Healing words of Jesus

Mark Five: Red Letter Edition
by Mary Harwell Sayler

Come out, come out
wherever you are!
What is your name?

Go home to your friends
and tell them the things –
the merciful things –
the Lord has done.

Who touched My clothes?
You've touched the Son!
Now go, touched in peace.
You have been healed.

You have been healed
of all your fears.
Just trust in Me.

Why are you weeping?
Why do you cry?
The child isn't dead.
She's only sleeping.

Get up, little girl!
Go out in the world.
Go out and become
a young child again.


©2011, 2014, 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved. The poem originally appeared in Catholic Lane, Summer 2011.

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Jesus teaches us to pray

Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus said, “Pray like this:”

Our Father in Heaven
(from Whom we all come in the image of Love),

may Your Name be kept holy
(in my life, in the life of the Church,
and in _______.)

May Your Kingdom of Love come,
and Your Will to love be done on earth
(in me and each of these _______
people, places, or situations)
as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread
(to feed us and ________
physically, mentally, and spiritually)

And forgive us our debts
(of wrongs against You and _______)
as we forgive our debtors
(who have treated us in an unloving way,
especially _______.)

Do not lead us into hard trials
(where we might do wrong or act unkindly),
but deliver us from evil
(hatred, bigotry, apathy, and _______.)

(For You have the Kingdom we want
and the power we need
to love and glorify You forever.)


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s Bible reading in Matthew from translations provided on Bible Gateway. For a similar post that includes the traditional prayer, see “Praying with Jesus.”


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Praying the Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain, sat down, and called His disciples to come close. He then taught them (and us!) the attitudes to aim for, pray for, and keep with confidence in His Name:

God bless you
who are humble in spirit
for the Kingdom of Heaven is yours.

God bless you who mourn
for God Himself will comfort you.

God bless you who are gentle
for you will inherit the earth!

God bless you who are hungry
and thirsty for all that is right
for you will be satisfied.

God bless you who are merciful.
God will show mercy to you.

God bless you who have pure hearts
and pure motives
for you shall see God clearly.

God bless you, Peacemakers!
You shall be called children of God.

God bless you who are persecuted
for following God’s will.
The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to you.

God bless you who are insulted,
mistreated, and abused because
of your faith in Christ. Rejoice!
Be glad! What a huge reward
will greet you in Heaven
in the company of the prophets
who were treated as you have been.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s Bible reading in Matthew from translations provided on Bible Gateway.

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A prayer request gets a “no”

Mark 10:35-40

James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
asked Jesus if He would do for them
whatever they asked!

So Jesus said, “And what do you want Me
to do for you?

They told him that, when His kingdom
comes in glory,
they want to sit beside Him – one
on the right, the other on the left.

But Jesus said,
“You do not know what you’re asking,”

and He questioned if they would be able
to drink the cup of suffering He must drink
or be baptized with what He must bear,
and they said, “We can!”

Then Jesus said, “You may drink
the cup I must drink and you may be baptized
with which I Am to be baptized,
but to place you by My right side or My left
is not My place to give.
That is for those
for whom it has been prepared.”


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Mark with the help of translations provided online by Bible Gateway.

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Prayer to discern the power and glory of God

Prayer-a-phrase of Ephesians 1:17-21

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ –
the glorious Father –
give you a spirit of wisdom
and the knowledge revealed
to know Him.

May the eyes of your heart
be so filled with light,
you may know
what hope you have
in God’s call,

what riches of glory you’ve inherited
with the holy ones,

what exceeding power God has
for us who believe –

the same power shown by raising
Christ from the dead and
seating Him at His right hand
in heavenly places found
far above every principality,
authority, power, domain,
and every other name we can name –
not only in this age but the one to come.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Ephesians by using several of the many translations provided online by Bible Gateway.

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Earth Day of praising God

On this Earth Day, let’s call upon our praying Earth and all of God’s creations to praise our LORD God!

Psalm 66:1-4

May a joyful noise to God,
all the Earth!

Sings praise to His name.
Make your praise glorious.

Say to God, “How awesome
are Your works!”

Before Your great strength
and power,
Your antagonists cringe.

All the Earth worships You.
All the Earth praises You
and sing praises to Your Name.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 66 from several of the many translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Turning stones into prayer

Acts 7:59-60

As they kept stoning Stephen,
he called out, “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.

Then he dropped to his knees,
crying loudly,
“Lord, do not hold this sin
against them.”

Having said this,
he slipped into sleep.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Acts from several of the many translations on Bible Gateway. For a longer version of this episode, read “Stephen prays for his murderers.”


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