Make me as a flower in sun and rain.
May I, as by nature, turn to follow You
In Your course throughout my life.
Let Your holy, healing waters penetrate my being,
As roots planted securely in Your Providential soil,
Drink of Your constant streams.
As it is Your nature to water and supply,
May I by Rebirth,
Unfurl my gowns to Solomon’s delight.By Joann Nelander
Tag Archives: My Journal
A King, A Victim, A Priest
A king,
A victim,
A priest,A king accused,
A victim scourged,
A priest condemned,A king crowned and robed,
A victim beaten and humiliated,
A priest on the altar of the Cross,O Anointed One,
O Crucified One,
O Holy One,
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done.
Eternal Priesthood won.by Joann Nelander
All You Have Given Me
I love You, Lord.
You embrace me
In our communion of Eucharist.
I believe in Your love for the sinner.
I am that sinner.
You come to me.
I am empty and poor,
Yet, You make my poverty Your paradise.
Here I bring to You
All You have given me.
Behold Your streaming waters
Tumbling over my rocky ground.
Your light penetrates my depths,
The caverns of my heart
Yield their darkness
To You, O Holy Sun!
Sit here beside me in the silence,
As praise becomes
An uncontainable river within me.
Flow from my humble abode
To water Your thirsting world without.
Delight, O Lord,
As the crashing thunder
Of majestic waves
Rise before You
In a crescendo of thanksgiving,
Finally pounding down
Upon the shore of my unworthiness.
They ebb and flow
And gather strength
As I remember Your Mercies.
All You have given me,
I receive now in humble gratitude.
By Joann Nelander
The River Whose Streams Gladden the City of God
Image by hickory hardscrabble via Flickr
From a sermon On Pastors by Saint Augustine, bishop:
The river of God is brimming with water. You have provided their food, for this is your way of preparing them. There can be no doubt about the river referred to, for the prophet says: There is a river whose streams gladden the city of God; and in the gospel the Lord himself says: Streams of living water welling up to eternal life will flow from the heart of anyone who drinks the water I shall give him. He was speaking of the Holy Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive. The river of God is brimming with water; that is to say, we are inundated by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and from that fountain of life the river of God pours into us in full flood.
We also have food prepared for us. And who is this food? It is he in whom we are prepared for life with God, for by receiving his holy body we receive a place in the communion of his holy body. This is what is meant by the words of the psalm: You have provided their food, for this is your way of preparing them. For as well as refreshing us now, that food also prepares us for the life to come.
We who have been reborn through the sacrament of baptism experience intense joy when we feel within us the first stirrings of the Holy Spirit. We begin to have an insight into the mysteries of faith, we are able to prophesy and to speak with wisdom. We become steadfast in hope and receive the gift of healing. Demons are made subject to our authority. These gifts enter us like a gentle rain, and once having done so, little by little, they bring forth fruit in abundance.
Preparing to Adore – All the While Adoring
Our Lady of Solitude Chapel, Tonopah, AZ – a work in progress.
In Adoration Waiting
You are before me, Bright Light.
The Darkness without shouts,
But I gaze heavenward.
My eyes rest upon You, Lamb of God
In Your rest upon the Altar of Your repose.
Having conquered all by Your Cross and sacrificial Death,
You spread Your mantle over the centuries
Till Your glorious Coming.
I see You enthroned on the altar
and offer You the throne and altar of my heart
Here You are enshined in my life, now hidden in Your’s.
The Darkness without lies and denies You,
But the Spirit within gives witness,
That dispels all blindness,
Preparing me to do battle in this stillness.
“Stand still and know the I Am God.”
By Joann Nelander
Be Holy! 