Lord, as I begin this day,
Have it Your way.
I seek not me, but Thee.
When bitter valley threaten,
And I count the cost,
I choose not me, but Thee.
In the dark night.
Trace Your path upon my heart,
That demons, seeking to terrorize and tempt,
Meet not me, but Thee.
When gift and labor
Bring merit and reward,
All glory to, not me, but Thee.
O Lord,
May those I meet upon Your Way,
See, not me, but Thee.
© 2014 Joann Nelander
“Father forgive them they know not what they do.”
Cords of sorrow draw me.
I am witness to the plight,
Man become beast,
Without wisdom or wit,
Licking his own blood,
Hungry, harrowed,
Stunned in horror.
The knots of revenge entangle,
Cry for evermore blood,
Ever more abasement,
Ever more widows,
Ever more orphans,
Ever more refuse and waste.
A crying child becomes hundreds,
Then thousands,
Then millions,
Left to wander,
Left to dissipate and hate.
Vengeance is sweeter than food,
To one who chooses to live
Without Love,
Without Light,
Without the Holy and the True,
For such is the abode of Sin,
And many the roads
Leading to its gate.
Bestial brutality,
Raging insanity,
Now reigns the malignant.
The disconsolate refuse all solace,
Wounds of the heart,
Wounds of the mind,
Wounds of the body of Man.
Look to the high mountain,
Eyes to the heavens,
Wake the long dead,
Who await the promised Banquet,
Those, who now know,
They are one Family of Man,
Divested of tribal allegiance,
Awaiting the One,
And coming, King.
Offer a sacrifice of prayer.
Pour forth the balm of Gilead.
Speak, in the tongue of angels,
The comfort of peoples,
Hope in the Darkness.
Humanity’s ties are stronger than its sins,
More numerous than the cords
That draw it down in the Dark Night.
For its One God
Is Father Forever.
Given a choice,
Give me grace
That I might choose
Your Holy Will.
by Joann Nelander
Lord, You have been growing me.
It’s been 75 years plus a bit, since my conception.
All those years and not one day without love.
Not one day without the play of wind,
Or warmth of golden beam,
Or sustenance given though unseen.
Not one day without a kiss of sun,
Or breeze,
Or butterfly.
Not one day the more or less than You decree,
Simply the glee
Of being me.
Lord, You have been growing me.
I count my days blessed and witnessed from above,
The stuff as given and mysterious as stars.
When I am fully grown,
Incline to lift me from the earth,
And with Mercy’s parting splendor,
Render one last touch.
© 2016 Joann Nelander
Jesus, what I love in Your people is You.
Some shimmer and gleam with Your Presence
While others tuck You away,
As a treasure I must dig to unearth.
None the less, Your grace,
Is life reaching to eternity,
Grace, that blesses me in every encounter.
Life, that draws our humanity to the heavenly.
© 2016 Joann Nelander
Consider the multitudes,
Throng upon throng,
Gathered across a nation,
Arm in arm.
Regard the throng,
Witness of flesh,
Standing tall,
Staring down terror and the terrible,
Arm in Arm.
A proclamation for peace,
For life, for freedom,
In the aftermath of death,
To face the future,
Arm in arm.
A call to arms:
Arms to embrace,
Arms to hold dear,
Arms to forge, in heart-felt resolve,
In the furnace of trial, tears and tragedy,
An alliance of hope,
Arm in arm.
Copyright 2015 Joann Nelander
“John’s Gospel (4:6-15) recounts Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman. What is striking about this encounter is the very succinct dialogue between the woman and Jesus. This allows us today to underline a very important aspect of mercy, which is dialogue…….
” all forms of dialogue are expressions of our great need for the love of God, who reaches out to everyone, and places in everyone a seed of his goodness, so that it may cooperate in his creative work. Dialogue breaks down the walls of division and misunderstandings: it builds bridges of communication, and it does not allow anyone to isolate themselves, or withdraw into their own little world. Do not forget: dialogue means listening to what the other tells me, and saying what I think, with kindness. If things proceed in this way, the family, the neighborhood, the workplace will be better. However, if I do not allow the other to say everything that is in his heart, and I begin to shout — today we shout a lot — this relationship between us will not thrive; the relationship between husband and wife, between parents and children, will not thrive. Listen, explain, with kindness; do not bark at the other, do not shout, but have an open heart.
Jesus understood well what was in the heart of the Samaritan woman, who was a great sinner: nonetheless, he did not deny her the opportunity to explain herself; he allowed her to speak to the end, and entered little by little into the mystery of her life. This lesson also applies to us. Through dialogue, we can make the signs of God’s mercy grow, and make them an instrument of welcome and respect.” Pope Francis
Immaculata-Patroness
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