Help me, teach me, invite me

And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus to carry his cross. Mark 15:21

Simon of Cyrene, help me

to come to the aid of others,

to overcome my reluctance when

 it seems too inconvenient;
when I think I'm too busy

or too afraid, or too shy, 

or it just seems so awkward.

Help me when

I think I am better than the stranger,
the accused, the shunned;
when I think that they don't deserve my help.

Help me to overcome 

my own exhaustion,
my laziness,
my feelings of inadequacy,

and uncertainty.

Help me to put aside my own interests,

my prejudices and pride.

Help me so that 

I can step up to the task, 

without having to be dragged in.

Help me, dear reluctant saint,

to carry my own cross,

my own brokeness,

so that I may help carry others.

Dear Saint of Cyrene, pray for me.

"Now, while Simon labours under the cross with Jesus, ... someone - a woman - forces her way through the rabble, even through the guard of Roman soldiers surrounding Him, and comes face to face with Christ. She is driven by compassion." The Way of the Cross, Caryll Houslander

Good saint of the veil,

teach me your compassion for the suffering,

especially when their appearance, all bruised and beaten,
repulses me.

Teach me to recognize the splendor
and the majesty of Christ

hidden there in their weakness,
in their humility and in their shame. 

Good saint of the veil,

teach me your courage in the midst of chaos,

your readiness to serve, to comfort and to console

to wipe away the grime, the filth, the tears

in all circumstances,
but especially when it is not easy.

Teach me to look with eyes of mercy
upon the faces of the suffering
and see Christ hidden there.

Dear Saint Veronica, pray for me.

"Christ goes on His way; no word is spoken now; Mary follows Him in the crowd. ... Mary remains silent, she does not lift a hand; only when He is suffering no more will she anoint His body. She simply accepts this supreme gift of His love, His suffering given to her. It is a complete communion with Him. They are as completely one now as they were when He was the child in her womb, and her heart was the beating of His heart." The Way of the Cross, Caryll Houselander.

 Dearest Mother Mary,
Your acceptance, your yes,
let it be my own.

Invite me to walk the way with you.
He is the Way, the Truth, the Life!
Invite me to see with your soul
the good in that awful Friday.

 Invite me there, beneath the Cross,
 to see the good that comes from suffering,
His and our own united to His.

Invite me to become one with Him
as you and He are one.
Invite me into your deep and abiding
trust and unwavering hope.

When tempests
arise and I'm tossed about,
remind me that He is always there,
in the midst of the storm;
that I am never alone.

Invite me there at the foot of the cross,
to hold Him in my arms
as you cradle Him, lifeless, in your own,
knowing that Sunday comes.

Invite me there to the empty tomb,
to share your peace
and your love,
and to experience your joy
at the Resurrection.

And the Life to come.

Dear Blessed Virgin, my Mother, my Queen, pray for me.

Love is Patient, but am I?

In the final chapter of his book, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day, Fr. John Riccardo instructs us to take a look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and wherever the word love appears, he suggests we substitute our own name. He writes, " ... this can help us to see if these statements apply to us, and what it is that needs the most work in us."

This could be a very valuable and useful exercise as part of our nightly examen or as an examination of conscience before going to confession.

So, go ahead, insert your name wherever the word love appears in the verses below (and your corresponding prounoun in place of "it"). 

Pretty powerful, no?

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.