Catholic Meditations

The night seems heavy, and long and so deep,
And I lay there just restless, unable to sleep,
And I lay there in darkness and watch the moonlight
It reminds me, in some way, of another dark night.

Moonlight that night among dark olive trees,
And one lonely Man praying hard, on His knees,
The sin of a world resting hard on His head,
Looking into the darkness that would soon see Him dead.

God With Us, He knelt, feeling the stones on His knees,
And the longing to be somewhere else, if you please,
And the chill of the air as He struggled and prayed,
Feeling so very alone, tired and troubled, afraid.

God With Us, He prays, giving the Father His all,
Working hard that long night there to answer the call,
Just how hard it can be -- O He knows how it feels,
Fast beating heart, taste of bile, head that reels.

God With Us, our Jesus, He tasted our night,
How heavy the dark with the midnight in sight.
But He made the path there that will open the way,
As He steps from the tomb on that glorious day.

God With Us still, Jesus, O Lord of my life,
You walk me through each and all sickness and strife,
Remind me that when the dark feels so deep,
That You are there with me, Your love does not sleep.

Susan E. Stone, 2007

Labels: Emmanuel, Passion of Christ

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

Labels: Discipleship, Emmanuel, Need for God

"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

Labels: Discipleship, Emmanuel, Jesus' Love

Walking through the shadows,
A valley dark and deep,
It's hard to see a safety zone,
A place where I might sleep,
And yet I know you're with me,
You are my only light
When shadows seem like midnight,
Your touch will give me sight.

Walking through the shadows,
I cannot see ahead,
I do not know the pitfalls,
But I know where I am led.
You call me now to follow,
And follow you I try,
O lift me when I stumble,
O hear me when I cry.

Walking through the shadows,
In a land that's dark with pain,
Scarred with the hand of Eve's wrong choice,
Scarred with the mark of Cain,
I think of how you loved enough
To walk our weary ways,
To taste our grief, to know our pain,
The dust of all our days.

Walking through the shadows
You felt the weight of sin -
One night in spring beneath the trees,
You took our darkness in,
Took it all the way to death,
And transformed the dark to light,
And called us all to follow you
To leave this angry night.

Walking in the shadows,
I am a pilgrim here,
And through your healing touch, O Lord,
I will not walk with fear,
For you are there beside me
To share this shadowed way,
And you will guide my steps at last
To the place night cannot stay.

Susan E. Stone, 2007

Labels: Discipleship, Emmanuel, In the Valley of the Shadow, Trust

A vision spoken long ago by prophets who did not live to see
The fruition of their message was fulfilled in love unbounded,
A gift of hope to lost Mankind to ease their hearts and set them free
As Creator entered creation and the angels' song resounded.

God-with-us, the prophets announced, would come
God-with-us, who would walk the very paths we take,
Who would feel our pains, aching, sharp and numb,
Who would know our griefs, the struggles that we make.

And look, their voices called out, an amazing thing to see:
The Master comes, born not as king, but lowly and ignored,
To reach the least among his flock, arms open lovingly,
One with the shepherdless people most dependent on their Lord.

And in this vision the prophets were shown the price he chose to pay
To lead his children from the dark to to the morning that will come
A price bought hard in sweat and blood, a gift often thrown away,
Yet freely made by loving heart to lead his lost ones home.

The vision is not ended, no, it burns within the breast
Of each soul answering the call to sit there at his feet,
The vision is our hope, our joy, our shelter and our rest,
The road to everlasting peace at our Lord's mercy seat.

Susan E. Stone, 2006

Labels: Emmanuel, Jesus' Love

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Matthew 9: 35-38 RSV

Compassion -- to suffer with.

O Lord,
Emmanuel,
God with Us,
Who suffers with us,
Who feels our griefs,
Who knows our pains,
Who gifts us with his heart's own blood,
That we might know
That he knows,
That he understands,
That he cares,
That he loves.

O God with Us,
who knows the taste of frustration,
who knows how it feels to be misunderstood,
who knows the pangs of hunger,
who understands fear,
and sickness,
and sorrow
and pain.

O Lord, our Shepherd,
Open our hearts that we too might hunger
to share that compassion,
that suffering with our fellow man,
knowing as we do we suffer with you,
knowing as we do your work, we work with you,
knowing that as we give, we give to you.

O Lord,
make us the tools in your hand,
turn us into the workmen in your field,
the laborers for your harvest,
as you will,
in the way you will,
this day, and always.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2006

Labels: Emmanuel, Jesus' Love, scripture

O Lord, Breaker of Bonds,
Emmanuel, God with Us,
O Jesus, you who call my name,
I hear your voice on the wind this night,
when daybreak seems so far away
and the shadows seem so heavy and close.

