"where there is sadness, joy" - Prayer of St. Francis

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When I first sat down to write this, I thought: "I got nuthin'."

Then I thought maybe I could show that clip from the Mary Tyler Moore Show about Mary laughing through Chuckle the Clown's funeral service. (I shared that here instead.)

And then, as part of my preparation of checking in with my spiritual director a couple of weeks ago, I discovered I'd written about "where there is sadness, joy" months ago.

Sadness happens with loss: of a person, of a dream, a world drastically changed, for example.

I keep forgetting:

  • that in the horror of the holocaust, the victims loved and praised God
  • that, as Jennifer at "Getting Down with Jesus" describes in her trip to Haiti, God is with the broken-hearted. They rejoice to live. They have upheld their faith, or rediscovered it anew amongst loss and disaster -- and living with that day in and day out.
  • that communities come together, offer endless cups of tea and help with donations and willing hands when a world is overset.
With God in our hears, we can bear all things, do all things.

But we have to ask Him and believe that what we ask can be accomplished.

Lord, transform my heart to serve you, to be your love to those in sorrow, to be your light to those in darkness. take away my selfishness, my concern for me and mine. Help me to love.  
Amen.

(To read other posts in the Prayer of St. Francis series, click here.)

Comments

  1. Joe PoteMay 19, 2012 at 1:49 PM

    "Lord, transform my heart to serve you, to be your love to those in sorrow, to be your light to those in darkness."

    Amen! Ditto that for me!

    Thank you, Leanne!

    ReplyDelete
  2. LeanneMay 19, 2012 at 5:06 PM

    you're welcome, Joe!

    ReplyDelete

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