Friday, March 16, 2007

Mercy's Call 


See them walking to the hill,
Soldiers, priests and prisoners all,
A time to weep, a time to kill --
God With Us answers mercy's call.

Wood and hammer,
nail and rope,
tools of hard death,
tools of hope,
washed in blood,
crowned by thorn,
as He dies,
new life is born.

See them nail him to the cross,
Beaten, bloody, forgiving all,
They glory at His mother's loss --
God With Us answers mercy's call.

Wood and hammer,
nail and rope,
tools of hard death,
tools of hope,
washed in blood,
crowned by thorn,
as He dies,
new life is born.

The sky grows dark as death grows near,
This day more different than them all,
The Son gives all while the wicked cheer --
God With Us answers mercy's call.

Wood and hammer,
nail and rope,
tools of hard death,
tools of hope,
washed in blood,
crowned by thorn,
as He dies,
new life is born.

O Pascal Lamb, O Bridegroom bright,
Who dies for love of one and all!
The earth itself quaked at the sight --
How God With us answered mercy's call.

Wood and hammer,
nail and rope,
tools of hard death,
tools of hope,
washed in blood,
crowned by thorn,
as He dies,
new life is born.

Susan E. Stone, 2007

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Sunday, November 12, 2006

My Jesus, I trust in Thee 

My Jesus, I trust in thee,
even as the darkness gathers.
My Jesus, I trust in thee,
even as the storm clouds deepen.
My Jesus, I trust in thee,
even when the lightning threatens.

My Jesus, help me trust in thee,
even though my heart quakes.
My Jesus, help me trust in thee
even though you may seem far way.
My Jesus, help me trust in thee,
even though evil seems near.

My Jesus, may I trust in thee,
even when sorrow breaks my heart.
My Jesus, may I trust in thee,
even in the darkness of my grief.
My Jesus, may I trust in thee,
even when I don't understand why.

Susan E. Stone, 2003

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Thursday, June 01, 2006

The Dream 

You gave me a dream one day, O Lord,
of midnight on a storming sea,
Hurricane winds blowing free,
washing up on an unprepared shore.

I watched as the waters swirled and rose,
huge swells washing all away
there in the darkness far from day,
The works of hands shattered in the water flows.

I watched how puny are the works we prize
The works of hands and sweat and dreams
Falling there beneath the streams
Nothing of man stopped the water's rise.

And yet, there on the water's face
Bobbing lightly as the waves moved on,
Survivors surfacing towards the dawn
Rafts and boats and planks and boards in place.

Even though wind tossed, and frightened there
even though battered in the night
they escaped into the light,
By the hand of loving care.

"My mercy," said the Lord to me
"I gave them refuge in my heart,
As the darkness took their world apart
Because they put their trust in me.
.
"Take care to understand and know
When darkness seems too dark to see
That I will hold you close to me
In darkest night, when storm winds blow

"If you will give your heart to me
To keep within my heart of love
You will always float above
The darkness of that midnight sea.

"Cling to my mercy now, this day,
The storm clouds gather, the darkness grows,
The seas are rising, the dark wind blows,
Come into my heart or wash away."


Susan E. Stone, 2006

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Friday, May 12, 2006

Prayer for Mercy 

O Lord,
You who gave so much in care and pain and sorrow,
emptying yourself out to come walk along the paths
of the world you created,
who looked at us with compassion in our pain, our fear, and our need,
who accepted the Father's will, and drank that bitter cup of hard, painful death
so that we might taste your mercy,
forgive us Lord, for all the times we spurn your mercy
and choose, like at the beginning of things to go our own way
in spite of what you offer.

O Lord,
As the current darkness descends,
and we are more interested in chasing after comforts than to give comfort,
and are more interested in spiting our brother
than to join hands to work to stop the calamities growing ever closer,
Open our eyes.

Although we demand the right to tell you what is good and what is bad,
Open our hearts to the truth.

Although we twist your truth
to justify the meanspiritedness or avarice or lust that motivates us today,
Fill us with the reality of the darkness we do.

