Catholic Meditations

In the vale we find ourselves, a place of shadow,
this place we live, this valley of tears,
the land where we stumble alone in the desert,
crying out in our loss and our hurt and our fears
how often we look for refuge, help and hope,
amid all the darkness of a sinful land,
bare, sere, and angry this place we live,
a burnt land of shard and rock and sand.

Whisper her name when the moment seems heavy,
Whisper her name when the darkness is deep,
Know that she hears and will be there to help you,
When the pain stabs your heart and your mind cannot sleep.
O pray for us now, Theotokos, our Mother,
O pray for us now in our grief and our tears,
Maria, O Mary, O Mother of Mercy,
Be with us now, and when our death nears.

Susan E. Stone, 2007

Labels: Help, Mary, Mother of Consolation

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

Labels: Discipleship, Help

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

Labels: Help, Mary, Mother of Consolation, Mother of Sorrows

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

Labels: Divine Mercy, Help, Trust

O Mother of Sorrows, well acquainted with tears,
Who knows what a grief it is when one soul dies
because of the violence of another,
to thee we cry, O Mother of mercy,
who feels the sorrow of the loss when one life is twisted
for the gain of another,
when the word that leads a soul to sin
is spoken by another,
when one life is taken in expdiency for the comfort of another.

To Thee to we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping,
O Mater Dolorosa,
You who stood at the foot of the cross
and watched what your Son was willing to suffer
for each of these hurt and broken and cast-off lives,
lives betrayed,
lives wrecke by the wages of sin.

O Sorrowful Mother, Help of Christians,
Teach us to join our tears with yours,
here at the foot of the cross,
our heartache with yours,
our compassion and our prayers with yours,
learning as you taught, "to do whatever He tells you to,"
to say with you, "Be it done to me according to Your word,"
until we may learn to see the world as your Son would have us see it,
to see each soul as a child of the Father,
to become the tool in His hand open to the call of mercy.
and may we spread his message by our lives, ours hearts, and our lips,
for the glory of His name.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
Pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our deaths, Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2006

Labels: Help, Mary, Mother of Sorrows, Passion of Christ

O Mother of Consolation,
who understands the shape of our tears,
each round drop,
like a minature world holding our grief,
sorrow,
hurt,
anger.

O Mother of Consolation,
who has drank so deeply of the well of sorrow,
listen to the aching of our hearts,
the hearts torn by sin,
ours or others,
hot pain at the sudden death
that can rain out of the sky unearned and unseen,
the loneliest grief,
shut up in a room that even in bright sunlight
seems to have no windows,
the wracking pain of a hard death,
the knowledge of wrong done that haunts
and refuses to go away,
the helplessness of watching a child die
and all the other pains and griefs and sorrows
we pour into your lap.

O Mother of Consolation,
Pray for us
when we are lost in our darkness,
blinded by our pain,
tormented by what we have done
or what was done to us,
and turn to you,
whom we know has plunged
into the very depths of grief and loss,
you, who in your mercy,
has never left anyone unaided.

Remember those especially
who are so wrapped up in their pain
and the events which overwhelm them
that they do not know who to turn to,
that they do not know who will aid them,
but cry out with their wounded hearts,
"Help me!"

O Mother of Consolation,
Ask your dear Son to forgive us
for all those times when the greed of our hearts,
the desire of our minds,
the grasping of our hands
causes that pain,
and ask Him to give us hearts like his, like yours,
filled with love even when
the darkness seems overwhelming.

O Mother of our Lord,
thank you for loving,
for being our mother,
for always saying yes to God,
for being with us in our miseries.

O Mother of Consolation,
Mother of the word incarnate,
pray for us now,
and at the hour of our deaths, Amen..

Susan E. Stone, 2006

Labels: Help, Mary, Mother of Consolation, Suffering

O Lord,
there are times,
after the storm,
the bomb,
the earthquake,
the sickness,
the accident,
the crime
people shake their fists and say,
"If you loved us, how could you do this to us,
put us in a world where terror happens,
put us in a world where disaster rips out our hearts,
put us in a world where sickness steals our love,
the evil that men do empties our lives?"

How we long to blame when hurt,
how we long to kill the very thing
which stole our joy, our lives, our security,
and yet, how does one take revenge
on the shaking earth,
or sue the storm,
or arrest the plague?

Help us, God,
you, who have also been through the grieving process
as the Son,
betrayed, beaten, murdered,
the Son who saw friends and loved ones die,
who knew all those things
life brings that makes us want to rage,
strike out,
hit back.

O God, you the Father,
who saw what this world did to your son,
who saw the rejection,
who saw the murder,
and yet, for love refused to strike.

O God, you the Spirit,
you who moved upon the face of the deep,
you who quickened and brought life,
who filled the hearts of those who would listen,
how often did you see the message rejected,
the concept misunderstood,
the word twisted into personal agendas,
and yet you keep breathing your word of hope and love
even in the midst of sorrow and anguish, and despair.

