Friday, September 24, 2004
In Thanksgiving, Remembering Our Mothers
Let us remember,Susan E. Stone, 2004
if we will,
that earliest sound we knew,
the beating of a mother's heart,
soft and steady
the beat that introduced us
to the rhythm of life,
the rhythm of love,
a mother's love.
Let us remember,
if we will,
the voice we knew best,
a voice that could calm
the terrors of our heart
as the nightmare touched,
could make our day
with just a simple yes,
who taught us
word by word,
the messages of life,
the messages of love
through a mother's eyes.
Let us remember,
if we will,
the touch that wrapped us warm
when we were cold,
chased away our sadnesses,
soothed our pain,
kept us safe
with the brush of a hand,
a needful hug,
a simple touch
that could make the world seem right,
a mother's touch,
touching us with love.
Let us remember,
if we will,
all those things we never knew,
a mother's worries in the night,
sacrifices when we weren't looking,
tears shed in private,
silent prayers,
the secret struggles
that a mother makes
to bring us safe into the world,
adult, whole,
and when we remember,
let us thank God
for the gift of our mothers,
and our mothers love.
Just a Child
Just a Child
Just a child
pulled from the rubble,
streaked with dirt
scraped,
limp,
in the arms of death.
O Lord,
I offer her up to you,
this little one,
victim of anger,
an anger
she didn't even knew about.
O Lord,
forgive us
for not loving enough
to snuff out
a little life,
forgive us for hating enough
to see little ones as
something to sacrifice
in our impatience,
in our greed,
in our indiference,
our anger.
O Lord,
help us learn
that every word we say
has repercussions,
every act has effect,
and when we choose to ignore,
or take,
or refuse to give,
act in malice,
we too set off the bombs,
light the fuses,
tear down the walls.
Give us the strength, O Lord,
when it is so easy not to love.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Just a child
pulled from the rubble,
streaked with dirt
scraped,
limp,
in the arms of death.
O Lord,
I offer her up to you,
this little one,
victim of anger,
an anger
she didn't even knew about.
O Lord,
forgive us
for not loving enough
to snuff out
a little life,
forgive us for hating enough
to see little ones as
something to sacrifice
in our impatience,
in our greed,
in our indiference,
our anger.
O Lord,
help us learn
that every word we say
has repercussions,
every act has effect,
and when we choose to ignore,
or take,
or refuse to give,
act in malice,
we too set off the bombs,
light the fuses,
tear down the walls.
Give us the strength, O Lord,
when it is so easy not to love.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Labels: man's inhumanity, Need for God
Thursday, September 23, 2004
I Don't Want to Be Here, God
I don't want to be here, God.
I don't want to deal
with the things you have sent my way,
and I am sooo tired,
tired of the strain,
tired of the pain,
tired.
O Jesus,
in the garden
how tired were you,
dealing with the things the Father
had send your way,
betrayed,
misunderstood,
and now here at this moment,
to be the sacrifice
for all our sins.
O Jesus,
Lord and master,
who dealt with all my sins,
all the wrongs I have done
and are done to me,
Lord give me strength
to do the Father's will,
and like you,
may I always say yes,
even as I long to be far away.
O dear Mother Mary,
as you watched them drag your son
through the streets,
so tired,
so hurt,
so worn,
did you not want to be there,
did you not want to wake up
and find it all a nightmare?
O pray for me, Holy Mother of God,
that I might bear the cross
selected for me
with more acceptance,
even as I long to run anywhere else,
knowing that
our Father
knows well what he is doing,
and being in his hands
is the only true refuge.
Susan E. Stone, 2oo4
I don't want to be here, God.
I don't want to deal
with the things you have sent my way,
and I am sooo tired,
tired of the strain,
tired of the pain,
tired.
O Jesus,
in the garden
how tired were you,
dealing with the things the Father
had send your way,
betrayed,
misunderstood,
and now here at this moment,
to be the sacrifice
for all our sins.
O Jesus,
Lord and master,
who dealt with all my sins,
all the wrongs I have done
and are done to me,
Lord give me strength
to do the Father's will,
and like you,
may I always say yes,
even as I long to be far away.
