Distance, Lord...
Being away from
people I love,
places I treasure,
events I want to be part of,
moments I want to share in,
embraces I long and pine for...
Distance, Lord...
geographical distance,
social distance,
emotional distance,
imposed distance,
ideological distance,
physical distance,
nonverbal distance,
crushing distance,
spiritual distance,
personal distance,
widening distance,
unreconciled distance,
uncomfortable distance,
temporary distance,
long-term distance,
lonely, sorrowful, painful distance...
Distance, Lord...
from family,
from loved ones,
from friends,
from coworkers,
from neighbors,
from even myself
and most of all, Lord,
distance from you...
You created us, Lord,
for nearness, for closeness, for intimacy;
you made us to love and help one another,
to reach out, to touch, to hug and to hold,
to lift each other up,
to be support for those who need it,
to know the joy of touch,
to hear the words that bind,
to see a loved one's face,
to know the beloved's scent,
to taste the flow of salty tears
we share in pain's embrace...
We weren't meant for distance,
we're meant to be together,
to be one,
to share communion, Lord,
with you and one another...
But our weaknesses, our brokenness,
our failings, faults and sinfulness
have broken up
what should be one,
what should be whole,
what should be undivided
and so, we know the pain, Lord,
the solitary pain of of distance,
of loneliness and absence,
we know so well, we know too well,
the longing and the need to be
part of,
connected to,
joined with,
close by,
involved in,
united to
the life and love
you want us all to share,
that intimacy
with you and one another
for which we all were made...
Be our bridge, Lord:
the bridge that spans
what distance puts between us...
Be our reach, Lord:
the reach that touches
heart to heart
when hand to hand
is still beyond our grasp...
Be our bond, Lord:
let us meet in you,
in prayer and in your Spirit
when we cannot meet in person
with those we long to see...
Heal the hurt of painful distance,
give us patience, Lord, and hope
while we wait to be together face to face, in one embrace...
And if death has caused the distance,
if we grieve a loved one's loss,
give us hope and faith in you, Lord,
and the life that's yet to come...
And even in the distance, Lord,
from those we long to see,
make us one with those beside us
who share the pain we know...And if the waiting's long, Lord,
maybe months or maybe years,
draw us ever close to you,
always present by our side...
Protect us, Lord while we're awake
and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
You Are Near by Dan Schutte
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Hi Father Austin, This isn't really a comment on the post, but I didn't see how to email you. The View My Profile doesn't have an email, either. What I wanted to point out to you is that Bishop Coyne's blog has a couple of strange references. If you click on your reference to the blog, you are brought to his blog in a different language. OK, you can hit translate to English. Under playing is a "live link" that brings you to a gambling site. Further down the page is another live link.
ReplyDeleteTrying to contact him, is harder than trying to contact you.
Otherwise, I enjoy your prayer poetry. I show many of your prayer poems to my 14 year old granddaughter as examples of what to write in her prayer journal.