A Lenten Prayer
Lord, our God and loving Father, grant us a deeper insight into the meaning of the Cross of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. We contemplate the Cross, as did Mary, the Mother of the Lord, John the faithful witness, Stephen the first Martyr and so many others after them.
May we see the glory of Thy Son shining from the Cross; the glory of a love that is faithful to the end. Grant us a share in the experience of the first disciples, the saints, mystics and martyrs who forgave their enemies and offered their lives for their faith.
Lord, may we have the courage to face the Cross and never accept suffering for its own sake not give up on life and its joys. Help us to accept the Cross if it means abandoning ourselves to Thee.
Help us to recognize that we are in Thy hands, even when everything seems to indicate the contrary. Help us to accept the Cross, if it is the price of the battle against injustice, violence, hatred and the abuse of power. Help us to risk the Cross, to suffer and even to die for the sake of making the world more human. Help us to accept the Cross if it means announcing Thee, the God of Life to those for whom life has lost all of its meaning.
Today, we accept the Christian way, to be Thy disciples and to bring hope to those who despair through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Brother, Who didst forgive His tormentors and didst reveal Himself to be the Messiah, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.