I recently read a biography of Mother Angelica, the feisty nun who founded the Eternal Word Television Network.
I’d never seen her on television, never heard her speak. And I wasn’t quite sure why I thought I should read this book (Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles, by Raymond Arroyo) until I got near the end. There I found this prayer:
Lord, I want you to use me in any way you want. I don’t care what it is. Just don’t let me see the fruit.
Wow. I had to put the book down to digest that. Use me, Lord. Use me completely, at any cost, and keep my awareness of me out of the way. The fruit of my labors isn’t mine—it’s for you. I want what you want, no matter what.
Use me in any way, in every minute. Use every ounce of me that you have created. Don’t let my weaknesses get in your way. Use me in any task, big or small, obvious or not. Show me how I can serve you and I’ll do it, because that’s why I exist and why I want to exist: to do your will.
Use me, Lord, and don’t let me see the fruit. All I want to see is you.
