Saturday, July 31, 2004
O Lord,
this day I come before you
short sleeped,
in pain,
filled with concern
and hopes and anxieties,
and I think about Mary
looking through the streets of Jerusalem,
and I think of how she stood and watched
as you gave yourself up
to save us all,
and I think about all the mothers
who worried about their children,
who grieved at their bad decisions,
who mourned, watching them die,
who suffered in silence or in screams,
and know
this is about loving,
and I think about you,
loving so much,
watching us through our bad decisions,
watching us wallow in the hate we show each other,
watching us die,
and know how much you know about loving.
O Lord,
you know know so much about loving,
about the pain and the joy of giving,
teach us to love,
this day and always,
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
this day I come before you
short sleeped,
in pain,
filled with concern
and hopes and anxieties,
and I think about Mary
looking through the streets of Jerusalem,
and I think of how she stood and watched
as you gave yourself up
to save us all,
and I think about all the mothers
who worried about their children,
who grieved at their bad decisions,
who mourned, watching them die,
who suffered in silence or in screams,
and know
this is about loving,
and I think about you,
loving so much,
watching us through our bad decisions,
watching us wallow in the hate we show each other,
watching us die,
and know how much you know about loving.
O Lord,
you know know so much about loving,
about the pain and the joy of giving,
teach us to love,
this day and always,
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Friday, July 30, 2004
I offer it up
like a single rose
to you, O Lord,
this bouquet of pain,
this cross,
sharp,
piercing through me.
It reminds me to consider
of how the rough wood
must have felt against your back
torn by whips,
bloody,
bleeding.
It reminds me to consider
the pain in your shoulders,
carrying the weight of the beam
to heavy to bear
beneath the world's sins.
Another could carrry the wood,
but only you
could carry my sins,
carry all our sins
and not be totally crushed
beneath the stink and the weight.
O Lord,
I give you my pain today,
this red rose
that reminds me of you
and your gift of love,
my small share in the sufferings
of the body of Christ
for however you would use it.
O Lord,
thank you for the gifts
that draw me closer to you,
in pain or in joy,
this day and always,
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
like a single rose
to you, O Lord,
this bouquet of pain,
this cross,
sharp,
piercing through me.
It reminds me to consider
of how the rough wood
must have felt against your back
torn by whips,
bloody,
bleeding.
It reminds me to consider
the pain in your shoulders,
carrying the weight of the beam
to heavy to bear
beneath the world's sins.
Another could carrry the wood,
but only you
could carry my sins,
carry all our sins
and not be totally crushed
beneath the stink and the weight.
O Lord,
I give you my pain today,
this red rose
that reminds me of you
and your gift of love,
my small share in the sufferings
of the body of Christ
for however you would use it.
O Lord,
thank you for the gifts
that draw me closer to you,
in pain or in joy,
this day and always,
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Thursday, July 29, 2004
O Lord,
Giver of light,
Giver of life,
You who hold us in the palm of your hand,
Help us Lord
to love you even when it is uncomfortable,
even when it's not easy,
even when it will cause us a seeming loss.
Help us Lord
to grow close to you,
to the person who cares most,
who guides our steps if we let him,
who longs to bring us home.
Help us to know
something about the depths of your love,
the deeps of your mercy,
the willingness to be there
in every sorrow,
in every weakness,
in every loss.
O Lord,
help us to have grateful hearts,
to give thanks because we love you,
to give thanks because of your care,
this day and always,
Amen.
Susan E. Stone,
2004
Giver of light,
Giver of life,
You who hold us in the palm of your hand,
Help us Lord
to love you even when it is uncomfortable,
even when it's not easy,
even when it will cause us a seeming loss.
Help us Lord
to grow close to you,
to the person who cares most,
who guides our steps if we let him,
who longs to bring us home.
Help us to know
something about the depths of your love,
the deeps of your mercy,
the willingness to be there
in every sorrow,
in every weakness,
in every loss.
O Lord,
help us to have grateful hearts,
to give thanks because we love you,
to give thanks because of your care,
this day and always,
Amen.
Susan E. Stone,
2004
Imagine!
The crowd presses forward,
the sick and the ill
coming for his touch,
to be healed,
cured,
made whole.
Imagine!
the sick at heart
who turned and found
his smile,
his word,
his forgiveness.
