Mary Sullivan

Do not abandon yourself to despair.  We are an Easter people, and hallelujah is our song.

(Pope John Paul II)

Christ is alive!  This truth we believe,
His love we can now freely receive.
He has come with the promise of new life for each one.
Hallelujah’s the song which we sing and have sung.
Dear Father, we beg You for more of Your grace,
That in strength we persist, in running this race.

In Your mercy, grant loved ones, wisdom anew.
Give to them new life, found only in You.
Give to them strength; and give to them hope.
Give to them patience, and graces to cope.

A new joy and peace, grant each son and daughter.
Give to all fresh springs of living water.
Help us to flee, from all doubt, all despair.
Merciful Father, please hear and answer our Easter prayer.

Into your hands I commend my spirit, is what Christ Himself had cried,
It’s last thing that He said, right before He died.
As we hang upon our cross in life, when too great seem the demands
May we cry out to the Father, I commend my spirit into Your hands.

When events in this world, we can no longer understand.
When we are feeling somewhat sad, and life seems less than grand,
When shattered dreams lay all around us, we feel like sojourners, in some foreign land,
With Christ we can cry out, I commend my spirit into Your hands.

When life is going haywire, not at all as we had planned;
When the enemy encircles us and we feel quite outmanned.|
When we doubt our strength to carry on, have not the legs to stand,
May we call to the Father, I commend my spirit into Your hands.

As we call out to You Father, as You hear our embattled cry,
May we give all we have to You, may we to ourselves then die.
In dying to ourselves, we enjoin our crucifixion,
May this death to self, lead us to a glory resurrection.

May each tear which now is shed, each dark night lived as black as pitch.
Be the hoe which tills the soil, the nutrient which makes it rich.
And one day yet to come, at one of our tomorrows,
May flowers bloom from today’s grief.  May life spring forth from sorrow.

This brutal winter, all is barren.  But flowers bloom whence comes the spring.
May our springtime of flowers, one day conversions bring.
May loved ones feeling crucified, call upon the Father too,
I commend my spirit into Your hands, I give everything to You.

From all this suffering and sorrow, dear Lord, in Your mercy bring,
Fields full of conversions, in us all, whence comes the spring.

Lord Jesus, may we bear as You have borne,
This cross which seems so heavy and leaves us so forlorn.
May we, like You, Who for our salvation died,
Now lift high our crosses, from which so oft’ we’ve shied.

May our crosses draw us close to you and may they set us free.
May they take us through this life, and to eternity.
Grant to us the graces, today and every day,
To lift high our crosses as they come our way.

 Lord Jesus, we surrender all, in fervent prayer to You.
We trust whatever crosses come, You’ll help us bear them too.
Keep us close, dear and near, to Your Sacred Heart.
May we find our strength in You, and from You not depart.

May we find the victory crown, is what we one day win.
Arm us for this battle.  Free us from all sin.
We pray this not just for ourselves, dear and gracious Lord,
We pray this for our loved ones, lost in much discord.

Give help to our loved ones, Lord, that they go where You lead.
Nurture in them that perhaps small, yet faith-filled loving seed.
Help our loved ones to respond, to answer when You call.
As the world feeds its lies to them, do not let them fall,
Into believing as if true, what are just lies after all.
Help them to know Truth, and in Truth to stand tall.

Jesus, grant to loved ones, the grace to follow You.
That they may find a pure life, a hope-filled life brand new.
May our loved ones seek Your will in all they say and do.
Bring each loved one home.  Bring each one back to You.

We know that You are listening.  We know that You are there.
We know that You love us.  We know how much You care.
We will keep on praying; by grace fight off despair.
We beg You Lord, make haste to answer this, our hope-filled prayer.

Dear Father up in heaven, You hear our prayers below,
May You with love and mercy, upon us all bestow,
Repentant tears of sorrow, tears to wash our guilt away;
Tears to free our burdened hearts, set captives free this day.

May each of our lost loved ones pray a true repentant prayer;
May this prayer be the path by which they escape Satan’s snare.
The lying thief lures us to sin, then says, as if he’s won,
Now aren’t you despicable? Look at what you’ve done!

Repentant hearts can heal the soul, on this conversion’s built.
“Repentant tears,” said Augustine, can wash away our guilt.
And freed from guilt we’re truly free, to love Him who gave His life.
We’re free at last to seek out Truth.  We’re free to follow Christ.

We’re free to be with the Lord, with Him be quiet and be still.
We’re free to follow the Lord’s path; we’re free to do His will.
Let us take repentant tears to Christ, that we be freed from all oppression,
Let’s find freedom through the sacraments.  Let’s all go to confession.

Truth suffers, but never dies.
(Saint Teresa of Avila)

Jesus, we’re in a battle,
This battle is for truth.
So many snared by lies,
So many of our youth.

Satan can’t win this battle.
For truth, we’ll fight till our last breath.
The battle was already won,
When You rose from death.

“What is truth?” Pilate asked.
To Pilate You’d proclaimed,
Truth is the reason why
into the world I came.

May we simply follow You.
Seek Your glory crown.
May we lay down our life for truth,
As Your life was laid down.

Jesus, our sons and daughters.
Don’t seem to know the truth.
May they reclaim the truth lost,
In past days of their youth.

Help them love, not just the truth,
But love the Father too.
Help them to love Your mother,
Help them to love You.

Truth may have been wounded.
Perhaps been crucified.
Like You, the truth can suffer.
Like You, truth will never die.

This truth we can believe,
This truth we’ve come to see:
You are the Truth eternal,
The truth that sets us free.