Poem: By Your Wounds

By Your Wounds

There you are, wounded in your person

Drawing me close to you

To join myself with you

You open my heart and I weep

To see you afflicted, mortal, suffering

I am stricken

Then I am on fire

All my wounds blazing

Burning, overwhelming my senses

I did not come here for this

I came for you, not my woundedness

Jesus, you can’t help it, can you

Always there for me

Seeking my good, even in your time of trial

“Come closer,” you say

Bring my wounds close to yours

uniting them together

Sorrow and love flow mingled down all around me

And you say this is the beginning of my restoration

Mending what’s broken

Redeeming the losses

Making things right

Such blessed suffering you give me

That by your wounds I am healed

© Dale Gish 2019. All Rights Reserved.

This prayer was inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. If you are interested in praying the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with me starting in September, please contact me.

Poem: Your Wounds

Jesus, you call me to come to you

In your passion

Inviting me to be close to you

Whatever comes

Though my heart shudders to behold

And my body wants to flee

I see you there, suffering

I do not want to leave you alone

Or abandon you.

So I draw near

Joining you in your suffering

I see you separated from your friends

All alone, praying in agony

betrayed with a kiss

Arrested, accused, struck, judged

Beaten, mocked, abused, bloodied

Rejected, sentenced, carrying, falling, nailed

Weakened, suffering, abandoned

Forgiving, dying

I see you

And your wounds

Deepest wounds of love

Opened and offered up

Wounding complete

© Dale Gish 2019. All Rights Reserved.

This prayer was inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. If you are interested in praying the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with me starting in September, please contact me.