Hold On, My Heart

Hold On My Heart

By Genesis. 1991
LISTEN HERE

Hold on, my heart
Just hold on to that feeling

Hold on, my heart
Just hold on to that feeling
We both know we've been here before
We both know what can happen

Hold on, my heart
'cause I'm looking over you shoulder
Please don't rush in this time
Don't show her how you feel

Hold on, my heart
Throw me a lifeline
I'll keep a place for you
Somewhere deep inside
Hold on, my heart

Please tell her to be patient
'Cause there has never been a time
That I wanted something more
If I can recall this feeling
And I know there's a chance
Oh I will be there
Yes I will be there
Be there for you

Whenever you want me to
Whenever you call I will be there
Yes I will be there
We both know we've been here before
We both know what can happen

Hold on my heart
'cause I'm looking over you shoulder
Please don't rush in this time
Don't show her how you feel

Hold on, my heart
Throw me a lifeline
I'll keep a place for you
Somewhere deep inside

Hold on, my heart
Please tell her to be patient
'Cause there has never been a time
That I wanted something more

If I can recall this feeling
And I know there's a chance
Oh I will be there
Yes I will be there

Be there for you
Whenever you want me to
Whenever you call I will be there

Yes I will be there...

The teaching is that the Christ will return, the shepherd collecting his flock. He realizes the importance of the devotion of the disciples and wants them to know he will be with them, to the end of time; however there is risk. The risk that they may not be loyal, they may not remain faithful to the One, the All, who makes the sun and the moon, the very heart of all the Christ has come to share. Yet he assures all that he, the Christ will remain until the end of time. -- St. Matthew 28:20

Tell her to be patient, the world is not yet ready, the place held open for all to enter is a deep, profound mystery. The Spirit makes a place for one and all. Hold on, my heart. I'll be there.

The Divine Artist of Souls

"None can sense more deeply than you, artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon, the work of his hands." --John Paul II

 The artist, image of God the Creator : A letter to artists by John Paul II
"A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colors and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the One, sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you...'

"What is the difference between creator and a craftsman? The one who creates bestows being itself, he brings something out of nothing—ex nihilo sui et subiecti, as the Latin puts it—and this, in the strict sense, is a mode of operation which belongs to the Almighty alone.
The craftsman, by contrast, uses something that already exists, to which he gives form and meaning. This is the mode of operation peculiar to man as made in the image of God. In fact, after saying that God created man and woman “in his image”-- Genesis 1:27, the Bible adds that he entrusted to them the task of dominating the earth .
This was the last day of creation. On the previous days, marking as it were the rhythm of the birth of the cosmos, Yahweh, God of Love,  had created the universe. Finally he created the human being, the noblest fruit of his design, to whom he subjected the visible world as a vast field in which human inventiveness might assert itself.
God therefore called man into existence, committing to him the craftsman's task. Through his “artistic creativity” man appears more than ever “in the image of God,” and he accomplishes this task above all in shaping the wondrous “material” of his own humanity and then exercising creative dominion over the universe which surrounds him.
With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power...'

The Vocation of the Artist

"It is important to recognize the distinction, but also the connection, between these two aspects of human activity. The distinction is clear. It is one thing for human beings to be the authors of their own acts, with responsibility for their moral value; it is another to be an artist, able, that is, to respond to the demands of art and faithfully to accept art's specific dictates.
This is what makes the artist capable of producing objects, but it says nothing as yet of his moral character. We are speaking not of moulding oneself, of forming one's own personality, but simply of actualizing one's productive capacities, giving aesthetic form to ideas conceived in the mind.

The distinction between the moral and artistic aspects is fundamental, but no less important is the connection between them. Each conditions the other in a profound way. In producing a work, artists express themselves to the point where their work becomes a unique disclosure of their own being, of what they are and of how they are what they are. And there are endless examples of this in human history.

In shaping a masterpiece, the artist not only summons his work into being, but also in some way reveals his own personality by means of it. For him art offers both a new dimension and an exceptional mode of expression for his spiritual growth. Through his works, the artist speaks to others and communicates with them. The history of art, therefore, is not only a story of works produced but also a story of men and women.

Works of art speak of their authors; they enable us to know their inner life, and they reveal the original contribution which artists offer to the history of culture."

Persevering Until Justice Is Done

"The seed is the word of God." Saint Luke 8:11

Follow you, Follow Me

performed by Genesis

Phil Collins et al

Listen Here

Stay with me,
My love I hope you'll always be
Right here by my side if ever I need you
Oh my love

In your arms,
I feel so safe and so secure
Everyday is such a perfect day to spend
Alone with you

I will follow you, will you follow me?
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you, will you stay with me?
Just one single tear in each passing year

With the dark,
Oh I see so very clearly now
All my fears are drifting by me so slowly now
Fading away

I can say
The night is long, but you are here
Close at hand, oh I'm better for the smile you give
And while I live

I will follow you, will you follow me?
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you, will you stay with me?
Just one single tear in each passing year there will be

I will follow you will, you follow me?
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you, will you stay with me?
Just one single tear in each passing year...

There is a story about a woman and a judge. She represents the common, everyday person, and the judge is an authority. The tale is told in completion in the book of Saint Luke 18:9-14; it concerns itself primarily with struggle, and resistance to injustice.

"The Christ then told them in reply, my mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and then act upon it."
Luke 8:21

Resistance is indispensable for those of us leading a life of submission, and lack of dignity as persons. Follow the Christ, a peaceful and loving son.
In this story which Luke tells, the woman prayed that she be granted justice against her opponents.  Luke 18:3 tells us about this. And we are reminded to pay to Caesar [a Roman emperor] what is his, and not more Matthew 22:15-22.

The key to the struggle against social injustice and social evils is perseverance and prayer. Please, find your way there as you work to follow the Christ.

Follow You, Follow Me

Follow You, Follow Me
by Collins, Banks, Rutherford, Genesis

Listen Here

Stay with me,

My love I hope you'll always be

Right here by my side if ever I need you
Oh my love

In your arms,
I feel so safe and so secure
Everyday is such a perfect day to spend
Alone with you

I will follow you will you follow me
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you will you stay with me
Just one single tear in each passing year

With the dawn,
Oh I see so very clearly now
All my fears are drifting by me so slowly now
Fading away

I can say the night is long but you are here
Close at hand, oh I'm better for the smile you give

And while I live
I will follow you will you follow me
All the days and nights that we know will be

I will stay with you will you stay with me
Just one single tear in each passing year there will be...

The Lord of Hosts calls, reminds, implores that we come to know:

If I speak in human and angelic tongues,
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy,
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.  

1 Corinthians

 be not afraid; I am with you always.
--Luke 4; John 14