O dear Mother Mary,
as you watched them drag your son
through the streets,
so tired,
so hurt,
so worn,
did you not want to be there,
did you not want to wake up
and find it all a nightmare?
O pray for me, Holy Mother of God,
that I might bear the cross
selected for me
with more acceptance,
even as I long to run anywhere else,
knowing that
our Father
knows well what he is doing,
and being in his hands
is the only true refuge.
Susan E. Stone, 2oo4
Labels: Discipleship
To Our Lady of Sorrows
O Lady of Sorrow,
Mother of Consolation,
let me sit with you here
at the foot of the cross,
watching what your son
was so willing to give,
a gift of fathomless generosity,
drop by blood drop,
breath by breath,
minute by minute.
O Lady of Sorrow,
so often,
how I long to scream,
to rant,
to act on my anger
when given my cross,
yet help me, Mary,
to bear, like you,
the griefs,
the hurts,
the depth of pain,
as part of the sacrifice,
saying Yes to God,
and joining your Son's prayer,
Not my will, but God's.
O Mother of Sorrow,
Lady of Consolation,
bring me here to weep
when the moments are dark,
and what is real and lasting
gets confused
with the passing, temporary,
and I need to know what is true,
and what counts,
and what matters.
And what matters is this,
the look in my Savior's eyes,
as he gives all,
and asks me to give all,
good, bad, indifferent,
and waits for me
to let him transform me.
O Blessed Mother,
pray that I
will always have the strength
to meet those eyes
and say Yes.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Mother of Consolation,
let me sit with you here
at the foot of the cross,
watching what your son
was so willing to give,
a gift of fathomless generosity,
drop by blood drop,
breath by breath,
minute by minute.
O Lady of Sorrow,
so often,
how I long to scream,
to rant,
to act on my anger
when given my cross,
yet help me, Mary,
to bear, like you,
the griefs,
the hurts,
the depth of pain,
as part of the sacrifice,
saying Yes to God,
and joining your Son's prayer,
Not my will, but God's.
O Mother of Sorrow,
Lady of Consolation,
bring me here to weep
when the moments are dark,
and what is real and lasting
gets confused
with the passing, temporary,
and I need to know what is true,
and what counts,
and what matters.
And what matters is this,
the look in my Savior's eyes,
as he gives all,
and asks me to give all,
good, bad, indifferent,
and waits for me
to let him transform me.
O Blessed Mother,
pray that I
will always have the strength
to meet those eyes
and say Yes.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Labels: Mary, Mother of Sorrows, Passion of Christ, Penitence
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
O Lord,
When I taste the bile of anger
watching what evil men do,
how they strike out
with hate
and anger
to hurt,
to raise fear,
teach me Lord
to respond as you would,
to love instead of hate,
to build up
instead of rip down,
to give
for the glory of God
instead of take
for the glory of me.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
When I taste the bile of anger
watching what evil men do,
how they strike out
with hate
and anger
to hurt,
to raise fear,
teach me Lord
to respond as you would,
to love instead of hate,
to build up
instead of rip down,
to give
for the glory of God
instead of take
for the glory of me.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Monday, September 20, 2004
In My Distraction
O Lord,
in my distraction by the day-to-day,
the excitement of the moment,
the pace of events,
the need for attention right now
never let me forget
that you are there,
waiting,
calling,
knowing.
O Lord,
in my distraction by the day-to-day
please come take me away,
away from ME and My,
and help me focus on you,
on being your hands to those who need
on being your voice to those who should hear,
and most of all,
just being there with you.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
O Lord,
in my distraction by the day-to-day,
the excitement of the moment,
the pace of events,
the need for attention right now
never let me forget
that you are there,
waiting,
calling,
knowing.
O Lord,
in my distraction by the day-to-day
please come take me away,
away from ME and My,
and help me focus on you,
on being your hands to those who need
on being your voice to those who should hear,
and most of all,
just being there with you.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Labels: Discipleship