Although we would grind you into insignificance,
Awaken us to the reality of your power.

Even though we stand proud against the universe
in what we think is our power,
Drop us to our knees.

Even though in our anger and our determination,
We use you as a tool to attack our enemies,
Teach us what you really want us to be.

O Lord, you are the fount of all mercy,
pull the scales from our eyes
that we see that dark is dark,
light is light,
truth is truth,
and that in that moment of reality,
we will be pulled into your loving arms,
never to depart again.

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Lord have mercy.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2006

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We Ask For Your Mercy 

O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer,
Son of the living God,
Ocean of Divine Mercy,
whose loving Heart is big enough to embrace the entire world
behold, we kneel before You and plead for your mercy.
Hear us as we ask for your mercy for this poor world,
for all the lost and weary souls who refuse to see
that only You will fill the aching in their souls.
We ask your mercy on all the young people
who are growing up in a world who will not acknowledge the good,
but that chooses to call good evil, and evil good.

We who love you would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Your holy name,
for all the injuries done to You in the Blessed Sacrament,
for all the irreverence shown toward Your immaculate Virgin Mother,
for all the lies and slanders spoken against Your spouse, the Church.

O Jesus, who has said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you,"
we pray and beg You to be with all who are in danger of sin;
May those who should know better but choose the wrong
find the way to your light..
For those who are wavering, shield them from every temptation to fall away;
save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss;
to all those who will hear your voice, give light and knowledge of the truth,
courage and strength for the conflict with evil,
perseverance in faith and active charity!

O Lord, you are our light.
In this dark time, may we stand forth,
witness of the light you long to shed to an aching mankind,
no matter the cost,
and know, that end the end, you have promised
to be with us, always.

Show us the way to go, and help us walk it,
This day, and always, Amen

Susan E. Stone, 2006

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Wednesday, November 03, 2004

You Have Given Us a Sign 

O Abba,
Our Father in Heaven,
Let your name be holy!
You have given to us a sign
that you have not forgotten us,
but that in your hands
is mercy
and the hope and peace that only come
from heaven.
Help us Lord,
to use this gift as you would have us do,
to shine your light into the darkness,
to see Jesus in those in need,
to work for the culture of life,
and to be a witness for you,
this day and always.

In the name of Jesus, Alleluia!

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

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Saturday, October 30, 2004

Forgive us, O Lord 

Forgive us, O Lord,
of all the times
that we have been part of the problem,
in choosing to turn our backs
to the needs of those you sent our way,
in choosing not to look into the eyes
of the poor,
the weary,
the lost
in choosing to pretend the anger
wasn't real,
the injustice wasn't done,
the truth wasn't twisted.

Help us, O Lord
to see with your eyes,
to hear with your ears,
to love with your heart.

O Heart of mercy,
big enough to embrace this whole
sinsick and weary world,
have mercy on us.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

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Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Jesus, Heart of Mercy 

O Jesus,
Heart of mercy able to embrace
the whole of this sin-sick world,
Today, Lord,
pour out your mercy
onto those who have forgotten how to pray
in their waywardness or confusion,
or who never learned.

Today Lord,
pour out your mercy
on those who have seen loved ones
ripped from them in hatred,
or accident,
or who patiently wait
for their dear ones who will never return.

Today, Lord,
pour out your mercy
onto those who belittle life,
who see it as an accident
with no meaning or purpose,
who would enslave and kill the unborn
for convenience,
for biosamples,
to make profit,
who would end the life
of the ill,
the handicapped,
those unable to defend themselves
sometimes in the name of mercy,
sometimes in the name of gain.

Today, Lord,
pour out your mercy
on those abandoned,
the poor,
the aged,
the young,
those of the wrong group
or color or faith,
and left bereft of friend or family.

Today, Lord,
use us who hear your words,
as hands to bandage the wounds,
as hearts to share the pain,
as people able to reach out and help.
In little ways and large,
help us to share your love,
help us to be the tools of your mercy,
the instruments of your peace
this day and always,
Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

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