Pray Pain

To ask to suffer more for You I dare,
O You Who suffered so much more for me,
to tremulously ask for it in prayer
to seek more pain and voluntarily.

Yet pain we always try hard to avoid,
though for a goal we say, "no pain, no gain,"
but if we hope our soul won't be destroyed,
if there's no pain, we leave our life in vain.

St. Theresa called her suffering a joy,
it gave her soul and sinners some reward,
she prayed to Christ to be His little toy,
to joyfully share the suffering of her Lord.

For love, she said, her pain had an appeal,
God, let me suffer so my love is real.

                    --  by Pete Voelz     8/10