Catholic Meditations

Friday

It's Friday, Lord,
another day to remember
that Friday long ago,
just another day,
a day marked with sadness,
blood,
loss,
like so many days on this sad earth,
where it seems cruelty rules supreme,
and man's inhumanity to man,
the pain and grief caused
by malice,
indifference,
sin
shouts to heaven.

Just another day,
when heaven cried out
with love
its response
and the world was changed.

O Emmanuel,
God With Us,
Thank You.
Amen.


Susan E. Stone, 2004

Labels: Friday Meditations

Abounding love,
Ocean of mercy,
Heart of light,
who waits for us
to hear his soft, quiet voice
to notice his hand,
scarred by love
outstretched to save us
from the dark waters
that would smother us forever,
O Jesus,
I trust in thee,
teach me to trust thee more.

Abounding love,
Heart large enough to hold the entire world,
Patiently calling our names,
Patiently waiting to heal us,
Longing to bring us home,
who bears the marks of his love
even to this day,
O Jesus,
I trust in thee,
teach me to trust thee more.

Abounding love
reaching out no matter how often rejected,
reaching out with a healer's touch,
a lover's touch,
a saving grasp,
in spite of rejection,
to save those who will listen,
to save those who will notice,
to rescue the perishing,
to bring life, and that abundantly,
Ocean of mercy,
Heart of love,
O Jesus, I trust in thee,
teach me to trust thee more.

Amen


Susan E. Stone, 2004

Lord,
teach me to spread your word
by my life,
unspoken preaching
about the love of God,
the truth of my hope,
the reality of your presence.

Remind me that all my actions
have consequences,
for good and ill.
When I choose to frown
instead of smile,
when I choose to look the other way
instead of see the problem,
when I see the sadness,
and reach out instead of walk away,
when I see the hunger
and do something to fill it.

And by choosing
to walk the way you would have me walk,
live the way you would have me live,
act the way you would have me act,
let me share your light
here in the land of darkness,
each day you give me.

Amen

O Lord,
on this day
I give thanks
for children to hurry off,
trying my patience
but teaching me so much
about love,
and responsibility
and care
even when I would rather
be doing almost anything else,
and the pain and joy
of watching them shoot up,
as tall as weeds
until ready to step out on their own.

O Lord,
on this day,
I give you thanks
for a husband to care for,
for all the thousands of tender moments
shared warm in my heart,
of all the times I learn
how to cope with irritation,
or being asked to do
things I wouldn't have wanted
for the love of sharing,
the peace of caring,
the intricate interplay,
the worry,
the joy,
the love.

O Lord,
on this day,
I thank you
for all the people
you have let my life touch,
some in deep ways,
some in casual.
Thank you for the lessons,
even when painful,
thank you for the network
of concern and touch.
Thank you for the opportunities to help,
the chances to learn,
the option to give,
and to pass your light on,
this day, and always.

Amen

Susan E. Stone, 2004

O Lord,
teach me
in our moments together.
Let each word you give
be a burning light
in my heart.
Fill me, Lord,
with your wisdom,
for your words
are the words of life,
the bread
which feeds us in the wilderness,
the truth which transforms.

May I hunger and thirst
after righteousness,
and find in you
the living waters
which restore my soul.
Open my ears to hear your truth
my eyes to see the way,
my heart to ponder your word,
O Bread of Life
now and forever,
Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

Lord,
How hard it can be
to do as you ask,
to forgive,
to love,
to care,
to see you in the eyes of another,
to love our neighbor,
to turn to you
when we want to scream
and kick
and shout,
to find comfort and meaning
in what the world so blithely calls
magic thinking
and folk lore
and foolishness.
And yet,
how I long to follow you,
even in my weakness,
for you are my peace,
my hope,
my light.

How often I stumble,
fall to my knees
and know I have failed once again
to love
as you showed me to love,
to reach out
the way you asked me to reach out,
to forgive
when I want to hold my anger,
to pray
when I want to pout.

But when my mouth is filled
with the dust
of my failure,
you are there,
reaching out your hand
to lift me back up,
to call me your child,
beloved.

Thank you Lord
for being there,
for being willing to heal me,
for your patience,
for your love
your example,
your call.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

Prayer for Victim and Victimizer

This day, O Lord,
remember those
attacked to slake the lust of another
even when done in the name of God,
remember the attackers
who could convince themselves
that this is pleasing to you,
and those who stand by
allowing it to happen.
Bring them to healing, Lord.

This day, O Lord,
remember those orphans
rendered homeless
by war,
disease,
their parent's poverty.
Lord, remember those who try to help them,
remember those who would attack them,
lock them up,
destroy them.
Let the loneliness,
the fear,
the rejection
find healing in your touch.

This day, O Lord,
remember those
whose rage requires that the strike out,
for a cause,
for lust,
for the glory of God,
for the glory of man,
or just because.
Be with those who are injured by their anger
in the endless ripples of pain and hurt
this rage brings.
O Lord,
help those touched by violence
find your peace,
healing,
resolution.
Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

O Lord,
I offer you my tears,
tears for all of those this day
who will know the pain of injury.
the loss of a loved one,
abuse at the hand of another,
the sting of cutting words,
coldness instead of warmth,
rejection,
death.

O Lord,
I offer you my tears,
tears for all of those this day
who will know the bite of an anger
which gives them no rest,
eating out their hearts,
tears for the pride
that blocks healing,
fear of change,
rejection of your touch.

O Lord,
I offer you my tears
tears this day for those whose hearts are hardened,
for those who will not bend,
for those who refuse your healing,
for those who say no.

O Lord,
I offer you my tears,
tears of bitter salt,
for all the times when it was I who said no,
when it was I who would not bend,
I who offered the raised hand,
the cutting word,
the angry heart,
the rejection like death
when I turned my back on you
to choose the darkness
over the light.

O Lord,
I offer you my tears,
tears this day
in deepest gratitude
of how you watch,
of how you wait,
of how you love.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

O Lord,
so heavy is the grief
in this dark world,
grief from hands raised in anger,
grief from words meant to cut,
grief from saying no when we should say yes,
grief from saying yes when we should say no,
grief from hubris,
lust,
anger,
greed,
pride.

O Lord,
how heavy the mantle of sins
you bore on your shoulders,
too heavy for any mortal man,
all the grief,
all the pain
all the darkness
to give us a way
to your light
to your hope
to your peace.

Forgive us, Lord,
for our ingratitude,
of how we choose to wallow
in our grief
instead of taking your outstretched hand,
of how we choose pain
intead of your healing touch,
of how we choose the darkness
instead of your light.

Soften our hearts, Lord,
until we see that what you offer
is really
the way, the truth and the life,
and taking your outstretched hand,
we let you pull us up
out of the darkness
let you heal our sin-sick souls,
bind our wounds,
and bring us into your peace.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2004