Imagine,
the crowd presses forward,
caught up in the moment
calling for his death,
not knowing
they were witnessing
his ultimate gift,
the gift of his life for theirs,
the gift of his salvation,
the gift of his forgiveness.
Imagine!
this poor world pressing forward,
longing for healing,
for peace,
to be made whole,
and now,
how he walks with them,
he smiles with the smiles of those in need,
heals with the touch of those
who are open to him,
His mercy an ocean for those who listen,
His heart big enough to hold the whole world,
waiting to give
the gift of his love,
the gift of his word,
the gift of his forgiveness.
O Lord,
open our hearts
to accept your love,
now and forever.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
The crowd presses forward,
the sick and the ill
coming for his touch,
to be healed,
cured,
made whole.
Imagine!
the sick at heart
who turned and found
his smile,
his word,
his forgiveness.
Imagine,
the crowd presses forward,
caught up in the moment
calling for his death,
not knowing
they were witnessing
his ultimate gift,
the gift of his life for theirs,
the gift of his salvation,
the gift of his forgiveness.
Imagine!
this poor world pressing forward,
longing for healing,
for peace,
to be made whole,
and now,
how he walks with them,
he smiles with the smiles of those in need,
heals with the touch of those
who are open to him,
His mercy an ocean for those who listen,
His heart big enough to hold the whole world,
waiting to give
the gift of his love,
the gift of his word,
the gift of his forgiveness.
O Lord,
open our hearts
to accept your love,
now and forever.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
There are times I would like to shout to the heavens,
Why me?
And then the still small voice comes back
Why not you?
I am in your hands, O Lord,
even though I do not know why
you put this family into my care
with ties of love, and pain, and shared experience,
or why you gave me my personal crosses,
but I will trust in you,
and reach my hands out to you
like a child reaching out for his father,
and I know you will be there to pick me up,
hold me close,
and chase away the tears.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Why me?
And then the still small voice comes back
Why not you?
I am in your hands, O Lord,
even though I do not know why
you put this family into my care
with ties of love, and pain, and shared experience,
or why you gave me my personal crosses,
but I will trust in you,
and reach my hands out to you
like a child reaching out for his father,
and I know you will be there to pick me up,
hold me close,
and chase away the tears.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Wood
Wood has grain
to determine its form,
function,
use,
and in the hands of a master
can become a thing of wonder.
When he shaped this wood,
shaping the sides flat,
did he know what use the wood
was to be used for,
a rough hewn beam
like so many others shaped for their purposes.
If the worker had known who
would carry it down the narrow streets,
would he have tried to smooth the wood,
finish the edges,
or hands trembling,
been unable to complete the job?
And yet this simple rough beam
became a thing of wonder
more special than the finest turned bowl,
the most elaborate cabinet,
the most elegant table,
finished by the hands of a master Carpenter
for it was destined
to hold God's gift
for a dying world,
burnished by his own sweat,
his own blood,
his own pain,
his own death.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Wood has grain
to determine its form,
function,
use,
and in the hands of a master
can become a thing of wonder.
When he shaped this wood,
shaping the sides flat,
did he know what use the wood
was to be used for,
a rough hewn beam
like so many others shaped for their purposes.
If the worker had known who
would carry it down the narrow streets,
would he have tried to smooth the wood,
finish the edges,
or hands trembling,
been unable to complete the job?
And yet this simple rough beam
became a thing of wonder
more special than the finest turned bowl,
the most elaborate cabinet,
the most elegant table,
finished by the hands of a master Carpenter
for it was destined
to hold God's gift
for a dying world,
burnished by his own sweat,
his own blood,
his own pain,
his own death.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Jesus wept.
How odd to think of those words,
that you,
our Lord,
our comforter,
our king,
would know the pain
that tears at the heart
and brings the tears,
one by one
trickling down the cheeks,
but you are Emmanuel,
God With Us,
who knows our pain,
who has drunk the cup of grief,
who knows the sorrow
of hearing of a friend's loss,
the aching separation of saying goodbye to a parent,
the hurt that rings so much of life.
O Lord who walks with us
and knows our sorrows,
be with those in grief today,
those who will lose a loved one,
see tragedy,
know their child will choose the dark,
be left to pick up the shatters of bad luck,
bad choice,
hard situations.
