Saturday, January 27, 2007
Not By My Power
Thank you Lord, for those weaknesses I cry about,
All those things I know that teach me
that it is not by my power I get things done,
those moments of weakness that show clearly
how much I need you.
There are those pauses in the struggle when I turn around,
as if I were walking up a mountain way
Where I sometimes get a glimpse and see how far
you have brought me this far, this day,
by the power of your hand.
Those moments give me hope, O God,
For those days when I feel frail and weak,
and indecisive and uncertain, lost,
and I feel so all alone - turning, let me seek
You who must be my strength.
Soften my heart O Lord, so that I know
It is you who are the doer of my good, not I
that no matter what, I rest in your hands,
and in your hands, even when I cry,
I could be in no better place.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
All those things I know that teach me
that it is not by my power I get things done,
those moments of weakness that show clearly
how much I need you.
There are those pauses in the struggle when I turn around,
as if I were walking up a mountain way
Where I sometimes get a glimpse and see how far
you have brought me this far, this day,
by the power of your hand.
Those moments give me hope, O God,
For those days when I feel frail and weak,
and indecisive and uncertain, lost,
and I feel so all alone - turning, let me seek
You who must be my strength.
Soften my heart O Lord, so that I know
It is you who are the doer of my good, not I
that no matter what, I rest in your hands,
and in your hands, even when I cry,
I could be in no better place.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Labels: Discipleship, Need for God
Mary's Yes
O sweet Virgin Mary, O Mary our mother,
You, with your yes so generous and bold,
Shaking the earth to its foundation, like only one other,
Mother Eve's fearsome no, so self-centered and cold.
With the help of the Father, your Yes opened the door,
through the workings of the Spirit, light entered the world
The richest of gifts, through one humble and poor,
Heaven reached out and its banner unfurled.
Emmanuel, God with us, came down with that Yes,
Entering this world as you welcomed him in,
His light to transform, find the lost, and to bless,
Then die on the cross to save us from sin.
O sweet Virgin Mary, O Mary our mother,
whose advice to us here always has been
"Do whatever he tells you," that, and no other,
Pray for us now, and when our lives shall end.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
You, with your yes so generous and bold,
Shaking the earth to its foundation, like only one other,
Mother Eve's fearsome no, so self-centered and cold.
With the help of the Father, your Yes opened the door,
through the workings of the Spirit, light entered the world
The richest of gifts, through one humble and poor,
Heaven reached out and its banner unfurled.
Emmanuel, God with us, came down with that Yes,
Entering this world as you welcomed him in,
His light to transform, find the lost, and to bless,
Then die on the cross to save us from sin.
O sweet Virgin Mary, O Mary our mother,
whose advice to us here always has been
"Do whatever he tells you," that, and no other,
Pray for us now, and when our lives shall end.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Labels: Mary
Friday, January 26, 2007
Dawn
This morning dawns anew,
Soft with light above the mountain,
A moment to savor, to plan, to do,
To share with you, O Love's true fountain.
Teach me this day to recall
Your words to me when I would turn away,
How easy it is to slip and fall
Away from the heights where I wish to stay.
Love is not easy, this is true,
Each moment a choice that must be made,
But help me to pick those choices with you,
Here in the light, not there in the shade.
Dawn moves from dark into light -
May my life follow that way,
From the black of sin's midnight,
Into at last, the light of your day.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Soft with light above the mountain,
A moment to savor, to plan, to do,
To share with you, O Love's true fountain.
Teach me this day to recall
Your words to me when I would turn away,
How easy it is to slip and fall
Away from the heights where I wish to stay.
Love is not easy, this is true,
Each moment a choice that must be made,
But help me to pick those choices with you,
Here in the light, not there in the shade.
