I was there when the Sky was born
When the Stars scattered
And the Earth saw Dawn.
I was there when Time began.
The Mountains rose up
At My command.
I was there to wave the hand
That ushered in
The Age of Man.
I was there for all that grew.
So fear not, young one
I’ll be there for You.
The apple was sweet.
A delicious piece of fruit;
Crunchy and juicy.
I enjoyed it immensely.
Plucked from the tree
At the peak of ripeness
It had been given to me
By my friend
Eve.
Day 38.
Guess what? More rain.
Another surprise—
There’s still no land in sight.
Rain tomorrow is a pretty sure bet.
The kids keep asking “Are we there yet?”
But I’m not sure to where we’re bound.
I’m a man of the soil and there’s none around.
The animals we’ve taken in as guests
Are making the ark a mighty mess
And the racket, you just can’t guess.
Especially the monkeys.
I wasn’t sure if the Lord meant two monkeys
Or two of every kind of monkey.
I played it safe, so the place is crawling with monkeys.
And rabbits!
You should see all the rabbits
Though I only started with two of those. . .
As the water receded
And the Earth became dry
The voice of the Lord
Came down from the sky.
He made a solemn promise
That never again would He bring
The waters of a flood
To destroy every living thing.
He placed a bow in the clouds
As an everlasting sign
That the covenant He established
Would remain for all time.
“As long as the Earth endures
Seedtime and harvest, cold and heat
Summer and winter, day and night
Shall not cease.”
(Genesis:8.22)
As I was tending my flock of sheep
A man came running toward me
And pointing to a star in the East
Said, “Man drop everything!
“Come and see the newly born King!”
I told him I couldn’t just leave the sheep
But he insisted that I come and see.
I followed somewhat reluctantly
And we traveled many miles it seemed
Finally arriving upon the scene.
In a stable’s trough a baby lay
As if in a crib matted with hay.
From across the miles Kings had come.
A young boy stood playing a drum.
I was stricken as if in a dream;
It was the most peaceful thing I had ever seen.
Ultimately I had to get back to the sheep
And as I turned from the place to leave
All my fears suddenly left me.
Although there are wolves
And sheep have wandering hooves
When I returned to the flock
Not a single one had moved.
The man smiled forgiveness down upon me
Even as blood ran down his cheek.
From a woven crown of thorns he bled;
A crown I’d placed upon his head.
To a cross I’d nailed his hands and feet
Then hoisted him up for all to see.
As drops of blood fell to the ground
I looked up and he looked down.
It was then I realized what I had done
For this man truly was the Son.
It was the very Son of my Holy Lord
Whose hands I had nailed down to a board.
Many in the crowd continued to yell
He can’t even save Himself!
If He is the Son of God
Let Him come down from the cross!
But the smile on the face of that man
Meant I was not counted among the damned.
I dropped to my knees before Christ Crucified
And for their eternal souls—I cried.
It was at this time Christ raised His head
Lifted His voice to Heaven and said
Father, this I ask of You:
Forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Hello, Mr. Donovan, Good morning.
This is Father Flaherty calling.
I’d like to confer with you about your son.
Maybe we can decide what should be done.
You see, I gave the kids an assignment
To find out what the letters “INRI” meant
That were on the cross above Jesus’ head
And you’ll never believe what your son said.
He says he asked you about it and you told him
“INRI” stood for “I’m nailed right in!”
The Archbishop was looking for a few priests
To represent his Archdiocese.
He announced that he would ask us each a question
To determine our level of qualification.
My uncle whispered to me
“It’s many years since I left the seminary
“And I’m sure I don’t remember everything.”
I said, “Uncle, you needn’t worry.
“I will answer the Archbishop’s question loudly.
“You will hear it and answer the same as me.
“It’ll be alright, you’ll see.”
I entered the room and the Archbishop’s test
“If you were saying Mass in Bucharest
“And a fly were to land upon the Eucharist
“What would you do?”
I answered loudly and clearly
(So my uncle would hear me)
I would hold it over the flame of a candle
Until it was completely consumed.
Much impressed, the Archbishop smiled as I left the room.
I winked at my uncle as he went in.
I heard the Archbishop ask of him
“If you were saying Mass in Mexico City
“And a cow were to wander in from the street
“What would you do?”
My uncle’s answer, loud and clear
Had the Archbishop laughing to tears.
I would hold it over the flame of a candle
Until it was completely consumed!
I thank Ye, Lord, for this bountiful yield
Which Ye hath provided from our field.
For keeping the horse healthy and strong
So he could pull the plow the whole day long.
For keeping us warm with plenty of sun
And giving us rain when we needed some.
I thank Ye, Lord, for this house we hold
Which keeps us mostly free from the cold
And for seeing to it that our little beds
Are safe places to lay our heads.
And for these here seated that I adore
Though the children sometimes skimp on their chores
I thank Ye, Lord.
