Standing Before You My God

                “My Lord, My God, my love, how I long to see You face to face yet how I fear to see You face to face. My love for You wells up and pours out of me like a fountain creating a stream that flows to You and draws me closer and closer to You. I can’t help myself; I must follow this stream, caught in this current of love to Your heart. Yet at the thought of actually seeing You standing in front of me, I tremble and bow my head and can’t find the courage to look up into Your eyes.

“I feel Your hand on my cheek and under my chin, gently lifting my face to Yours. I hear Your kind sweet voice saying, “My child, how I have longed for this moment as well.” “But Lord,” I cry, tears blurring my eyes and a lump choking my throat, “I am not worthy to stand here. I have failed You in so many ways.” You answer, “Yes, but every time, you turned back to me acknowledging your transgression and seeking my help and grace. Open your eyes my child, your faith has healed you.”

Distractions

                “Oh dear Lord, I am plagued with distractions. Why do I allow myself to be so easily distracted? My mind wanders in thought, sometimes focused yet other times, chaotically bouncing from one thing to the next. My time here on earth is so short when one considers all history behind this moment and all eternity from here on out. Since I am only here on earth for so short a time, I need to focus my mind on the things that will help prepare me for eternity with You. There are many things here on earth now that are just passing fancies. They pass through pleasantly like a mild breeze on a warm day, but they just pass through and then are gone. The same goes for things that disturb me and my peace. They also just pass through and then are gone. I need to remember this and make the most out of every experience I have and in every person I meet and not cling to the thoughts of things past and of possible future events. The things You send me are in the here and now and help to shape me.

                “Help me Lord to seek You and Your teaching in everything I do and experience. Help me walk with Your hand on my shoulder throughout this life, always pointing out how something that I do or see or say can bring me closer to You and closer to the image You see of me. Walking with You throughout this life frees me to welcome all that comes to me as a way to learn about You and Your love. Help me stay focused on You and not to be distracted. All distractions are like a haze that blurs my vision of You and numbs my hearing of Your Word. Remind me always of Your great love and nothing can distract me from the joining of our hearts.”

Remembering 9-11

                “My Lord, my God, I am filled with mixed emotions on this day, September 11, 12 years after the attack on America when so many lives were lost, when the World Trade Center fell in New York, when the Pentagon in Washington DC was severely damaged and when the plane that was destined for more destruction was taken over by brave citizens who sacrificed their lives and saved many others by causing the plane to crash in field in Pennsylvania instead of its intended target. It was a tragedy that awakened the American people from a haze of complacency. It was awful. I remember being horrified seeing it on the news and wondering how You could allow this to happen. I was much younger then and didn’t know You very well.

                “Over a decade later, I recognize Your providence in those tragic events. Though You called many souls to heaven that day, You also brought out many heroes on that day and in the days that followed. People no longer looked only at their individual lives and needs, they looked beyond themselves and they felt the desire to help Your people, no matter who, what or where they were. The things that had consumed the pursuits of so many Americans were put on hold to help others. There was a great surge of prayer throughout the entire nation. Suddenly, it was okay to pray again publicly. God and faith were once again mentioned on the television and in the media where before, it was considered taboo to discuss such matters. It pains me to think that it took something so awful to turn people to God but when I look back throughout history, mass killings and tragedies were not uncommon in the world. The difference is that in the modern world, we are able to see, hear and experience something happening anywhere as it happens through the media. That tragic day was relived and experienced by everyone everywhere and the day received the ominous name that at the mere mention brings a wave of strong emotions: 9/11.

                “Over a decade later, I don’t know if our world has improved. I don’t see the same fervor and pained hope of the people turning to You as I did back then. Our government is currently attempting to take You out of the picture and place You in a category of choice, hobby or mere interest. Where is the awe of You and Your power to heal? Where is the wonder at the immense power of love and prayer? Where is the outpouring of love and charity for our neighbors? Have we forgotten the orphaned children and the broken families, widows and widowers from that tragic day? Can we still hear the sound of anguish and deep sorrow that erupted from the lips of all those affected?

                “Dear Lord, do not let us fall back into apathy. Do not allow us to fall asleep again. Evil never sleeps and it delights in an empty playground with no holy soldiers to keep it at bay. May we always look to You. Touch the hearts of Your people to be holy soldiers. May we remain compassionate to all Your people and zealous to defend our right to love and serve You. May we find You in the hearts of all those around us and may we always reach out with the same compassion and love that touched our hearts on 9/11, over a decade ago.”

Tune Our Minds

                “My Lord, my God, You are ultimate Wisdom and Truth. All our questions, our thoughts, our desires begin with You. How is it that we eventually turn away from You, first in thoughts and then in actions? You constantly call to us, to bring us back. By giving us free will and an intelligent, inquisitive mind, You have given us the gift to ponder and meditate. If only we were better able to control and focus this powerful tool You graciously gave us.

“Sometimes, I think our minds are like a high powered race car in the hands of a new teenage driver. All this power, yet we haven’t a clue how to control it, use it, or to get the most out of it. Our minds can run out of control on windy roads, race too fast on straightaways, and sometimes blow up due to improper maintenance.

“Oh Lord, teach us how to use this special gift You gave only to us out of all Your creations. Teach us to fill our minds with Your pure and holy Wisdom. Let us not pollute our minds with things of the world – cheap glimpses and twisted manifestations of Your original teaching. May we hunger for Your Word, the only true substance that can nourish our minds and make them work properly. May our thoughts remain on Your Word, tuned in to how You want us to live. When our minds are in tune to Your Word, then our thoughts and actions race forward on the track You built for us. This track ultimately leads to Your Blessed Sacred Heart where we all long to be, yet we often “think” ourselves out of tune and then falter and stall on the road to You.

“Thank You for choosing us to receive Your gift of intelligent thinking. Help us stay in tune to Your Word and let us be powered by the love You inflame in our hearts. With the mind in tune and powered by the heart, we can race full speed to Your Blessed Sacred Heart. Dear Mary, Mother of God, will you wave the checkered flag and light the red and green lights to keep us on track?”

Seeing You in Those Around Us

                “Dear Lord, You place us here on earth separated from You whom we love more than anything else. We all earnestly desire to be with You again, yet we are here on earth for a while. You give us companions to be with while we are here and You are in every single one of those companions. How do we get so lost so fast? How can we be mean, unfair, unjust, spiteful and envious of those around us when all of us have You within us? How can we be indifferent, blind, disgusted or disappointed in those who suffer poverty, ill fortune and/or illness? They too have You within them.

“As we go through our lives here on earth, it is like we are shrouded in layers upon layers of the stuff that blinds us from Your presence in those around us. The layers may be pride, self-love, vain-glory, unhealed pain and hurt, festering emotional distress or disorder, unchecked ambition, relentless desire for wealth, power, glory – all these things place layer upon layer over our souls which distorts our vision and blurs our perception of Your holy presence. Lord, help us to remove each of these layers. We cannot do it alone but with Your help, we can shed each layer like removing layers of heavy clothing on a warm day. Each layer that is removed gives relief and provides freedom of movement and our vision slowly sharpens like when you are tested for glasses and each lense provides a clearer view.

“Oh Lord, may my vision be clear to see You in everyone, in all the companions You have given me on earth – not just my friends and family, but in all the people I meet. May I see You in the poor, in the angry, in the confused, in the ill, in the spiteful, in the powerful and in the weak. Help me see You and be filled with Your love and compassion for all. Then I won’t feel so separated from You. Then I will see that I am surrounded by You in all the people You have placed on earth. Then my stay here on earth won’t be so lonely and will be full of Your love.”