On September 23, the Catholic Church celebrates the life of St. Padre Pio, a Franciscan priest who lived during the twentieth century. He was a remarkable mystic who bore the wounds of Jesus Christ for over fifty years. He spent nearly every waking hour either in prayer or hearing confessions. A remarkably common man, one of his legacies is the prayer that I offer to you below. It is a prayer of pleading, gently reminding us of our need of the Lord's presence in our lives. Contemplate and take it into your heart and it will go with you every moment of every day.
"Stay with me, Lord, because I need to have You present so as not to forget You.
You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak, and I need Your strength so as not to fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, because You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.
Stay with me, Lord, because You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I can hear Your voice, and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I desire to love You ever more and to be always in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You want me to be always faithful to You.
Stay with me, Lord, because my soul is so poor that it desires to be for You a site of consolation, an abode of love."
