A Better Man
Silently he watched, halfway between dark and light
Did he expect me to make a final move towards right
When I closed my eyes to pray, he simply vanished
into nothingness, I did not believe his task finished
Prayer did not stop, since I found myself suspended
in the thinness that had amassed with my new friend
A movement glimpsed to my left, briefly considered
then rejected, as a thought to be left behind for good
Prayer deepened to a closeness recalled in a moment
of Christ touching me with love’s acknowledgement
I knew then where I was, I had found my way inside
the man I had seen when my eyes were opened wide
God had offered and I accepted a different way to be
This new man I am growing into being is a new me
I am shedding desires to be filled with selfish needs
Instead, in the darkness I am finding light supersedes
There is great joy that I cannot find words to explain
Love overwhelms what physical senses constrained
My prayer ended, I had left the stillness of eternity
To slip comfortably into the shell of a new humanity
I woke up one day surprised by a sensation of not having any personal desires. I threw on a coat and walked directly outside into the cold and dark of nature. In deep and silent prayer I discovered the sensation was a real metaphor for something God wanted me to learn. In that moment I accepted the reality that I was becoming the better man I had been striving for.
For further reflection: Colossians 3
Additional Thoughts
This site has written permission from New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) to use the Mark 11 Bible passage.
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Prayer for young families:
Lord, let the young families of our communities get to know your joy, peace, comfort, and love despite the world’s distractions.