat,  [i]
have you considered yet another cause  
for words of Christ we often understand  
as sin of chosen will?  
A different reason why?  
The sower sows the seed which falls on various soils…. [ii]
Some count our own the faults  
of hardened path or rocky ground  
or choking thorns, and reform then for fertility.  
But have you guessed that others find   
ground’s preparation   
beyond their own attempt?  
 
Who was it, beat and tramped upon the path   
so dense that seed by evil birds was flown away?  
Who wore bare the rock to shallows   
where sprouts of joy will wither in the sun?  
Who encouraged thorns and briars   
to stifle mind and heart?  
 
We blame our willful wishes, but – what if –   
some Other laid the ground for seed’s rejection?   
Whether we know ourselves, or weakly sense our brother,   
we should learn that,   
although we may be the Garden,   
not all resistance is our own mis-make   
The Devil may again be beating, burning,    
scraping, planting, twisting    
his deceits   [iii]
till Love, for us  –  sometimes  –  [iv]
seems near impossible  
and beyond seed’s grace   
 
(2010s)     
 

[i]    Matthew 13:24–25,  Jesus  –
 “He proposed another parable to them. ‘The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.’  ”

[ii]   Matthew  13:3-9,   Jesus  – 
“And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.’  ”  

[iii]   Psalm 10:10-11  – 
 “The helpless are crushed, laid low; they fall into the power of the wicked,  who say in their hearts, ‘God has forgotten, shows no concern, never bothers to look.’  ” 

[iv]   Matthew 19:26  –  “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’  ” 

The Narrow Door… 

Enter by the narrow door…  [i]
I have left it open for you  
that small door at the side,  
little seen and little used  
off the byway,  
the Servant’s door
 
Enter there  
because I have opened it for you, 
for you have I kept it open.  
Any time, day or night,  
you can come quietly  
no need to knock or call  
 
At the Great door you will be shoved  
by the courtyard crowd  
who strike and shout  
to say they know and want me.  
And then that door will shut,
not everyone will enter.  

 This small door will not be closed,
my door – for you…  
I am waiting for you.   
I have left it open, waiting  
and I shall know you –   
for you, this is the Way  
 
                                                                                         (2010s) 

[i]   Luke 13: 23-27  --
23  Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them,
24  “Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.
25  After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
26  And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
27  Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
 

~ * ~   Rivulet Springs  ~ * ~   

It started first a stream  
pure and simple  
as I sat by mountain brook  
clear, falling repeatedly  
over the same stones  
in different weathers  
with plenty of time  
to visit each mystery  
a sort of luxury  
while the coursing current   
said the words over   
and over again  
 
 
   ~ * ~   Underground Caverns   ~ * ~  

Then that powerful prayer turned away  
like a current going underground,  
for the Sower’s Parable  [i]
found a rocky soil of brambles,  
and to pray one bead, or ten for mystery,  
would be like dream’s perplexity,  
grasping at freshness disappearing.  
 
   ~ * ~    Praying Alone   ~ * ~  
Even though the best prayers,  
Avila’s Theresa says, go slowly and alone,  
as though Jesus sits beside you,  
there is lost intensity  
when beginning too many lost beginnings.  
The mysteries and their intent  
retreat to unreachable caves.  
 
                                                  
   ~ * ~    Tributaries  * ~ 

“No, I couldn’t hear Nobody pray,”  [ii]
 as the slave-song Spiritual says,  
“Away down there, all by myself  
I couldn’t hear Nobody pray.”  [iii]
And my Rosary disappeared completely. 
No opening prayers, no closing,  
no bead, no decade, no mystery of Jesus,  
no prayer for mercy or for departed souls,   
no appeals to Mother Mary  [iv]  
or St. Michael’s strong protection, 
or Glory to God, no “Our Father,”  
all these comforts slipped away. 
 



 





 
                      Rosary Diagram  [v]
 
                                           
   ~ * ~    Forming a River    * ~  

One day I found the Rosary River rolling  
and heard its many voices in my church, 
where happy ones (who can) daily gather,  
the melody of tributaries blending in   
as one voice starts, and then another  
and another until, with a strong music,     
we all pray together, carrying each along
and the fullness of the river  
acts like a stream upon the stones below  
revisiting, bringing fresh sources each day  
over and over, against the same mysteries,  
only more, more love, and stronger  
because the prayers and love  
of neighbors now flow together  [vi]
 
   ~ * ~    Jordan’s Border   ~ * ~  

Now this great river slows to a wide delta flow  [vii]
as the dry season gathers  
and the great mouth of the river  
opens to the boundless beyond  [viii]
thousands of separate islands our old bodies form
with sandy banks between  
waiting for the next flood   
or a scouring storm,   
waiting, to meet the sea                                                   
 

  ~ * ~    Rosary Peace   ~ * ~  

From the flood of Rosary River  
perhaps I can revisit  
that old, small stream of solitude.  
But still I say –   
if weak, at home, alone,  [ix]
my wish is this:  
another Jesus-person come   
to help me say the Rosary.  
 
(2000s) 



[i]   Matthew 13:3-9  –   “Then Jesus told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed….  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants….  Whoever has ears, let them hear.’  ”

[ii]   Matthew 18:20,  Jesus said,   –  “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” 

[iii]   Jessye Norman.  “I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray”.  “Jesse Norman Spirituals” CD Album.  –   For lyrics, see:  “Songs: I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray”.  Negrospirituals.com.  (https://www.negrospirituals.com/songs/i_couldn_t_hear_nobody_pray.htm}  (accessed December 1, 2021).