Dawn moves from dark into light -
May my life follow that way,
From the black of sin's midnight,
Into at last, the light of your day.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Labels: Discipleship, Emmanuel, Need for God
Thursday, January 25, 2007
I Pray in a Voice Sad and Plain
How loud the pain and sorrow rises,
A sad crescendo reaching high,
Up to heaven, that growing cry,
Ratcheting up with each new crisis,
Against the screaming hurricane,
I pray in a voice, sad and plain:
Have mercy on us, O Lord!
Today, O Lord, if you hear my voice
against the screech of "Why o Why?"
"I hate you!", "Why don't you just die?"
And vengeance cries that now rejoice,
I pray in a voice, sad and plain
Against this endless wall of pain:
Have mercy on us, O Lord!
The voice of the orphan as he cries,
The parent who's lost his only child,
Those in war zones, hot and wild,
The unwanted, breathing their unseen sighs,
I pray in a voice, sad and plain,
That longs to heal and make things sane -
Have mercy on us, O Lord!
The darkness seems so dark today,
With anger and hate and willful pride
Death means nothing on this dark ride,
The truth forgotten, love turns to clay.
Open our parched hearts, let in the rain!
I pray in a voice, sad and plain.
Have mercy on us, Lord.
Open my hearts to your love's way
That sees with love the hurting one,
That sees the work that needs to be done,
That turns man's dark into Heaven's day.
I pray in a voice sad and plain,
Use me to stop the hurricane,
Teach me to love, O Lord.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
A sad crescendo reaching high,
Up to heaven, that growing cry,
Ratcheting up with each new crisis,
Against the screaming hurricane,
I pray in a voice, sad and plain:
Have mercy on us, O Lord!
Today, O Lord, if you hear my voice
against the screech of "Why o Why?"
"I hate you!", "Why don't you just die?"
And vengeance cries that now rejoice,
I pray in a voice, sad and plain
Against this endless wall of pain:
Have mercy on us, O Lord!
The voice of the orphan as he cries,
The parent who's lost his only child,
Those in war zones, hot and wild,
The unwanted, breathing their unseen sighs,
I pray in a voice, sad and plain,
That longs to heal and make things sane -
Have mercy on us, O Lord!
The darkness seems so dark today,
With anger and hate and willful pride
Death means nothing on this dark ride,
The truth forgotten, love turns to clay.
Open our parched hearts, let in the rain!
I pray in a voice, sad and plain.
Have mercy on us, Lord.
Open my hearts to your love's way
That sees with love the hurting one,
That sees the work that needs to be done,
That turns man's dark into Heaven's day.
I pray in a voice sad and plain,
Use me to stop the hurricane,
Teach me to love, O Lord.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Labels: current evils, man's inhumanity, Mercy on Mankind
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Help Me, Lord
Help me Lord, for I am weak,
Teach me to walk in your ways
Even when you come to me some days
In shapes I would not rather seek.
Help me Lord, for my love is poor,
Let me look into those eyes,
Dressed in some distressing guise,
And remember how you open the door.
Help me Lord, not to shrink
when you come to me unclean
or in the form of smart-mouthed teen
Let me be the helping link.
Help me Lord, to love like you
All those irritating ones who seem
There to make me want to scream,
May my help to them renew.
When hurtful words long to be said
Or I long to turn away,
Let me remember that sad day,
When you gave all and hung there dead.
Your love embraced me with all my sin,
In loving thanks, teach me to be
Love's channel to all those that I see,
Help me to let you enter in.
Teach me the little ways of love,
The simple word, the needed smile,
The oil that makes our lives worthwhile,
And leads the soul to hope above.
Make me a channel of your peace,
And say the word that you would say,
And touch their lives in just that way
Until my life on earth shall cease.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Teach me to walk in your ways
Even when you come to me some days
In shapes I would not rather seek.
Help me Lord, for my love is poor,
Let me look into those eyes,
Dressed in some distressing guise,
And remember how you open the door.
Help me Lord, not to shrink
when you come to me unclean
or in the form of smart-mouthed teen
Let me be the helping link.
Help me Lord, to love like you
All those irritating ones who seem
There to make me want to scream,
May my help to them renew.
When hurtful words long to be said
Or I long to turn away,
Let me remember that sad day,
When you gave all and hung there dead.
Your love embraced me with all my sin,
In loving thanks, teach me to be
Love's channel to all those that I see,
Help me to let you enter in.
Teach me the little ways of love,
The simple word, the needed smile,
The oil that makes our lives worthwhile,
And leads the soul to hope above.
Make me a channel of your peace,
And say the word that you would say,
And touch their lives in just that way
Until my life on earth shall cease.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Labels: Discipleship, Help
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
In the darkness of the moment, I turn to you, O Lord,
You who are the light in which there is no darkness.
Help me to see my way among the rocks and the holes,
The rubble of this sin-filled land in its starkness,
All the places where I might trip and fall
And be swallowed up by the night.
How the sound of sin's dark consequences
pierce through the midnight of this poor world,
The hatred masquerading as good intentions,
in smoke and fire and death and grief unfurl,
in little ways, too, with heart rending words
designed to cut and blight.
O Lord, remember us, how you gave your blood in love
to open up the door to heaven's healing touch,
And looked upon all our hurts and pains with loving eyes,
Shepherdless this people, needing much --
And as the darkness thickens, Lord,
Restore to us our sight!
Steadfast love we have not, save what comes from You,
Who sends your grace to fall upon this hard place
In spite of who we are and what we've done since day began.
In spite of sin and coldness, O Lord, turn not your face,
But remember how you wept in the garden
That one spring moonlit midnight.
O Lord, have pity on the ones I cannot reach but know
How frightened, lost and hungry are their days,
O Lord, the children lost, their parents dying, the wars go on
Satan's laughter piercing through the blood red haze --
Remember Lord, the cross that awful day,
Help us by your might!
Kyrie eleison,
Christe eleison,
Kyrie eleison.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
You who are the light in which there is no darkness.
Help me to see my way among the rocks and the holes,
The rubble of this sin-filled land in its starkness,
All the places where I might trip and fall
And be swallowed up by the night.
How the sound of sin's dark consequences
pierce through the midnight of this poor world,
The hatred masquerading as good intentions,
in smoke and fire and death and grief unfurl,
in little ways, too, with heart rending words
designed to cut and blight.
O Lord, remember us, how you gave your blood in love
to open up the door to heaven's healing touch,
And looked upon all our hurts and pains with loving eyes,
Shepherdless this people, needing much --
And as the darkness thickens, Lord,
Restore to us our sight!
Steadfast love we have not, save what comes from You,
Who sends your grace to fall upon this hard place
In spite of who we are and what we've done since day began.
In spite of sin and coldness, O Lord, turn not your face,
But remember how you wept in the garden
That one spring moonlit midnight.
O Lord, have pity on the ones I cannot reach but know
How frightened, lost and hungry are their days,
O Lord, the children lost, their parents dying, the wars go on
Satan's laughter piercing through the blood red haze --
Remember Lord, the cross that awful day,
Help us by your might!
Kyrie eleison,
Christe eleison,
Kyrie eleison.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Labels: current evils, man's inhumanity, Mercy on Mankind, Need for God
Mother of Consolation, Lady of Tears
Hail, Full of Grace,
O Mother of Consolation,
You who always said yes to the Father,
You who know the depths of sorrow of the human heart,
Pray for us as we call,
lost in our tears and our miseries,
lost in our darkness,
blinded by our pain,
tormented by what we have done
or what was done to us.
Lady of Tears,
In our sorrows, we turn to you, dear Lady,
You have measured the very depths of grief and loss,
There at the foot of your son's cross,
There, the dark moment you became our mother,
you, who in your mercy,
has never left anyone unaided,
but hears our prayers,
reaches out to calm our fears,
helps us in our struggle to get back to that place
where we can do whatever He tells us to,
thank you for being our mother.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us now and at the hour of our deaths, Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
O Mother of Consolation,
You who always said yes to the Father,
You who know the depths of sorrow of the human heart,
Pray for us as we call,
lost in our tears and our miseries,
lost in our darkness,
blinded by our pain,
tormented by what we have done
or what was done to us.
