Category: Virtue

… with the eyes of God

On By carlfmaulbeckIn VirtueLeave a comment

Seeing with the eyes of God,
I peer through my own façade.

Accepting my personal role,
I wonder what does God see
through the window of my soul.

Listening without deflection,
I shudder in realizing,
I am divine reflection.

The beauty of the flower
is its awesome blossoming,
standing tall in a shower.

While watching without winking,
God’s eyes gleam with gentleness.
So, I stare without blinking.

God’s eyes focus the blurry.
With eyes wide shut, God says,
be happy and don’t worry.

With God’s eyes, love is not blind.
With God’s eyes, mercy is kind.

Joy and Sadness

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Joy and Sadness go hand in hand.
Sadness without Joy is despair.
Joy without Sadness is cheeky.

Sadness is vital to Joy’s joy,
adversity provides comfort,
loss increases happiness.

Joy is vital to Sad’s sadness,
confidence overcomes distress,
gain often only comes through pain.

Sadness makes Joy’s joy real,
hope listens with an open heart,
rosy lenses shield helpless eyes.

Joy makes Sad’s sadness real,
teary eyes are gently dabbed dry,
furrowed foreheads are unwrinkled.

Joy and Sadness go hand in hand,
Sadness with Joy is complete,
Joy with Sadness is total.

Washing the Dishes

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The dishes lay there –
left to languish –
frustrated from their purpose.

Left there in the sink –
disrespected –
the stainless steel bowl besmirched.

Sudsing up is good –
reincarnates –
they so want to be useful.

Then too, soiled is good –
real fulfilling –
unsullied is not service.

Cleaning is for them-
Redemption –
as for me it is Practice.

but what if…

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To embrace our sacred Truth,
cling to cleanliness of heart,
it’s purity is for real.

The willful and arrogant
are impure and self absorbed,
they only fake it, really.

“Modesty has flown the world
and decency is scoffed at”
thus, the Truth is subverted.

“I must do what’s right for me”
is the credo of the day;
and, life becomes “but what if…”

Some teachers fill our children
with the most selfish of thoughts —
crushed and smothered are their hearts.

With forked tongues, they teach the young,
“what’s in it for me” drivel
causes their hearts to shrivel

We have just this antidote:
“Where evil abounded,
grace did more abound.”

So, embrace the young ones and
immune them from perilous
willfulness and arrogance.

Yes, cling with a pure, clean heart,
and edify our children,
help them realize the Truth

Justice and Mercy

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Justice speaks the truth
Mercy hears the truth

Justice is blind
with his ears covered
Mercy is shocked
with her mouth covered

Justice gives nothing
and takes it all.
Mercy has nothing to give
and gives it all.

Mercy listens with respect
and convenes with a fiat
Justice will not hear of it
and adjourns with a quid pro quo

Mercy has the last word,
“Here I am”
Justice has final word
“Guilty” or “Not Guilty”

Justice is truly heard
Mercy truly listens

Empathy

On By carlfmaulbeckIn VirtueLeave a comment

Justice speaks the truth

Justice is blind
with ears covered
Mercy is shocked
with mouth covered

Justice gives nothing
and takes it all.
Mercy takes nothing
and gives it all.

Mercy listens with respect
and convenes with a fiat
Justice will not hear of it
and adjourns with a quid pro quo

Mercy opens a dialogue,
“Here I am”
Justice closes the book
“Guilty” or “Not Guilty”

Mercy truly listens

Poverty

On By carlfmaulbeckIn VirtueLeave a comment

My greed is the world’s desecration
poverty is my consecration.

Poorness is a grace and a blessing,
and it makes me uncomfortable
but living it beyond professing
is courageous and admirable

The perfection of my poverty
is to ignore the earthly needing
or wanting to own some property
and to expect while not demanding

“As you know even though he was rich,
out of love for you he became poor,
in order for you to become rich
he made the sacrifice to be poor”

So, perfection of my poor being
is having need without attachment
using without being exploiting
and expecting without entrapment

Renounce what’s not strictly required,
accept without acknowledge wanting,
give affection without hugs suffered,
grant without affirmation needing

So, to have and to hold this blessing
I cherish and practice common life,
make time to share in ardent praying,
and share space with those who live in strife

“Give help to our needy and our poor
ask for the grace to rest assure”