O Lord, Breaker of Bonds,
At times like these,
when the tempter comes to whisper
how little I am worth,
how flawed my life is,
thank you for your sweet voice that comes to remind me
how you chose to walk the long hard road
from Bethlehem to Golgotha to tell me that you care,
you who come to me as the Bridegroom
dressed in the thorns and welts and bruises and piercings
that are your wedding robe,
bearing the cross that set me free.

O Lord, Breaker of Bonds,
You who are the Bread of life,
You who feed me with your always living self,
how much you have given to show me
that although my strong right hand is not so strong,
your hand, scarred for love,
has broken apart the bonds of death,
that my will cannot save me from the blows of sin,
but that your grace is sufficient for all my needs,
that my friends, well meaning or not, all stumble,
but you are the one who will be with me at the very end,.
the ever living Word, there before the creation began
who comes to show me the truth that will not fail.

O Lord, Breaker of Bonds,
teach me to trust in your love and mercy,
this day and always,
Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2006

Labels: Emmanuel, Jesus' Love, Trust

Verbum
Word
Logos

That which was from the beginning
In the beginning was the Word
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made
And God said
By his breath the host of heaven

Word
Logos
Verbum

The Word that goes forth from God's mouth
We declare unto you the life, the eternal life which was with the Father
it shall not return to him empty.

Logos
Verbum
Word

The name he is called by is the Word of God

et Verbum erat apud Deum
And the Word was with God
Behold his glory
In him was life, and the life was the light of men
The only Begotten
et Deus erat Verbum
And the Word was God

And every knee shall bow

Verbum
Word
Logos

Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis.

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Advent Nativity Epiphany, Emmanuel, scripture

Presentation

Amazing how
such a small slip of a young woman,
glowing with the happiness
of being a joyful new mother
could contain in her arms
God
a baby nestled in swaddlings,
being presented to his true Father.

Amazing gift
from she who said yes,
giving us
over and over
the Son of her heart,
Asking each of us
to do whatever he tells us.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

Labels: Emmanuel, Mary

Jesus the Healer

Yours is the healing touch
that helps us rise from our bed,
sick with the fever
that sin always brings.

Yours is the soft word
that brings us back to our senses,
frees us from the bonds
that sin always brings.

Yours is the word of command
that calls us back from the tomb,
wrapped in the shroud of death
that sin always brings.

Lord, on this, and every day,
may I rise up
like she who was healed of her fever,
to do your bidding,
in your way,
now and forever.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

Labels: Emmanuel, Jesus' Love, Suffering

O Lord,
at times I feel so overwhelmed,
so much I want to do,
so much I ought to do,
so much I need to do
so little time.

Remind me of the days
when the crowds pressed you in
and you left before dawn,
or escaped in a boat
to have a little quiet
with your Father,
or of the days
you saw the people in their need
so many of them
and so few do to the work.

My beloved Master,
You who knows just how it feels,
send me the wisdom
to deal with my exasperations
and the patience to deal with the anger and irritation,
and how to deal with all that comes
by the light of your love.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2004

Labels: Emmanuel, Help Me O Lord

On the Nativity

Thank you Jesus,
for not coming to us in a palace,
waited on by servants,
pampered in cloth of gold
and surrounded by walls
to keep out those of us
not worthy to glimpse your perfection.

Thank you instead,
for coming to us poor but accessible,
laying in a cattle feeding box
for lack of a better bed,
in a hovel meant for animals,
where anyone could walk in
and see the miracle of
God taking on flesh.

Lord, teach us to value
what is really important -
As we celebrate the miracle of your birth,
and on this and every day of our lives.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2003

Labels: Advent Nativity Epiphany, Emmanuel

Dear Lord,
I thank you this day
for having been willing to suffer for me,
I thank you this day
for having sanctified suffering,
the gift I can offer back to You,
in grateful love.

You who know the sorrow and suffering
of carrying the worlds sins,
thank you for my sorrows,
that let me know how real
the sacrifice you made was.
Thank you for the pain
that lets me know how hard it was
to carry that cross,
to take the beating,
the curses,
the mockery.

Lord, let me never forget the reality of
what you went through
for the likes of me.

Lord, thank you for letting me
link my sufferings to you,
to have something to sacrifice up,
to have this that lets me remember
never to take you for granted,
and may it bring me ever closer to you.

Labels: Emmanuel, Passion of Christ, Suffering