Lady of Tears,
In our sorrows, we turn to you, dear Lady,
You have measured the very depths of grief and loss,
There at the foot of your son's cross,
There, the dark moment you became our mother,
you, who in your mercy,
has never left anyone unaided,
but hears our prayers,
reaches out to calm our fears,
helps us in our struggle to get back to that place
where we can do whatever He tells us to,
thank you for being our mother.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us now and at the hour of our deaths, Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Labels: Help, Mary, Mother of Consolation, Mother of Sorrows
Monday, January 22, 2007
Love Is Not Easy
"Love is not easy," You once told me,
"Watch me in the garden, and you will see
How Love is a struggle, hard and heavy,
When Love and our wants do not agree,
And the prayer on our lips is, 'Father, hear me!'
And we, hearing Him in Love, do not flee.
This is a sacrifice most pleasing."
Love is not easy - I understand, but know
When I am touched by the hand of loss and sorrow,
The road of hard choices where Love has me go,
You have walked that hard road, too and the shadows only show
There is light up ahead, where you vanquished the foe.
Help me to love, Lord.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
"Watch me in the garden, and you will see
How Love is a struggle, hard and heavy,
When Love and our wants do not agree,
And the prayer on our lips is, 'Father, hear me!'
And we, hearing Him in Love, do not flee.
This is a sacrifice most pleasing."
Love is not easy - I understand, but know
When I am touched by the hand of loss and sorrow,
The road of hard choices where Love has me go,
You have walked that hard road, too and the shadows only show
There is light up ahead, where you vanquished the foe.
Help me to love, Lord.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Labels: Discipleship, Emmanuel, Jesus' Love
Sunday, January 21, 2007
The Ways of Your Mercy
Teach me o Lord, the ways of your mercy,
How to reach out in truth,
Not in the false sentimentality of popular notions,
that shifting sense of fairness
that changes with fashion and taste,
but in the true ways your word reveals,
caring for the ugly and the outcast,
the unpopular, the needy,
in the ways that you show us to do.
Teach me O Lord, the ways of your mercy,
How to reach out in truth,
Not with the false rationality that blooms ever anew
to find reasons not to help, to say no
in spite of the truth of what your word reveals,
help me not to turn my back on the ones you send me,
help me not to grow hard hearted with the call now to love,
but to walk in the ways that you call us to do.
Teach me, O Lord, the ways of your mercy,
To see your eyes shining in the face of the lost,
To hear your voice calling in the cry of the hungry,
To reach out and cover your shoulders as I clothe the naked,
To feel your touch in the hands of the unloved.
Through your help, O Lord, let me reach out to God's children
As if I were reaching out in love to you.
This day, and always, Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
How to reach out in truth,
Not in the false sentimentality of popular notions,
that shifting sense of fairness
that changes with fashion and taste,
but in the true ways your word reveals,
caring for the ugly and the outcast,
the unpopular, the needy,
in the ways that you show us to do.
Teach me O Lord, the ways of your mercy,
How to reach out in truth,
Not with the false rationality that blooms ever anew
to find reasons not to help, to say no
in spite of the truth of what your word reveals,
help me not to turn my back on the ones you send me,
help me not to grow hard hearted with the call now to love,
but to walk in the ways that you call us to do.
Teach me, O Lord, the ways of your mercy,
To see your eyes shining in the face of the lost,
To hear your voice calling in the cry of the hungry,
To reach out and cover your shoulders as I clothe the naked,
To feel your touch in the hands of the unloved.
Through your help, O Lord, let me reach out to God's children
As if I were reaching out in love to you.
This day, and always, Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2007
Labels: Discipleship, Love of Neighbor, Mercy on Mankind
