Firstly, I admit I was not a big fan Of either his station or the man Despite this, he imprinted this century With his words and his legacy
I'm for building bridges, but legally. It doesn't make me less about mercy To believe my duty is to my family And not invaders of my country
The walls of the Vatican say it all The spite of hypocrisy takes its fall Still, what was the Communist's legacy How did Francis change the papacy?
Off the cuff and blunt in his style He offered soundbites worth the while Buenos Aires Italian quietly rose But was it substance or a pose?
The sands of time filled the hourglass But there's a lot, I can't let pass Wondering about what kind of a dent His damage did by being irreverent
Was it just confusion or was it heresy There was a shock and awe of controversy In a Leftwing attempt at giving dignity Traditional doctrine became ambiguity
Until an allowance for sin became leniency It was a wonder he rose to the papacy Compassion isn't about being capable But a world of sinners doing as best able
It is not as if God's laws aren't eternal To soften this is something infernal A pope is allegedly God's representative This isn't really something interpretative
The line was drawn at denying Christ's divinity It is as though Francis skipped all of theology Though I genuinely hope that he now finds rest His infallibility often failed and fails the test
(c) April 21, 2025 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
My youngest daughter worries too much about perfection But I tell her it's all about the right direction We can't worry about yesterday or tomorrow Today's our day to walk in God's grace, not sorrow
The pages read are meant as a heavenly mirror Not a mallet to whack us down about any error We put Jesus in front of us in every step we take Without any of the vanity that leads to heartbreak
On this Resurrection Sunday we reflect on Paul's letter And how in even Nero's day, the quest was to get better Like a Christian constitution, the Book of Romans led To an understanding of God's word beyond what's read
The Father's portrait of the Son, painted by the Spirit Hung on every word written if we would only hear it Like a wedding ring's diamond, Chapter 8 carries weight Sparkling in its answer that God's love anticipates
We live in a world that claws at us for our attention Often times it feels ripe for conflict and strong tension I encourage my daughters to lead a godly life every day As long as we walk in love and do our best in every way
Still, there are times we need to decide what to nurture And sometimes that lead to necessarily scoffing at culture Likewise, culture has its scoff at our takes on Christianity This is the way of the world to engage in the incendiary
It's a challenge in this world to live a Biblical perspective It's not the donkey or elephant but the lamb in our connective Laid out and played out in our tissues as we join in conversation About the needs, wants, and desires in our political nation
We need to watch the unbound feelings that come on too strong Yet, know we are members of our church's community and belong Watching with restraint to be mindful of our imperfect humanity While holding on and protecting our Father's heavenly community
Faith and driving similarly require us to mindful of others To give grace, and be attentive, and watch out for one another It's in staying in our land that we prevent fragmentation It's the Christin peace that heals the world's lamentations
The Bible can be seen as guided by God's peace through grace We are called to be peacemakers, soul shaking as we embrace Conversations with the broken world where scoff leads to shimmer Is often a spider's web that only makes the light dimmer
And it is from this that we must delicately walk redemption In an all to clever society that we approach in contemplation Too often we treat others as labeled objects for observing Rather than the children of our God who are better deserving
This life we lead is one of constantly needing to learn Always changing and less judging even as we live and discern We learn to restrain our tongue from life's frustration Failing to live creation's potential, yet in anticipation
That each of us shares an internal compass of right and wrong Shared in similar convictions that echo and are felt strong Hardwired by the truths we feel in our individual souls Each moment lived is given by God though it feels out of control
Godliness is not random but in the image of the holy and divine We are not to be frustrated by living as the last in line All things that pass are worked together for our best good This is the simple truth that is best as we have understood
This then is the deepest part of a human life's wayward drift That to follow God and walk in harmony requires us to shift Changing as we become a part of the resurrected life Taking on the ways of peace and leaving behind strife
God's eternal love is not only mankind's best resource But is beyond any doubt the most potent force And then leveraged more greatly by God's intentionality To be aimed toward each of us are our best lived reality
In return for this bargain, there is no obligation God gives us direction without any sense of condemnation And between humanity and God there is no separation As the needed bridge was supplied by our blessed redemption
God is for us and not against us who have chosen to believe It is from God that we have met our requirements and receive God has decided that we have met our righteous justification Christ's intercession has brought us together with creation
(c) April 20, 2025 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
Though our struggles are many, these do not exceed God’s blessings and love for us all. May there be peace and joy in the lives of every reader of this blog, and indeed for all of humanity. Let’s invoke hope and love on this day of remembrance of our Father’s sacrifice of Jesus that we may all be redeemed. Happy Resurrection Day to one and all!!
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER 