"HEART'S PRESENCE" PRAYER POEMS
SECTION 2

A Communion of the Heart

Dear Jesus, Holy Gift of Life,
It was Your plan, so like You,
To never leave us.
As if Your one death
Was not enough,
Each day on a thousand altars
As Your priests speak Your Words
And they raise You up once again,
You stretch out Your arms
In eternal self-surrender,
Allowing Your Body to be broken,
And die for us once again.

As the cup of Your Blood is raised
And then poured out into us,
Drop by drop Your Blood is drained again
As You lose Yourself into us
Until "it is finished"
And we are all that remains
Of Your Life-giving, Precious Blood.

O Precious Lord of Sacrificial Love,
Make me Your tabernacle.
Live in me, grow in me,
That I may carry You to Your people.
Your Body one with mine,
Your Blood now my blood.
Make me Your shrine.

Teach me to surrender like You
Allowing my pride to be broken
So I may pour out Your Preciousness,
In continual sacrifice, to Your people.
Teach me to love You
In Your Sacrifice and in Your people,
As You long to be loved.
Make Your longing my longing,
Your Sacrifice my sacrifice,
Your passionate love for me
My passionate love for You
In this altar and
In all of Your altars.

You, O Sacred Heart of Love,
Now enthroned within me,
May I encounter you, as in Emmaus,
In the Breaking of the Bread.
But also, as the tears of Your people,
Your Body, drop to the ground,
May I encounter Your shedding Blood
In their shedding tears.
Make me Your tabernacle.
May I bring them Hope in Your Resurrection.

Lamb's Heart

As I approach You at Your altar of Love,
Remembering Your Sacrifice,
Touched by Your Love,
I become as a lamb in Your Presence,
Humble, docile to Your Will,
Soft of heart, offering no resistance
As You lead me to Your Heart of Love.

There, at Your altar of Sacrifice,
You feed Your lambs
With the Bread of Your Life,
A treasure incomprehensible to us,
Your simple, innocent lambs.
We accept into our bodies and our hearts
The mysteries of the universe,
The Heart and Substance of our God
Contained in Your disguise of Bread.
How we are overwhelmed with Your Love
After accepting this tender Presence into our bodies.

O Shepherd of our souls,
Lead Your lambs to tenderness of heart in Your Presence.
Teach us to follow Your Heart only.
Touch our minds and hearts with wonder
At Your awesome reality.

You draw me on,
Stunned by Your Presence in Your Bread,
To Your Sacrificial Cup,
The Precious Blood you shed for me.
I tremble as I taste that Blood,
The Blood of the New Covenant,
Knowing full well my part in its shedding.
But its taste is not bitter, but sweet,
So like You, my Lord, my Shepherd.

O Lord, remove with Your Blood
The bitterness of my heart.
Lord, fill me with Your Sweetness and Life.

As Your Precious Blood
Washes through my body and soul
With Your Life, Your Sweet Presence,
Stirring me to Life, inflaming my heart,
Bonding my lamb's heart to Yours,
We commune in Your Sea of Love.
A small droplet I taste on my tongue
Of the future in Your arms,
O Eternal Sacred Heart of Love.

O Lord, lead this simple lamb along the path to Your Heart
That I may rest in Your Shepherd's arms forever.



KING OF SORROW

My King,
You are seated upon Your Shepherd's Throne
But there is sadness in Your eyes.
Tears come, dropping to Your breast
Revealing Your Most Sacred Heart.
O Sacred Heart, we adore You!

Your Heart, so full, so overflowing
With Love and Graces
Pulsates as if in deep sobbing.
With each sob
Blood drips from Your Most Sacred Heart.
Most Perfect King, forgive us!

I want to catch these Precious Drops!
Please don't be shed in vain!
My heart, pierced by Your sadness,
Gathers in Your pain like a Mother
Making it my own.
Dear Lord, please be comforted in Your Sorrow!

There in my heart, You come to reside
Bringing Your Joy and Peace
But steeped in Your pain and Sorrow.
Binding my heart to Yours,
My heart opens to reveal
Your precious Drops of Blood,
Gathered and enthroned in my heart.
O Sacred Heart, reveal to me Your Heart of Love!
O Sacred Heart, touch my heart with Yours!

Just For Today

With a grateful joy I come to You, my Lord,
Simply, without expectation of tomorrow
Or attachment to yesterday.
My heart fills with joy just for today.
In You, my Lord, in Your Sacred Heart,
I find protection for my soul,
Joy for my heart and
Rest for my mind.

Your Love and Mercy has provided
A sabbath from the world,
A place apart, a cease-fire for my soul.
I know full well the war is not over,
Yet am grateful for today, a pause.

You take me to Your Heart,
Clasping me to You,
As a child in Your arms once again.
Moved by my child-like heart of joy today,
You press me to Your Sacred Heart.
I know, like a child, this is where I belong:
Here, attached to You in simple love and peace,
The precious Gift of a Loving Father,
The Sacred Bond of a true friend.
Moving in the world,
Yet not moving from Your Heart,
I remain.

Holy Strength

Holy Strength, Life's Blood,
Pours from Your fountain
Where we come to drink
Like deer to water.

You beckon, You provide.
You are always there,
If we desire,
If we approach,
If we have emptied ourselves
In preparation for the banquet.

Longing to be filled
With Your Banquet of Grace,
We approach Your Kingdom.
In all our emptiness,
In all our weakness,
You take us in
And fill us with all good things.

Worldly strength,
Something to be possessed,
Left at the door,
We enter Your Kingdom
Craving the strength of the King,
The Holy Strength of the Master.

You take our hand in Yours,
Becoming that which we desire to us.
The silent infusion of Your Holy Grace,
Like the Blood of Life
Brings strength to our souls.
All that we need, You provide
And in such abundance.

You have asked that we be empty.
You have asked that we be dead.
As You take our emptiness in Your hands
And our willingness to be all Yours,
You breath Your Spirit into our souls,
Like air to lungs.
You infuse Your Graces into our lives,
Like Blood to our bodies.
Your Holy Strength empowers us,
Brings us to Life in You alone
And we are made new
Taking in that which we desire
Completely.

Where the world sees weakness, Lord,
You see an empty chalice
Longing to be filled.
Emptied out, continually,
Readied to be filled again,
Your strength becomes like a river,
A waterfall of grace,
Pouring through us.
Continually emptied,
Continually filled,
An endless Banquet of Love
From the Fountain
Of Your Sacred Heart.

Nothing Else

Like a dear, treasured friend,
So many times I have invited You in
That You come to my door
Even when I am so easily distracted
By the cares of the world.
But there You are knocking, opening,
Knowing how much my love
Desires Your dear Presence.
The door is open
And like a true friend
You enter in,
You love, You heal, You comfort
Despite my inability to
Be all that You desire.
You love me in my weakness.
You love me in my longing.
You love me where I am
Knowing in Your Most Sacred Heart
That where I want to be is
With You, for You, in You,
Being all that Your Heart desires,
Bringing You the love You long for
Deeply, profoundly, completely.
If I could only be this for You, O Sacred Heart,
I would ask for nothing else.