Mary Sullivan

“Who teaches the soul if not God?”
(St. John of the Cross)

Who will be our good teacher?
Who best knows what we ought do?
Who teaches our souls truths divine?
Who will teach us if that be not You?

Take us up to Your classroom,
The steep and the steady climb.
Teach us the lessons we need to learn.
Pour divine truths into our minds.

Fill us with deep understanding.
Fill us with Your wisdom too.
Show us how to think clearly.
Show us what we should do.

Come sit by our side dear Jesus,
Help us hear all that You say,
Grant us the grace to understand,
That we follow along your way.

Dear Jesus, just as You teach us,
Teach each of our loved ones today.
Give them lessons in living.
No more may they go astray.

Make us good students, Lord Jesus.
With grace to learn all Your lessons.
Lord, You are our good Teacher.
Let Your class in our lives be in session.

“Go often my dear ones and place yourself at the feet of Jesus. He is our comfort,
Our way and our life.”
(Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini)

Lord, through trials which assail us,
Through this rough and coarse terrain,
May our thoughts turn to You always.
Guide us through this storm and pain.

Be the light upon our journey,
Be there at our every turn,
Till we are safely home in heaven,
For love of You, may our hearts burn.

Let us listen to Your Word.
May Satan’s tactics find defeat.
May we ponder what we’ve heard,
May our place be at Your feet.

Be our safety, sweet Lord Jesus,
When strong winds begin to blow.
Touch our loved ones with Your blessings.
Every grace on them bestow.

Be to them their source of true love.
Melt their hearts grown hard like stone.
Be the life they seek to follow.
Be the way that takes them home.

“I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.”
(Phil. 4:13)

Loving Father up above,
For souls, our Lord does pine and thirst.
How weak we are when, dearest Father,
We don’t turn to Jesus first.

On our own, we can do nothing.
On our own we’re sure to fail,
Without Jesus as our Savior,
We’re inclined to moan, bewail.
Every trial which comes upon us,
Like we’ve been crucified with nails.

But when we can receive Him often,
When it’s Him that we adore.
With His strength, we can grow stronger,
From His strength, we can then draw.

We have sons, and we have daughters,
It may be true they are now grown.
But they have felt so isolated,
They’ve felt lost, and so alone.

Help them Father, know our Savior.
May His love grow in their hearts.
Help them alter their behavior.
From Him, may they ne’er depart.

May they know Your love dear Father,
Know Your love’s height, depth and length,
May Jesus be their true companion,
May Jesus be their source of strength.

May they know they’re sons and daughters,
Of a strong and mighty King.
May they know, at last believe:
In Jesus we can do all things.

Lord, may we love each other, in the way that You love us.
May we love You as You love the Father, as in You we trust.
Each of Your commandments, may we now and always keep.
Over sins for which You grieve, may we too grieve and weep.

Lord Jesus, if in Your love, we can but remain,
We will bear fruit for You, though sometimes through much pain.
What his Master is about, a slave may have no clue.
But You teach us the truths the Father spoke to You.

And that is why Lord Jesus, upon You we so depend.
You no longer call us slaves.  You call us Your friends.
As we defend Your truths, as we lift Your truthful sword.
May we love You Master, as You love us, gracious Lord.

May the love which You have shown us, pierce our hardened hearts.
May loving others with Your love be our goal from the start.
Show us how to give that love, to loved ones gone astray.
May they receive Your love, through our steadfast love today.

Fill them with Your love, dear Lord.  Reveal Yourself as friend.
Let them know that they can trust You.  On You they can depend.
May they rest in Your strong arms.  You alone, may they adore.
May they love You Master, as You love them, gracious Lord.

(Based on John 15:9-17)