Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You I am without meaning and hope. Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
Some versions of this prayer have the words “without fervor” instead of “without meaning and hope.” I have to say I like the prayer using the latter. So many times in life we hear people say my life had no meaning until I met Jesus, or I have no hope without God.
For me, a life without meaning is not life but death. If we define the word meaning as special significance, then life without Our Lord is devoid of meaning. I know some people will disagree, but stay with this thought. If I did not have the love of God, if I did not have God, what is the purpose of living? If our lives are not an eternal testimony to His love, then why are we here? I often think of the inheritance I value the most. It is the faith of my parents. And this faith was handed down to them. But God gave me a free will. Why? I think simply so we will love him freely. He could force us to love Him, but is that love? He wants us to come to Him freely and in love.
What about hope? The archaic definition for hope is trust. Without Our Lord where do I place my trust, in myself? Believe me I’ve tried that, and it seemed to work for awhile. When the rug was yanked from beneath me, I knew then trusting me was something I couldn’t do anymore. If we define hope as anticipation or desire, without God where is hope or what is hope? For me hope, without God, has no meaning. Our lives are designed to have meaning, and our hearts are designed to have hope. This hope is in a Love strong enough to die a cruel death on a cross, so that we can rise to a Love everlasting.
I beg You ~ Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You I am without meaning and hope. Amen!
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3 comments:
Thanks for sharing this. That prayer by Padre Pio is one of my favorites and I can find more in it each time I pray it.
I think there is a reason the virtues of faith, hope and love are always mentioned together. They sort of parallel the Trinity- where one is the other 2 always are. It's the same with these virtues.
Hugs and Blessings!
Oh dear one, I can so relate to this post. I so desperately desire the Lord to stay with me. Even though He does, many times we do not feel it. Thank you for posting this timely post. Blessings to you....
Karinann, I love that about the Trinity!!!
Colleen, this prayer is so beautiful isn't it? Thank you for your comment!
JBR, I know what you mean. And I think have I moved away?
Blessings to you all ~ hugs too!
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