[iv]   “21 Things St. Louis de Montfort Said About the Rosary and Marian Devotion”.  National Catholic Register.com.  {https://www.ncregister.com/blog/21-things-st-louis-de-montfort-said-about-the-rosary-and-marian-devotion} (accessed December 1, 2021):   
“It was de Montfort’s method of consecration to Our Lady that St. John Paul II made and led to his motto: Totus Tuus.  In Crossing the Threshold of Hope, St. John Paul II wrote, ‘Thanks to St. Louis de Montfort, I came to understand that true devotion to the Mother of God is actually Christo-centric, indeed, it is very profoundly rooted in the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, and the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption.’  ” 
                                                                  
[v] Illustration, Rosary Diagram:  “How to Pray the Rosary”. Dummies.com, a Wiley Brand.  {https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/religion-spirituality/christianity/catholicism/how-to-pray-the-rosary-192609}  (accessed December 1, 2021).

[vi]  “Church as the Mystical Body of Christ”.  Saint Boniface Catholic Church, Faith Formation.  stboniface-lunenburg.org.  {https://stboniface-lunenburg.org/church-as-the-mystical-body-of-christ}  (accessed December 1, 2021):     
“The Mystical Body of Christ is a scriptural image of the Church drawn from the teachings of Christ and Saint Paul that illustrates her unity in Christ, her relationship to him, and the interdependence of her members. ”
(and following explanation) 

[vii]   “River delta”. Wikipedia.org.  {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_delta} (accessed December 1, 2021):
“Landform  –  A river delta is a landform created by deposition of sediment that is carried by a river as the flow leaves its mouth and enters slower-moving water. This occurs where a river enters an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, or another river that cannot carry away the supplied sediment.”  

[viii]   Odetta.  “Deep River – I want to Cross over Jordan”.  “The Best of Odetta  – Ballads and Blues”.  CD Album.  

[ix]    Wilbricht, Stephen, CSC. “The Catholic Handbook for Visiting the Sick and Homebound”.  catholicsupply.com.  {https://shop.catholicsupply.com/the-catholic-handbook-for-visiting-the-sick-and-homebound.aspx }  (accessed December 1, 2021 ):
“All lay ministers who provide care to those who are sick, homebound, isolated, or suffering in some way will benefit from the contents of this book .… to pray and share the Gospel with those who cannot regularly worship with their parish community on Sunday.” 

                                                                     Old Silk Routes by Land and Sea  –  time of Christ  [i]
 

[i]  Illustration: Old Silk Routes by Land and Sea, adapted to show possible route of St. Thomas, with Details used later for Maps marking Section beginnings:  Mark, Joshua J. "Silk Road”. World History Encyclopedia.   Last modified May 01, 2018.  {https://www.worldhistory.org/Silk_Road/}  Public Domain.

                                                                          Design for the Nasrani Cross taught by St. Thomas  [i]        

[i]  Illustration:  Design of Syrian Nasrani Cross – (Govindsharma. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).   “MarThomaSleeva.png”.   {https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MarThomaSleeva.png} (accessed December 1, 2021). with Details used later as Themes for Section endings: (Steps,  Menorah,  Flower,  Branches,  Buds,  Dove).
      Also, the following article clearly explains the “teaching” elements of the Nasrani Cross design adopted by St. Thomas:  “Nasrani Cross”. Seiyaku.com.  {https://www.seiyaku.com/customs/crosses/nasrani.html} (accessed December 1, 2021). 

Jerusalem, the Holy Land 
 
 
Master  –  with Jesus  
 
In the Gospel this disciple 
is not often seen or named, 
but clearly three times Thomas speaks in John  
words that all have learned 
 
The first, an impulse at the time,
defines Disciple Thomas and his spirit:
“Let us go with him and die”  [i]
– as Apostle later, this he did  
 
When he could not see the Kingdom
he asked his Teacher in frank speech,
“How shall we know the way?”  [ii]
to Jesus’ famous answer: “I am the Way.”   
 
And finally, this Doubter told his friends,
“Unless I see the wounds and touch with hands, 
his Rising I cannot believe.”  [iii]
But when he saw and touched: “My Lord and God !” 
 
“You have believed because you have seen,” 
said Jesus, supplying Thomas’ theme
for all his life and travels  [iv] 
where hallowed hands spread blessings far.


 
[i]  John 11:16  –  “So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go to die with him.’  ”  

[ii]  John 14:5-6  –  “Thomas said to him, ‘Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?’  Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’  ”

[iii]  John 14:25-28  –
“So the other disciples said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’
Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 
Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.’  Thomas answered and said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’  ” 

[iv]  The main source for this poem, difficult to obtain at this time:  D’Souza, Rt. Rev. Herman. In the Steps of St. Thomas. Madras 7, India: Diocesan Press, Fourth Edition, 1983.  This useful guide was prepared for tourists and pilgrims visiting shrines in Madras. Each edition from 1952 increased the scholarly references, especially the Second Edition (done for the 19th Centenary of the Apostle in 1972), the major revision.
         Also, see:  Ainy. “Índia on St Thomas”.   iStampGallery.com. {https://istampgallery.com/st-thomas-19th-death-centenary/} (accessed December 1, 2021).  This is an example of a short, clear summary for the history of St. Thomas in India, found among many confirming sources, including topical websites and articles in Wikipedia. 
                                           

His Cross stands upon a Trinity of Steps