The Kingdom of Heaven

To be as little children, we must fight,
Leave childhood far behind us and be men—
Seek Heaven's dawn through Purgatory's night,
Engird the earth and find our homes again.
For God has placed in us an awful trust:
Not soldier-angels but ourselves He sends
To battle Satan's pride and hate and lust
Until the broken world our Savior mends.
And we, though children of the lowly dust,
Are given weapons dour and keen to bear—
Love, music, sunlight, faith that God is just—
To face the viper in his darksome lair.
And so, in time, receive the holy right
To stand among our Lord's celestial knights.

Jamey Toner

Jamey Toner is the author of The Kai, the true account of a young man finding faith through the martial arts, and the co-author of Brides of Christ, a children's book from the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. Toner lives and works in Massachusetts with his beautiful wife, three lovely children, and a fluctuating number of chickens.

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A Song for Caitlin

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Still to See