Catholic Meditations

Today, O Lord,
You must be my hope,
for my heart is dark with grief,
and my joy shadowed with sorrow,
and my thoughts are heavy
and my eyes are stung with tears.
When I have no earthly hope to lift me up,
no easy light to brighten me,
I know that my true hope
lies there in your heart,
pulsating with a love I cannot begin to fathom,
guarded from all ills.

Today, O Lord,
You must be my light,
for my world reeks of grayness and salt,
heavy clouds that hide the beauty,
fog that shrouds the heart.
I walk in the darkness,
eyes blinded,
Yet in simple trust, I know
that my true light lies there in your heart,
A burning beacon that can pierce through the deepest dark,
giving sight to the blind
bringing the unexpected dawn.

Susan E. Stone, 2007

Labels: Need for God, Trust

Today, Lord,
how small and weak I seem,
lost in my petty griefs and pains,
incapable,
weak,
sad.

O Lord,
refresh my heart
in the knowledge
that no matter how gray the world feels,
you are with me.

Remind me it is not my strength that matters,
but the firm hand you steady me with,
the strength you have
to use my weakness as your tool.

Touch me with that certainty
that it is not my joy that counts,
but the joy you whisper into my heart.

In my weakness, let me be your tool,
this day and always,
Amen

Susan E. Stone, 2007

Labels: Discipleship, Trust

How do we walk, O Lord, when we see the darkness falling?
How do we stand, O Lord, when the winds are blowing long?
How do we pray, O Lord, when shouts are growing louder?
How do we love, O Lord, when the evil seems so strong?

Let me recall that night You prayed there in the garden,
All alone with grief, of knowing what would be,
How heavy was the weight of sin upon your shoulders,
How your heart longed to leave, but you chose to set us free.
You let them take you there, you chose to walk the darkness,
You let them take you there, and let the Father be your light
You let Him guide your steps, in pain and blood and sorrow,
You stepped out in the dark, and let the Father be your sight.

O teach me Lord, to trust, when darkness is around me,
O help me walk in faith when I cannot see my way,
O let me know that You will guide me where You want me
O help me trust You, Lord, to lead me into day.


O let me remember, Lord, how you stood there next to Pilate,
Marked there with blood and dirt, a crown of twisted thorn,
Marked with the harsh whip's stripes you bore to heal the broken,
Prepared to bear your cross, our salvation being born.
You let them mock you there, as you listened to their howlings,
You let them call you fool to bring us through Death's night.
You took their blows and words, an offering to the Father,
In grief and pain and blood, you brought the world to light.

O teach me Lord, to give when others seek to stop me,
O help me stand in faith when they try to block my way,
O let me know that You will guide me where You want me
O help me trust You, Lord, to lead me into day.

Let me remember how they nailed you to the crossbeam,
And raised your body up between the earth and sky
And then you looked at those who chose to take your life there,
And prayed forgiveness on the ones who made you die.
You let them take your life, you gave it to the Father,
A sacrifice in love, to open up the way
No cursing passed your lips as your blood dripped out in offering,
But words of blessing there were what you had to say.

O teach me Lord your words when others try to harm me,
O help me stand in faith and remember how to pray,
O let me know that You will guide me where You want me
O help me trust You, Lord, to lead me into day.

You were the sacrifice that opened wide God's mercy,
The weight of sin you bore to free us from our plight
Emmanuel, you came, Creator to creation
And went down into death to lead us into light.
The face of love is yours, no other is as perfect,
You put your hand in ours to show us how to be,
And if we take your hand, you will guide us to tomorrow,
Refined, transformed and white, in loving purity.

O teach me Lord, to love, when loving is not easy,
O help me stand in faith when death draws near to stay,
O let me know that You will guide me where You want me
O help me trust You, Lord, to lead me into day.


Susan E. Stone, 2007

Labels: Discipleship, Passion of Christ, Trust

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

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

There in the Valley of the Shadow of Death,
Where God takes us to learn about who gives us breath
Each step that we take may seem heavy with threat
As we face then the truths we would rather forget.

It does not matter if we laugh or weep,
Be in pain or shock or fear or sleep,
Eternity hovers but a moment away
To walk with us into that unending day.

We think that so often we stand in the sun,
Yet through that dark valley our footsteps did run.
Someone was there one moment and not the next,
This frailty of mankind is an ancient text.

Yet Valley of the Shadow, when I'm in your way,
I chose not fear you by night or by day,
Ambush or pain or dark uncertainty
Shall not hide the gift of light by which I see.

My Shepherd he leads me by day and by night
Through the darkness of death to his glorious sight -
In his hand is the peace that makes no worldly sense
When the shadows of midnight grow dark and dense.

If trembling I wait there between death and life,
Doubled over in pain cutting hard like a knife,
He still is my comfort and lets my heart see
I am in his hands whatever will be.

Valley of the Shadow, you are but a gate,
Doorway to tomorrow, all humankind's fate.
My final hope lies beyond your shadowed door,
Where I will dwell in my Lord's house forever more.

Susan E. Stone, 2006

Labels: In the Valley of the Shadow, Praise and Thanksgiving, Trust

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

Lord,
It is hard to face that dark reality
that our life is limited,
and one day, easy or hard,
we will return to you.

And yet, even seeing the outcome,
you bless us with the desire to carry on,
and give us hope,
for you are our healer,
our light,
our salvation,
who has pity for our sorrows,
and care for all our ills.

Lord, today, we especially recommend to you our sister(brother) (name),
who is looking down that hard road.
Be with her (him), and if you will, let her(his) body be healed.
Give her(him) and her(his) family the strength they need,
and smooth their way in the face of all obstacles,
and fill them with that peace that only comes from you.

Lord, you are our light, our life and our salvation. To whom else should we turn?

Amen.

Labels: Help Me O Lord, Need for God, Trust

O Valley of the Shadow of Death
where we face the ultimate reality
of how frail our life is,
how near eternity is
at any minute,
coming in pain or shock or fear or sleep,
suddenly there one moment
and not the next,
we think so often we stand in the sun
when we are walking down your narrow path.

O Valley of the Shadow of Death,
in your dark paths,
I shall not fear --
neither ambush,
nor pain,
nor uncertainty,
for the light hidden in you is so bright
there are no words.
He is with me,
My shepherd,
my Lord,
my God
even as I lay trembling
waiting to know if my tomorrow will come.
In his hand is the peace
that makes no sense,
but is sense indeed,
and when the pain and confusion come,
and I do not know what is next,
he comforts me.

Valley of the Shadow of Death,
Gateway into tomorrow,
Doorway,
I will not fear you,
for you open to me my final hope.
May I dwell in the house of my Lord forever,
Amen.


Susan E. Stone, 2006

Labels: In the Valley of the Shadow, Praise and Thanksgiving, Trust

Fortunate are those who are like the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to them...

Lord, you hold everything in your hands,
and yet I think from time to time
that it is I who am in charge,
I who have to power to direct and control my destiny,
I who have the strength to get to where I want to be.

Those who depend on you,
although they may have little
have the greatest riches in the world,
for they have you.

Lord, I know that these veils
of self-sufficiency are just illusions.
It is by your strength that I am strong,
by your might that I have power,
by your love that I can love others.

May I always long to go where you want me.

Susan E. Stone © 2003

Labels: Discipleship, scripture, Trust