Mary Sullivan

The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.

From it flows the unity which heals us of all strife.

For through the Holy Eucharist, which means in truth Thanksgiving,

God unites us on a path to pure and holy living.

Let us receive Him worthily; through confession He forgives,

That we be not defiled or commit a sacrilege.

One dresses in clean garments when at a wedding feast.

Our Lord deserves the best from us and not our very least.

In Most Holy Communion, we receive You, precious Lord.

You give to us Your very self, O God Who we adore.

And through this precious bit of bread which has been consecrated,

We become more like You in Whose image we’re created.

Send Your Holy Spirit, Lord, to rest on all our souls.

May receiving Jesus worthily be the first of all our goals.

Give to us the wisdom to see the cause of our disunion:

Your body is badly bloodied by sacrilegious Communions.

May confession wash from our souls all grime and dirt and mud.

May peace be found with one another through Your Body, Soul and Blood.

Lord Jesus, there are many who do not believe You’re there.

Find a way to show them, Lord, just how much You care.

Help all along the path of truth to find the way to You.

Bring all to confession and to pure living too.

With You may we now unite, as our first common bond.

You call all to Communion   Help us all to respond.

There is no rest outside You, Lord; in You is our true peace.

Only through the Eucharist will our divisions cease.

Be our teacher, Jesus, instruct us on our way.

Through the Holy Eucharist, unite all in truth today.

“What do you have to fear?

Nothing.

Whom do you fear?

No one.

Why?

Because whoever has joined forces with God obtains three great privileges:

omnipotence without power,

intoxication without wine

and life without death.” (St. Francis of Assisi)

What are you fearing my child?  Of what are you afraid?

Do you know there is no reason to fear, that God will come to your aid?

Joined to the Lord, you are strong.  What joy are you looking for?

No wine on earth could ever match the intoxication of our Lord.

What are you fearing my child?  Are you fearing death or strife?

You joined forces with the Lord; through death you will find new life.

What are you fearing my child?  Of nothing should you now fear.

For the Lord with whom you’ve joined forces, stands beside you, is ever near.

What are you fearing my child?  Are you fearing for those who are lost?

Give all to God Who has given you all.  Stop not to count the cost.

Give to Him all of your sorrows, your worries and deepest grief.

Give to Him each of your torments and you will find sweet relief.

Have no fear my little one.  The Lord stands by your side,

Ready to bravely defend you.  If in Him, you simply abide.

Remain in the Lords’ mighty army.  Let it be Him alone you adore.

There is nothing and no one to fear, in the army of the Lord.

“O soul, whoever you may be in this world even if your sins were black as night.
Do not fear God, weak child that you are,
For great is the power of God’s mercy.”

Sometimes our sin can feel, as black as the dark of night.
As if sin dwelt beyond God’s love, lived in condemning sight.
As if we lived with no hope, no chance of reconciliation.
As if we’d thrown away our lives, were destined for damnation.

Father, sometimes we feel our sins You can’t forgive,
We ponder them over again. Our failings, we relive.
Dwelling on our errors, can keep us from Your light.
We tell ourselves there’s just no way, at last to set things right.

This beating ourselves up is living Satan’s sneaky lie.
Christ came to suffer for us.  For us, He came to die.
He came to free us from our sins, that from sin we might fly.
This unforgiveness feeling is forgiveness gone awry.

May we recognize Christ’s suffering, lest He died in vain.
Know His scourging and His agony, and all of His pain.
By suffering we’ve been redeemed, and salvation gained.
It is only through Christ’s suffering; eternal life has been obtained.

May we trust You, Lord, as a child trusts His loving Father, and draws near.
May we reach for You, with open arms, abandon thoughts of fear.
Lord, help our loved ones know, help them now to see,
Their sins can be washed away.  From sin, they can be free.

There is no sin or pain Lord and no darkness of the night,
That is beyond Your healing hand, when brought into Your light.
Those made weak and frail by sin, may approach You without fear.
In Your mercy is great power, Your heart of mercy is always near.

Go to our loved ones now, Lord.  Help them at last to know,
That sins, though they be scarlet, can be made as white as snow.

Lord Jesus, You Who for our sins did suffer, and did die;

We ourselves are feeling now, somewhat crucified,

We thought we gave our children faith—a pearl of great price,

They dropped this pearl, embraced the world, shunning our advice.

As if our love for them was useless, useless too the work we’d done,

In teaching them to know You, the Father’s only Son.

We know that with the faith, once we’ve served You for a while,

Tribulations come along, and so too many trials.

But it shocked us to see them turn, and leave their faith rejected.

We did not see this coming.  It was so unexpected.

By fire, gold is tested.  To this we do confess,

We are feeling tested, amidst this confusing mess.

We are feeling broken, feeling humiliated.

But is it not the humble, who in heaven are exalted and elated?

In patience, Lord, we cling to You.  You, we will not forsake.

But we are feeling bitten, attacked by the snake.

But could it be we’re seeing things, from some selfish steeple?

Why should this be a cross meant only for other people?

And isn’t this way of thinking, when in truth we can abide,

A little bit of smugness, and a tad bit of pride?

Yes, we are feeling crushed, at times much disturbed.

We pray for grace in trouble, grace to stay unperturbed.

We accept what has befallen us, accept it with much sorrow.

Yet wait in hope for better days, and glorious tomorrows.

We beg Your loving mercy, Lord. Help us lest we fall.

Fear of the Lord and wisdom, we pray You grant us all.

Grant mercy to our loved ones; that their hearts be enlightened.

May Your belt of truth, around their waists, be fastened and tightened.

Has anyone put hope in You, and been disappointed?

Have any been forsaken, who trusted You, the One Anointed?

You are our Protector Lord, in shattered debris and rubble.

Protect us Lord, and those we love.  Save us in this time of trouble.

(Based on Sirach 2:1-11)