LORD, hear my prayer;
let my cry come to you.
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Turn your ear to me;
when I call, answer me quickly. (Psalm 102:2-3 NABRE)
Honest words from a heart deeply concerned. Psalm 102 is "The prayer of one afflicted and wasting away whose anguish is poured out before the LORD." Desperately disintegrating in both mind and body, the Psalmist cries out to God for help.
But in the mere fact of the cry itself, there is hope. There is trust. There is belief. However small these things may be in our hearts at such times, they are there. When we most need the Lord, at these times especially, he hears our calls and he answers.
Lord, it my distress, I turn to you. With no recourse but you, when I have exhausted my earthly options, I humbly remember your greatness, faithfulness and mercy. And I ask that you hear and answer my prayer. I trust in your faithfulness and I rely with great confidence on your mercy. May your will be done, and may I learn even from my suffering, but please, if it is consistent with your will, may this trouble pass me by so that I might know relief.
Today, I will pray for the relief of those who suffer in body and mind.
Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary and patron of fathers, pray for us.
Saint Catherine of Genoa, who shows us how a realistic sense of our own sinfulness can prepare us to meet the needs of our neighbors, pray for us.
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