Catholic Meditations

O my God,
You who send to my soul the tendrils of peace and joy and love
I do not deserve,
I have not earned,
I am not entitled to,
You who wash away my guilt,
Forgive my wrongs,
Lead me ever down the paths of your righteousness
For your reasons, not mine,
Who pulls me up the road to Zion
Step by hard step,
Making the way, though hard at times,
Full of joy and light ,
A blessing
Because you are with me,
And even when I am in the darkest shadows,
Touched with the fear of loss,
The hand of privation,
The weight of grief,
When I can see no way out,
You are with me,
Holding me, sometimes unseen,
Sometimes, in my grief, even forgotten for the moment,
Wrapped forever in your loving hand.
O greatest of Lovers,
You who fashioned all,
You who came into this world you created
Marred by human willfulness,
To live as one of us,
To draw us to yourself,
To suffer for us,
To lead us home,
O Master, teach us to be still,
And know that you are God,
This day and always,
Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Litany for our bishops:

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 Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

You holy bishops, who shine like beacons, good shepherds all, we ask you to pray for our bishops.

St. Peter, pray for them
St. Damasus, pray for them
St. Gregory the Great, pray for them
St. Marcellus, pray for them
St. Eusebius, pray for them
St. Benedict, pray for them
St. Eutychianus, pray for them
St. Eugene, pray for them
St. Pius, pray for them
St. Leo, pray for them
St. Felix, pray for them
St. Sixtus, pray for them
St. Clement, pray for them
St. Urban, pray for them
St. Boniface, pray for them
All good and holy pontiffs, bishops of Rome, named here and not, who struggled hard to walk in the path that Christ sent you on, sometimes giving up your lives, pray our bishops today.

St. Januarius, pray for them
St. Ignatius of Antioch, pray for them
St. Babylas of Antioch, pray for them
St. Fabian, pray for them
St. Vigilius, pray for them
St. Blaise, pray for them
St. Stanislaus, pray for them
St. Hippolytus, pray for them
St. Felix of Nola, pray for them
St. Weigand, pray for them
St. Lambert, pray for them
St. Cyprian, pray for them
St. John Fisher, pray for them
St. Thomas Becket, pray for them
St. Polycarp, pray for them

All you holy bishops, named here and not, who gave up your lives for the glory of God, in living witness of God's truth, pray for our bishops today.

Saint Amandus, pray for them
Saint Ludger, pray for them
St. Boniface, pray for them
St. Augustine of Canterbury, pray for them
Saint Palladius, pray for them
St. Patrick, pray for them
St. Martin of Tours, pray for them
St. Rupert, pray for them
St. Alphonsus Lugori, pray for them

All you holy bishops, eager missionaries to shed God's light on the lost, who staff in hand, spread the good news, named here and not, pray for our bishops.


St. John Chrysostom, pray for them
St. Basil, pray for them
St. Cyril, pray for them
St. Hilary, pray for them
St. Ambrose, pray for them
St. Athanasius, pray for them
St. Augustine of Hippo, pray for them
St. Gregory of Nazianzus, pray for them

All holy bishops, doctors and theologians of the church, named here and not, who set an example of the role of bishop as teacher and shepherd, pray for our bishops today.

Let us pray:

Our Father in Heaven, you have raised such a cloud of witnesses in the holy bishops who have stood by and proclaimed the good news of your Son. May their example and prayers strengthen all of the bishops today around the world who are touched with such awful temptations, and who stumble as they struggle beneath the weight of their office.

Strengthen them, O Lord.
Soften their hearts where they are hard.
Open their eyes to their secret sins so they may return to their first love and become the men you want them to be.
Refresh them with an new fervor for their role as shepherds.
Surround them with those who will help them for the glory of God and not the glory of self.
Make the nature of sin clear to them, and may they be fervent in their desire to share your healing touch with all their flock.
May they resist the desire to be liked by men, but hunger for your approval alone.

This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ your son and our savior, Amen.