Friday, December 03, 2004
Advent
How special that time must have been,
that time of waiting,
where you lay
nestled in our Lady's womb,
seranaded by the beating of her heart,
each beat proclaiming
her love for you,
and in the comforting waters
you lay secure,
safe in your mother's love,
safe under your Father's care,
safe under Joseph's watchful eye.
O Lord,
in this day
where we seem to think
that special time,
that advent
awaiting the unborn
is a signal to remove the inconvenience,
be with all mothers
who faced with difficult choices
may, like Mary,
say yes to life.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
How special that time must have been,
that time of waiting,
where you lay
nestled in our Lady's womb,
seranaded by the beating of her heart,
each beat proclaiming
her love for you,
and in the comforting waters
you lay secure,
safe in your mother's love,
safe under your Father's care,
safe under Joseph's watchful eye.
O Lord,
in this day
where we seem to think
that special time,
that advent
awaiting the unborn
is a signal to remove the inconvenience,
be with all mothers
who faced with difficult choices
may, like Mary,
say yes to life.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Monday, November 29, 2004
O Child of Promise
O Child of promise,
given to us
by the word of the father,
whose coming
we contemplate with joy, perhaps,
with trepidation, perhaps,
Immanuel,
God with us,
you who leaving the father
to make yourself nothing,
a servant
obedient even unto death,
you whom we call
wonderful,
counsellor,
God almighty,
Prince of peace,
teach us to realize
the wonder of your incarnation
as we contemplate
what it means
to have God with us,
to walk with us,
weep with us,
die for us,
save us.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2oo4
O Child of promise,
given to us
by the word of the father,
whose coming
we contemplate with joy, perhaps,
with trepidation, perhaps,
Immanuel,
God with us,
you who leaving the father
to make yourself nothing,
a servant
obedient even unto death,
you whom we call
wonderful,
counsellor,
God almighty,
Prince of peace,
teach us to realize
the wonder of your incarnation
as we contemplate
what it means
to have God with us,
to walk with us,
weep with us,
die for us,
save us.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2oo4
Emmanuel
You who understand the pain of a skinned knee,
the joy of a wedding,
the aching emptiness of bereavement,
the grief we cause those we love,
the pleasure of friendship,
the sadness of being misunderstood,
the taste of dust,
the aching of fatigue,
thank you for having mercy on us,
accepting our blows,
carrying our sins,
teaching us the transforming fire
of a loving God.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
You who understand the pain of a skinned knee,
the joy of a wedding,
the aching emptiness of bereavement,
the grief we cause those we love,
the pleasure of friendship,
the sadness of being misunderstood,
the taste of dust,
the aching of fatigue,
thank you for having mercy on us,
accepting our blows,
carrying our sins,
teaching us the transforming fire
of a loving God.
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
Sunday, November 28, 2004
A Virgin Would Conceive and Bear a Son
Let us ponder
the depths of love
in the promise
given so long ago.
A virgin,
the Virgin,
pure container,
she who stood
in spiritual opposition
to Eve, the one who said NO,
she,
the one who said yes,
A virgin who would conceive
and bear a son.
Emmanuel,
God with us,
miracle of miracles,
that he who was master
emptied himself
to become servant,
incarnation,
taking on of flesh,
feeling our needs,
our pain,
our hopes
our fears
to love,
to suffer,
to die
to save.
Outstretched are your arms,
Beloved Master,
to take us in
in love,
God with us,
now and forever,
Amen.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
O Fire! O Light! O God!
What words do I have
to talk about you,
O living fire,
dancing flame within my heart,
dancing light
filling the spaces
between spaces.
You are the light
echoing in the angst of a father
whose child has turned her back
for sins of the past,
unknown,
unexpressed.
Fire shining in the heart
filled with grief,
cradling the body
of a beloved
never more to walk,
growing cold.
Light shining out in the joy
of children playing
on a spring afternoon.
Fire in the promise
of love pledged
between two chosing to become one.
Light in the hands
twisted with age,
clasping prayer beads,
letting them slip,
one after another,
as a heart
reaching out
to the infinity
that is you.
O God!
each breath we take,
breathing in the breath you give,
spirit,
holy wind,
Ruach.
In you we live,
and breathe
and have our being,
You, the living flame,
unseen perhaps,
but not unfelt.
Dance in my heart,
O light,
o living flame of love,
and quicken
each breathe I take,
for good or ill,
until
you are the light I see
shining in the heart of sorrow,
you are the voice I hear
calling out in need,
you are the smile I see
in the eyes of the hope filled,
yours is the cry I hear
in the voice of the child.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
What words do I have
to talk about you,
O living fire,
dancing flame within my heart,
dancing light
filling the spaces
between spaces.
You are the light
echoing in the angst of a father
whose child has turned her back
for sins of the past,
unknown,
unexpressed.
Fire shining in the heart
filled with grief,
cradling the body
of a beloved
never more to walk,
growing cold.
Light shining out in the joy
of children playing
on a spring afternoon.
Fire in the promise
of love pledged
between two chosing to become one.
Light in the hands
twisted with age,
clasping prayer beads,
letting them slip,
one after another,
as a heart
reaching out
to the infinity
that is you.
O God!
each breath we take,
breathing in the breath you give,
spirit,
holy wind,
Ruach.
In you we live,
and breathe
and have our being,
You, the living flame,
unseen perhaps,
but not unfelt.
Dance in my heart,
O light,
o living flame of love,
and quicken
each breathe I take,
for good or ill,
until
you are the light I see
shining in the heart of sorrow,
you are the voice I hear
calling out in need,
you are the smile I see
in the eyes of the hope filled,
yours is the cry I hear
in the voice of the child.
Susan E. Stone, 2004