Lord,
we give you so much grief and pain,
thank you for giving back your love.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
How odd to think of those words,
that you,
our Lord,
our comforter,
our king,
would know the pain
that tears at the heart
and brings the tears,
one by one
trickling down the cheeks,
but you are Emmanuel,
God With Us,
who knows our pain,
who has drunk the cup of grief,
who knows the sorrow
of hearing of a friend's loss,
the aching separation of saying goodbye to a parent,
the hurt that rings so much of life.
O Lord who walks with us
and knows our sorrows,
be with those in grief today,
those who will lose a loved one,
see tragedy,
know their child will choose the dark,
be left to pick up the shatters of bad luck,
bad choice,
hard situations.
Lord,
we give you so much grief and pain,
thank you for giving back your love.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows
O Mother of Sorrows,
who in the midst of your pain
becomes the mother of us all
by the gift of your son,
Pray for us
in these days when so many forget,
so many reject,
so many hurt.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not our petitions,
but in your mercy hear and answer us.
Amen.
O Mother of Sorrows,
who in the midst of your pain
becomes the mother of us all
by the gift of your son,
Pray for us
in these days when so many forget,
so many reject,
so many hurt.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not our petitions,
but in your mercy hear and answer us.
Amen.
Touch
Oh!
How the simplest touch,
the right word,
the right color of sky,
the fragrance of rose,
a cloud,
the look on another's face
can bring us home to you, Lord,
abashed or amazed,
standing there in your presence,
in tears
in joy,
in pain,
in hope
or all together.
Lord,
never let me be so busy
that I do not hear you whisper in the wind,
see your smile in the curve of a rose petal,
glimpse your power in the crash of the wave,
find your promise in the cry of a newborn.
Touch me Lord,
that I might be transformed
into that person you want me to be.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Oh!
How the simplest touch,
the right word,
the right color of sky,
the fragrance of rose,
a cloud,
the look on another's face
can bring us home to you, Lord,
abashed or amazed,
standing there in your presence,
in tears
in joy,
in pain,
in hope
or all together.
Lord,
never let me be so busy
that I do not hear you whisper in the wind,
see your smile in the curve of a rose petal,
glimpse your power in the crash of the wave,
find your promise in the cry of a newborn.
Touch me Lord,
that I might be transformed
into that person you want me to be.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Monday, July 26, 2004
O Lord,
in this world filled with anger,
and greed, and hurt, and loss,
help me to see
my role in all the pain,
how I can break the chains of anger
by acting as you ask me,
how I can see beyond the surface
of an unpleasant person,
to the child of God
who needs your love and concern.
Help me to realize
that the person I long to resent
is a person that you walked the road to Calvary for,
that the person who does me wrong
is still a person you hung on the cross to redeem.
Help me Lord to see with your eyes,
to know the fruits of the spirit that come from you,
to act with love when I am hurt,
to find patience when I would rather scream,
to act with self-control when I would rather strike out.
O Lord, you who are love indeed,
You who are the Ocean of Mercy for this poor world,
teach me to love.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
in this world filled with anger,
and greed, and hurt, and loss,
help me to see
my role in all the pain,
how I can break the chains of anger
by acting as you ask me,
how I can see beyond the surface
of an unpleasant person,
to the child of God
who needs your love and concern.
Help me to realize
that the person I long to resent
is a person that you walked the road to Calvary for,
that the person who does me wrong
is still a person you hung on the cross to redeem.
Help me Lord to see with your eyes,
to know the fruits of the spirit that come from you,
to act with love when I am hurt,
to find patience when I would rather scream,
to act with self-control when I would rather strike out.
O Lord, you who are love indeed,
You who are the Ocean of Mercy for this poor world,
teach me to love.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Sunday, July 25, 2004
O Fountain of all holiness,
Lord of light,
you who taught us to pray,
to love,
to follow in your ways,
help us Lord,
fill our hearts with gratitude.
You who are our Mercy,
help us shed those things
which stand between us,
help us learn the true ways of your peace
step by step,
moment by moment,
this day and always,
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Lord of light,
you who taught us to pray,
to love,
to follow in your ways,
help us Lord,
fill our hearts with gratitude.
You who are our Mercy,
help us shed those things
which stand between us,
help us learn the true ways of your peace
step by step,
moment by moment,
this day and always,
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
