Lord, we want to be liberated from the sufferings that bring us death.
We want to attach ourselves to sufferings that lead us to life; sufferings that accompany our growth; sufferings that arise from the pain of admitting our mistakes in the past; sufferings that cause us misery as we struggle with recurring problems, repeated problems, embarrassing problems; sufferings that engulf us in fear of the punishments and retribution that we imagine our sins will bring us; sufferings that mark our determined efforts to rise up from our vices; sufferings that are caused by the pain of accepting the painful reality within our families.
Lord, help us to realize that sufferings can be meritorious and valuable, too. That suffering is Your gift to us. That suffering is Your way to remind us of Your gentle soothing presence. Lord, we are afraid of sufferings that bring us death. Take away from our bearts the fear of sufferings that bring us to life. Take away our fear. Make us courageous, make us bold, make us daring to be able to suffer and suffer more for you and with you.
Jesus, Mary was closest to You at the foot of the cross because the cross is Your most valuable possession. We pledge right now before Your presence that we will stop running away from sufferings, we will stop running away from the pains that lead us to life. Lord, help us to do it. Make us daring, make us bold, make us courageous.
We trust, lord, that when we entrust ourselves to You, You will do the rest for us. We trust You. We have faith in you. We have confidence in You. Lord, take away the fears, the anxieties, the trauma, the hurts, the bitterness, the brokenness that we still carry in our hearts right this very moment.
Heal our bodies and souls. Heal every tissue, every fiber every cell of our bodies; but heal also every memory of the past, every memory that haunts us, everything that prevents us from truly growing up.
Lord, change us. We are ready. Lord, heal us. We are willing. Lord, guide us, without You we will be lost.