O Lord, you know our pain!
How often have your arms wrapped around us,
when we, like Job,
beat our anger against your chest,
in our frustration,
our grief,
our fear,
our loss,
until at last, with anger spent,
those of us who will listen to your soft voice
come to see that we do not have the answers,
except that the world turns,
and the sun rises,
and we are much smaller than the universe,
and we are not God.


O Lord,
in our smallness and anger and grief,
remind us that you have given us the gift to grow,
and to choose,
and to accept or reject.

Help us choose the light,
even when it hurts and blinds our eyes.
Help us choose to grow,
even when the growth comes after great pain.
Help us choose to love.


Susan E. Stone, 2006

Labels: Help, Job, Need for God

Lord, giver of life,
our healer,
our hope,
our Mercy that prevails
even as the world grows more ruthless,
as we watch the storm clouds gather and thicken,
remember us who call you Master,
and help us who love you
to shed your light,
this day, and always.

Amen

Susan E. Stone, 2006

Labels: Help, Need for God, Prayer for Mercy

Lord,
sometimes it seems we are walking with Job,
sitting down, scraping our sores
in the misery of overwhelming events and sorrows.
Help us, Lord,
when we need to scream
and to rant
and to beat our fist against the wall,
our heads against the floor,
and the dawn seems too far away to wait.
O Lord,
it is at that moment, I pray,
that you will wrap your loving arms around us,
cover us with your wings,
hold us tight as we sob,
or scream
or beat our hands against your embrace,
and when we catch our breaths,
realize
that the wood of your cross is not smooth,
that the weight is heavy,
and the road is hard,
but by following you through the dark of that sad day,
by knowing that this hard road is our link to your passion,
like you, we will come at last into the rest and peace you have promised us.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help, Job, Need for God

O Lord,
in an era where life is hard
for any man who desires to follow your way,
to care for his family,
to earn his living,
to walk upright,
be with our husbands,
fathers,
brothers,
friends.

In an age
where many sabotage
the good man who follows in your way,
we fall on our knees
and ask you to send them all the aid necessary.

In an era
where many want to make men who follow your way
feel small,
and worthless,
and treat them as oppressors,
We ask your help, O Lord,
to let these men in our lives,
find their way
in spite of the problems and pitfalls set.

In an age
where models are few
of the right way,
and temptations are everywhere,
and approval is missing too often,
give our men your aid, O Lord,
that they can be beacons shining,
and so witness your path
whereever they go.

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help

Walking With Job, verson 2

O Lord,
there are times,
after the storm,
the bomb,
the earthquake,
the sickness,
the accident,
the crime
people shake their fists
and say,
"If you loved us,
how could you do this to us,
put us in a world
where terror happens,
put us in a world
where disaster
rips out our hearts,
put us in a world
where sickness steals our love,
the evil that men do
empties our lives?"

How we long to blame
when hurt,
how we long to kill
the very thing
which stole our joy,
our lives,
our security,
and yet,
how does one take revenge
on the shaking earth,
or sue the storm,
or arrest the plague?

Help us, God,
you, who have also been through
the grieving process,
as the Son, betrayed,
beaten,
murdered,
the Son who saw friends and loved ones die,
who knew all those things
life brings that makes us want to rage,
strike out,
hit back.
O God, you the Father,
who saw what this world did to your son,
who saw the rejection,
who saw the murder,
and yet,
for love refused to strike.
O God, you the Spirit,
you who moved upon the face of the deep,
you who quickened and brought life,
who filled the hearts of those who would listen,
how often did you see
the message rejected,
the concept misunderstood,
the word twisted into personal agendas,
and yet you keep breathing your word
of hope and love
even in the midst of sorrow
and anguish,
and despair.

O Lord, you know our pain!
How often have your arms wrapped around us,
when we, like Job,
beat our anger against your chest,
in our frustration,
our grief,
our fear,
our loss,
until at last,
anger spent,
those of us who will listen
to your soft voice
come to see
that we do not have the answers,
except that the world turns,
and the sun rises,
and we are much smaller than the universe,
and we are not God.


O Lord,
in our smallness,
and anger,
and grief,
remind us that
You have given us the gift to grow,
and to choose,
and to accept or reject.
Help us choose the light,
even when it hurts, and blinds our eyes.
Help us choose to grow,
even when the growth comes after great pain.
Help us choose to love

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5: 10-12


O my Jesus,
how clear it becomes that the world does not know you,
does not love you,
does not want you,
Nor does it want we who follow you
to remind them of what they have rejected.

And yet, O my Jesus,
In in you is life, and the life is the light of men.
You are the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,
although how mightily it strives,
with anger and rage and seduction and masquerade,
trying to make you into just a little god,
powerless to renew.

