Catholic Meditations

Lord, have mercy on us.
----Christ have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
----Christ graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven,
----have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
----have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
----have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
----have mercy on us.

To all those who choose to misunderstand your word,
Be merciful, O Lord.
To all those who thinking to preserve dignity, choose evil over good,
Be merciful O Lord,
To those who try to twist your word to make their points seem holy,
Be merciful O Lord,
To those who declare your Spirit is leading them to declare your word wrong,
Be merciful O Lord,
To those who declare your Spirit is leading them to declare some sins as good,
Be merciful O Lord.
To those who lead others astray to validate their sins,
Be merciful O Lord.
To those who injure others in your name,
Be merciful O Lord.
To those who betray the trust of those in their charge,
Be merciful, O Lord.
To those who bring scandal that turns others away from you,
Be merciful O Lord.
To those who try to make you seem little and weak,
Be merciful O Lord.

Have mercy on those who persecute your followers,
Open their hearts, O Lord.
Have mercy on those who choose death saying it is better than life,
Open their hearts, O Lord.
Have mercy on those who lead others astray after convincing themselves what they want is holy,
Open their hearts, O Lord.
Have mercy on those who think supporting the right of death is not contrary to your will,
Open their hearts, O Lord.
Have mercy on those who think that by harming others, they are doing your will.
Open their hearts, O Lord.
Have mercy on the self-deluded,
Open their hearts, O Lord.
Have mercy on the angry,
Open their hearts, O Lord.
Have mercy on those injured by others and who turn away from your light.
Open their hearts, O Lord.

From those who call darkness light,
Good Lord, preserve us.
From those who would hurt others in your name,
Good Lord, preserve us.
From those who would lead our children astray,
Good Lord, preserve us.
From those who twist truth to validate their actions,
Good Lord preserve us.
From those who use your name to do the wrong they want,
Good Lord, preserve us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

Let us pray:

O God our loving Father, you who sent your only begotten Son to this sad world so that we might have life, and that abundantly, you know the hearts of man, in our good and in our bad, in our folly, and when we use the wisdom you send us. Be with us all, and remember us in your mercy. Open the hearts of those of us who do wrong, have mercy on those under persecution, and may we be willing always to see the light of your truth for what it is, and not be snared by the counterfeits of the enemy.

We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior, Amen.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5: 10-12


O my Jesus,
how clear it becomes that the world does not know you,
does not love you,
does not want you,
Nor does it want we who follow you
to remind them of what they have rejected.

And yet, O my Jesus,
In in you is life, and the life is the light of men.
You are the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,
although how mightily it strives,
with anger and rage and seduction and masquerade,
trying to make you into just a little god,
powerless to renew.

But Jesus,
We know you are our Emmanuel,
God with us,
the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.
Help us not to be amazed
when we see how much the world hates us for loving you,
for the world rejected you,
rejects you,
and tries to kill the light you shed upon the earth.

Help us, those who follow you,
those who taste the lash of persecution
in large ways and in little,
who see the hatred of men who despise them
for walking in your way,
who see the hatred of men who despise them
for not helping them cover up
the truth of your light with excuses and explanations,
help us when we see those trying to filter your light
so it doesn't blind them with the truth of their wrong,
who would still your message so they could rejoice in their sins,
who would still your light so they could live in the dark.

Lord, help each and everyone who loves you
to stand firm,
to be a lantern filled with your light,
a lighthouse in the storm,
a city on the hill, impossible to hide,
salt to preserve,
leaven to make life filled with the possibilities of heaven.

May those whose lives we touch see how good your light is,
how heavy the darkness,
and how sweet is our home with you,
this day, and always, Amen.


Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help

Forgive us, Lord,
For all the hours of speculating
on the mechanics of your grace
instead of living as salt and light,
your beacons to a dark and sinful world.

Forgive us Lord,
for all the hours we argue
about the right method of prayer
instead of praying,
humble and grateful.

Forgive us Lord,
For all the ways
We cut those who are different than we,
Instead of seeing them as beloved by you,
and deserving of our love.

Forgive us Lord
For all the ways we try to decide
if a person is deserving of our help
instead of seeing him
as sent by you
so we can act with the love you taught us.

Forgive us, Lord,
for all of the petty ways we subvert your word.
Fill our hearts,
cleanse us of the darkness
that keeps us from you,
from being your tool
this day and always,
Amen.