H/T Barb of Suffering With Joy
Matt 28:20 I Am With You Always
I woke up with God today.
He was with me,
And I smiled.I am smiling still,
For in His Presence,
I seem to glow,
On the inside, of course.I hug Christ to me, all gratitude.
Being flighty like a bird,
Anxious to take to wing,
Precisely, because my spirit soars,
I count the grace of moment, a treasure,
and tuck it ‘neath my pinions.Once aloft on wings of love,
I may be distracted,
Attracted by His good creation,
Or attacked by jealous gods,
Envying His majesty,
And hating His Intimacy
With so lowly a creature.My God, thank You,
For this favor in Time,
That I may be refreshed,
And readied for Eternity,
Where I shall never
Lose sight of You.Steel me, O Immanuel.
Sharpen my vision,
To see You with me always,
In Your hidden Presence
Within my soul.©2011 Joann Nelander All rights reserved
I have known the healing of God.
Christ is alive!
We are the extension of Christ
Beyond His Death,
Christ to the world, Immanuel.The days after the Resurrection,
The Church was living
That which they would one day write – Good News!
The nascent Church would tell
The story throughout the centuries.
No myth – reality!
Sinking in, and living again
In the people called by His name.In some-the truth of the Truth of the Resurrection
Would take hold more slowly-
Like those visited over the course of the 50 days
Between the Resurrection and the commission
To go out to all the world and tell.In some- the truth of the Truth of the Resurrection
Would seize them, immediately,
Like the Magdalene.
Jesus said no more than, “Mary.”
Has He called your name?The Spirit was given by Jesus,
Not as an afterthought or a symbol,
But, as a necessity, God with us!The Church would not be led by whim
Or compromise with the world,
But by God. the Spirit,
Remaining with it throughout Time,
Equipping it for Eternity, one day at a time.What matter can survive Time and dissolution?
Only that, which is raised from the dead.
“All creation waits on tip toe,
For the revelation of the sons of God.”We are made for eternity,
Though formed in time.
Only in Christ is matter made Eternal,
Though changed by the Divine,
To take the leap into the holy,
The wholly healed, and resurrected,
Conquering death in one All Holy Name.This is Easter, the Day God has made,
And Christ is this New Day,
The Dayspring of God,
Sprung forth from the Tomb,
Setting captives free,
A new beginning for Adam and Eve.©2011 Joann Nelander All rights reserved
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“…In synthesis, the Lenten journey, in which we are invited to contemplate the Mystery of the Cross, is meant to reproduce within us ‘the pattern of His death’ (Ph 3:10), so as to effect a deep conversion in our lives; that we may be transformed by the action of the Holy Spirit, like St. Paul on the road to Damascus; that we may firmly orient our existence according to the Will of God; that we may be freed of our egoism, overcoming the instinct to dominate others and opening us to the Love of Christ. The Lenten period is a favorable time to recognize our weakness and to accept, through a sincere inventory of our life, the renewing Grace of the Sacrament of Penance, and walk resolutely towards Christ….”
(Pope Benedict XVI, 2011 Lenten Message, Nov. 4, 2010)
Lamenting, I quit my case.
Sorrowing, my complaints lie with me
In dust and ashes.
The plaintiff has become defendant.I rest the case I brought against You.
What have I proven?
That I never knew You?
That I never sought You?Counterfeits sufficed to fill my belly.
There was always another dream on the horizon.
Tomorrows pretended to satisfy my emptiness.
The chase was the gambit that became the game.Before You showed me mercy,
You showed me Me
Not the Me of mirrors, but the Me of my heart,
That shrunken pigmy of diminishing proportion.Among Men, there is no forgiveness like Yours.
If judged by Men, I would be meted punishment
By the self-righteously righteous,
While the unrighteous, would applaud my vice and welcome me at the hearth,
No forgiveness necessary, where sin is no sin.As gift, the clarity of Day, dawned suddenly,
You appeared with Light as Your garment,
In Your Light I was all Darkness,
Pretense dissipated as Your Sun rose.The world appeared not as a prize but as a wonder.
Nature didn’t dictate; it served.
The heart of mothers where turned back to their children.
And You reigned as King.I would have fainted away,
Had not the Good Thief stood by Your side.
He smiled my way,
Eyes twinkling at the memory of his meeting You upon Your Cross.
Assurances asked, assurances given.
Simple eternal words.Coming full circle, I rest upon Your arm,
You lift up my head and incline to comfort me.
Mercy smiles on my repentant heart,
And plans for me a future full of hope.You Who laid the foundation of the Earth,
Plot a course for me through the Wilderness of the world.
My pilgrimage from sin to saint
Leads through Two Hearts bound by a Mystery uniting Heaven and Earth.Birthed anew in Baptism,
Restored again in Reconciliation,
Your grace acts on me, Your grace acts in me.
All grace that waited upon my willing.My will is now that of a child.
I follow at Your side, learning Your ways.
Your Words are my food and my fullness.
Heaven is no longer an empty dream, but a Promise.
From You lips on the Cross, piercing my heart.“Father forgive them.
They know not what they do.”Copyright Joann Nelander © 2011 All rights reserved.
| Lorica of Saint PatrickI arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through a belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation. I arise today I arise today I arise today I arise today |
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I summon today all these powers between me and evil, Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, I arise today St. Patrick (ca. 377) |
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Read more:http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/patrick.htm#ixzz2NpJncWwz
Be Holy! 