Stay With Me Lord ~ St. Pio ~ Life, Hope, and Meaning

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!

The Third Floor Window Book Giveaway

This post is for a link for a wonderful woman named Colleen Spiro. This month is the anniversary of the publication of her book The Third Floor Window. She is generously giving away a copy of her book, and if you click on the above title you will find a way to enter her giveaway. Colleen is a survivor of incest, and this book is about her journey and how God has helped her find hope and healing. Please visit her blog, she is an inspiration!

Natural and Supernatural Habits

F.J. Sheed wrote, Our soul has the supernatural power to act towards God, but it has a natural habit of acting for self, ignoring God.

He goes on to point out the supernatural refers to making that which we can't see as the goal, but we're distracted by the natural, the attractions of the visible. This is the struggle.

Serious sin and our choice of self stops the supernatural grace that flows through us from God. We lose, so supernaturally we become dead.

Sheed follows this with the thought we may still have faith and hope, but each is no longer life giving without love. Love is what nourishes the soul's life and habits. That is why of the three love is the greatest!