But Jesus,
We know you are our Emmanuel,
God with us,
the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.
Help us not to be amazed
when we see how much the world hates us for loving you,
for the world rejected you,
rejects you,
and tries to kill the light you shed upon the earth.

Help us, those who follow you,
those who taste the lash of persecution
in large ways and in little,
who see the hatred of men who despise them
for walking in your way,
who see the hatred of men who despise them
for not helping them cover up
the truth of your light with excuses and explanations,
help us when we see those trying to filter your light
so it doesn't blind them with the truth of their wrong,
who would still your message so they could rejoice in their sins,
who would still your light so they could live in the dark.

Lord, help each and everyone who loves you
to stand firm,
to be a lantern filled with your light,
a lighthouse in the storm,
a city on the hill, impossible to hide,
salt to preserve,
leaven to make life filled with the possibilities of heaven.

May those whose lives we touch see how good your light is,
how heavy the darkness,
and how sweet is our home with you,
this day, and always, Amen.


Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help

In our hour of weakness, Lord,
soften our hearts,
pierce through our anger
and tears
and self-righteousness
and guilt
and fear,
that we may lift our eyes
to that hill
where comes our help,
to that place,
where weakened and bleeding
and walking through your own shadow of the valley of death,
you bought life for all of us
who will answer your call.

Lord,
be this day with those of us who are facing
the death of all we have loved,
as we  paw through the rubble of our lives
with bleeding hands,
searching in grief and sadness.
Open the doors we need,
and in our unconsolable moment,
hold us tight
in the palm of your hand.

And may those of us this day
blessed not to be suffering under the burden of crisis,
hear your call
to be your hands, and feet, and voice
and respond as you would have us do.

Amen.

Labels: Help

O Lord,
how small we seem
in the face of the storm,
how puny the works we think
are so mighty,
how insignificant
the things we cherish,
when,
in the blink of an eye,
in the washing of a wave,
in the blowing of the wind
they can be taken away
so quickly.
O Lord, you warned us
where our treasure should be,
not in things that shatter in the storm,
but in that which will never perish.

Help me remember, O Lord,
the things that truly matter:
to walk humbly with you,
to love mercy,
to act justly,
to know that whoever is in need
is my neighbor, my brother.

Teach me to see with your eyes,
and love with your heart,
this day, and always.
Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help

O Lord,
there are times
when the darkness seems so deep,
and the way so heavy,
and the cross you have given us to bear
rubs hard against our shoulders.

When the darkness is at its deepest,
be our strength.
Be our light when we see no way out.
Be our hope when the hope we expect
dries up in our worries and our griefs.

When the darkness takes our voices away,
let our silence come to you,
more poignant and deep than any words,
and fill our spirit
with your words.

And in the end, Lord,
help us stay upon that path
until the dawn comes,
and we see your smiling face
and your outstretched hand
there to bring us home.

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help

Why here, God? Why not over there?
as you tug on my life,
shatter my illusions,
reform my expectations, desires, concepts,
opening one door,
closing another
as you move me along to where you want to be.

Sometimes, Lord,
I am confused.
Help me to accept the road you would have me take,
the place where you want to use me,
and give me the wisdom to see
and the grace to accept
the path you are opening before me.

Block my attempts to go elsewhere,
for I am stubborn
and tug at the leash,
filled with ideas of nice things that could be,
but are obviously not what you want me to do
nor where you are leading me.

Fill my heart with that humility
that says, like Mary,
be it done to me
according to your word,
and that acceptance that joins Jesus in saying,
not my will, but yours.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help

Lord,
You hold us all in the palm of your hand,
through the good times,
when we sometimes forget you're even there,
in our joy, and in our excitement,
and build the illusion
that we are self-sufficient.
You are there
through the bad times,
when we cry out for you,
like a child for its mother,
through the darkness and our fear,
and the sudden knowledge
that we are not the center of our universe,
not the captains of our fate,
not the ones in control.

Help us always to feel your loving touch,
to be aware how you share our sorrows,
celebrate our joys,
weep with us in our fear and dismay.

Let us learn to discern you,
that soft quiet witness,
in joy,
in sorrow,
in grief
and in celebration.

Fill our hearts with the grateful realization
that you care for us enough
to be there,
to share with us,
to participate in our lives,
so much so,
you walked the dusty roads,
laughed with us
wept with us
ate with us
suffered for us
died for us
so that you could bring us home to be with you.

Let us grow in the humility
that can say,
Thank you Lord,
this day, and always.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help

Ashes


Sometimes like ashes, Lord,
the words I want to say
dry up,
blow away in the dust,
and I am left here,
speechless,
yet longing to cry out,
to say help me
to say teach me
to cry out for mercy
to give you my gratitude.

O Lord,
I know you ever keep me in the palm of your hands -
in the dust of my silence,
I offer you the ashes,
and know that this too
is your gift.

Amen.

Susan E. Stone, 2005

Labels: Help