Tag Archives: Faith
Mary the Dawn, Christ the Perfect Day;Onesimus
Lord make this useless beggar useful.
Like the returning Prodigal
Nothing recommends me,
And everyone but You
Condemns me,
For my rags declare my misery.
You see me
But You do not turn away.
You rush to my side,
And embrace the little one
Who wanders from Your side.
I am to You
The lost and longed for
Child of Your Heart.
My provident possibility
Is all but destiny
Awaiting my “Amen”.
You draw the bath Yourself.
You allow Your angels the joy
Of tending to my wounds.
They touch me in consolation
As they once ministered strength
To You in the garden,
For they beheld me then in Your Holy Agony.
I am the child of Your sorrow
And Your glory.
Wash me and lovingly dress me
In Your robes of holiness and light.
You are creating me even now
While You gaze on me
For I am all “Yes”.
Your kindness and Your gentleness
Convince me beyond doubt.
I yield to You my sinfulness.
Every moment in Your Presence is gracefilled.
I have but to stretch out my hand
That You might place Your ring on my finger,
Put forth my feet to see them shod for
The journey to Your house.
I walk now in Your Kingdom,
For Your Presence makes light my steps
And sure the Way.
In Your embrace I find that I can dance merrily,
For the mysterious steps
Seem to come quite naturally
As long as I follow Your gentle persuasions.
Dance on my Father,
My Friend, my King, my All.
In Your arms I have found myself.
I have become Onesimus.”
Excerpt From: by Joann Salerno Nelander. “Into the Stillness.” Blurb. iBooks. This material protected by copyright.
Joann Nelander
lionessblog.com
This Day For God
Father, I thank you for this day, this holy day.
As I rise from sleep, may my soul arise,
Leaving sin to seek Your face.
As I wash in preparation for new day,
I recall my Baptism.
And the cleansing River of Life
That flowed from the side of my Redeemer.
As I clothe my body,
I remember the dignity of Christ
And the Name by which He calls me.
I am clothed in the robes of a priest
To sacrifice with Jesus in my day.
The words of a prophet
Live on my lips,
Ready to give an account
Of my hope and joy.
The Kings of Kings
Proclaims me a king,
By the power of His throne in heaven,
He rules in my life,
And the lives my life touches,
Through all generations.
Through my prayer of faith,
Covered in humility,
Born of the Blood of Christ,
Angels minister to the People of God.
Grace bringing peace, protection, strength and provision.
I proclaim my “Amen”
To His Will
And His prayer,
“Father, forgive them.”
Go before me, Lord.
Walk with me, Lord.
Be my rearguard,
Precious Savior, Warrior King!
You, Who live in me,
Suffer in my flesh
That which is to be
In this hour on Your Cross.
You are “more than a conqueror”
As You bring about Your kingdom,
In this day.
O, Love sublime,
My life is Thine.
By Joann Nelander
Prayers Forever Answered
Image via Wikipedia
Saints have prayed prayers,
Prayers hanging over Time,
Still being answered:
“God protect Your Church.”
“God spare Your People.”
“God forgive Sin.”
“God make holy.”
“God preserve and enlighten.”
Prayers that never end,
Prayers forever answered.
by Joann Nelander
On Eucharist
Reflection on St. Augustine’s, “I seemed to hear your voice from on high: ‘I am the food of the mature: grow, then, and you shall eat me. You will not change me into yourself like bodily food; but you will be changed into me’.”
On Eucharist
O Christ, I receive Thee
That I might become Thee.
I desire to be as You would have me,
To be, Christ, living Your Life,
In the time and place and space
That is me,
Soul and matter one,
And wed to my All Holy Three.Come, O come to me, My Christ.
My blind eyes see but bread.
Hope lights my darkness.
Faith assures me
Of what I can not now behold.You are the food,
That transforms my being
To Your Being,
Though the steps and stages
Be but measured.
You respect my frailty,
Adding strength upon strength,
That the common might be wed
To the Magnificent
Without my dissolution..Only in union can I live
“Thy Will be done,”
As You, the Son.
Grow me, grace me,
That I might become mature.
Sanctify this soul
So unlike Your own,
That free of Sin.
I be as the moon to You, O Sun.I want to become,
To be of You,
And by You completely transformed.
I pray that Your Holy Spirit
Conform me to the Will of the Father,
That I may answer
As Mother Mary, “Fiat.”.In Fire’s purifying ardor
Remove my dross.
Make me malleable.
Impress Yourself on me.
Ready me, as melted wax,
That I may receive the image,
That You conceived for me.
That with all my being,
I may spend myself totally
On the Father’s All Holy Will,
Answering with the voice of Christ
One great “Amen.”As a desert penitent
May I shed my tears for Your cause in me,
And in the world of souls,
For whom You shed Your blood.
May I complete my time on this earth
Running the race with You as my Way.Although I am all effort,
And that pleases You,
A thousand efforts
Do not make the slightest grace.
So grace me, Beloved,
That the Father will delight
To see His Only Son in me.More than a Conqueror,
You become my very being.
May I live my life in Your Life.
Come, O Eucharist,
O, Sanctifier of my soul.By Joann Nelander
Entombment
Mortal life of substance,
And ethereal,
As the matter of soul,
You are far spent,
In this night of human life,
That passes in a blink
Of the eye of God.
I have pulled you,
Limb from limb,
Not as the Savior’s travail
Upon the Cross,
But by sinning,
Brought death to my members.
I am dislocated,
In body and Time,
Knowing neither peace,
Nor the plenty
Of sweet communion,
The passages of Death
And the Lies,
Rising from the Pit,
And told to Man,
Threaten the life
Of God in me,
You, O mind and body,
Have been taken prisoner,
By the gods
I chose to serve.
Mercy speaks
Light to my darkness
And Grace
To my repentant will,
Love never ceases
Watching and waiting.
Mercy, I call to You,
You, Who call me forth,
And deliver me.
I turn my thoughts and pray
To the Fount of my being.
As a babe,
I return,
And from New Womb,
By faith believing,
I choose rebirth,
And am reborn.
My grave is a baptism
That reconnects my spirit
To my God..
Breath, bones and sinews
Sing a new song
Born of my Savior’s Grave.
Copyright 2014 Joann Nelander
Joann Nelander
lionessblog.com
Be Holy! 