Lord, I have become distracted
by the things of this world.
Guide my steps and lead me
safely back home to you.
Help me to respond to the needs of others
so that I may continue to serve Your will.
December 2, 2020
December 1, 2020
Lord help me to forgive as I have been forgiven.
Sometimes I glide over the words
of Your prayer the Our Father.
“Forgive us our trespasses as we I forgive
those who trespass against us”.
But often I don’t forgive.
I harbor grudges.
I want revenge.
Maybe I even think I can never forgive
such an insult or injustice.
Lord you died that I might be forgiven.
Help me to offer that forgiveness to others.
And, surprise, it brings a peace
that I thought not possible.
Amen.
- By a Columban Missionary
November 30, 2020
O glorious St. Andrew,
you were the first to recognize
and follow the Lamb of God.
With your friend, St. John,
you remained with Jesus from that first day,
for your entire life,
and now throughout eternity.
As you led your brother, St. Peter, to Christ
and many others after him,
draw us also to Him.
Teach us to lead others to Christ
solely out of love for Him
and dedication in His service.
Help us to learn the lesson of the Cross
and to carry our daily crosses without complaint
so that they may carry us to Jesus.
Amen.
November 29, 2020
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
In which the Son of God was born of the Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold.
In that hour, I beseech You, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ,
and of His Blessed Mother.
Amen.
November 28, 2020
O God, mercy and forgiveness
are Yours by nature and by right.
Receive our humble petitions.
Though we are bound tightly by the chain of our sins,
set us free by the power of Your great mercy.
Amen
November 27, 2020
O Blessed Columban, who, in your zeal for the extension
of Christ’s Kingdom and the salvation of souls,
spent your life in suffering and exile,
assist and protect, the missionaries of our day,
who have devoted their lives to preaching the Gospel
throughout the world.
Obtain for them that prudence and fortitude
by which you overcame the dangers
which beset your path,
and that firm faith and ardent charity
which enabled you to endure gladly
the privations of this life for the love of Christ.
Assist and protect us, also, dear St Columban,
so to live for God’s glory that when our pilgrimage
through life is over, we may enjoy with you the
eternal rest of heaven through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
November 26, 2020
Lord God, today I am grateful
for the gifts that you bestow.
They are different from a year ago
when mobility, activity, social life
were full and energizing.
These days, my gratitude is for the basics.
That there is food, and shelter and neighbors
and friends.
Life is slower during this pandemic but
there is plenty to appreciate among
the blessings shown each day.
May we be increasing aware of God's
goodness and blessings
even in times of change and scarcity.
Let us make this prayer in Light
and Peace of Jesus Christ
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
November 25, 2020
O God, who distinguished Your holy virgin
and martyr Catherine
by the gift of great wisdom and virtue,
and a victorious combat
with the enemies of the Faith,
grant us, we beg You,
through her intercession,
constancy in the Faith and the wisdom
of the saints, that we may devote all the powers
of our mind and heart to Your service.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
November 24, 2020
St. Andrew, you provided a wonderful example
to your flock of a life lived totally for God.
Pray that we may dedicate our lives
to evangelizing the Good News of God’s Love for us.
St. Andrew, you did not let fear deter you
from your work in God’s service.
Pray that we may not let people’s opinions
affect our actions or hinder us from carrying out God’s will.
St. Andrew, you shed your blood for the sake of the lamb;
pray for us who still labor in the valley of tears,
that we may be strong until the end.
Amen.
November 23, 2020
O kind and good Mother,
whose own soul was pierced by the sword of sorrow,
look upon us while, in our sickness,
we arraign ourselves beside you
on the Calvary where your Jesus hangs.
Dowered with the high grace of suffering,
and hopeful of fulfilling in our own flesh
what is wanting in our sharing of Christ's passion,
on behalf of his Mystical Body, the Church,
we consecrate to you ourselves and our pain.
We pray that you will place them
on that Altar of the Cross to which Jesus is affixed.
May they be little victims of propitiation
for our salvation, for the salvation of all people.
O Mother of Sorrows,
accept this consecration.
Strengthen our hopeful hearts,
that as partakers of Christ's sufferings
we may also share in his comfort now and for evermore.
Amen.
November 22, 2020
Christ Jesus, I acknowledge You King of the universe.
All that has been created has been made for You.
Make full use of Your rights over me.
I renew the promises I made in Baptism,
when I renounced Satan and all his works,
and I promise to live a good Christian life
and to do all in my power
to procure the triumph of the rights of God
and Your Church.
Divine Heart of Jesus,
I offer you my efforts
in order to obtain that all hearts
may acknowledge your Sacred Royalty,
and that the Kingdom of Your peace
may be established throughout the universe.
Amen.
November 21, 2020
Heavenly Father, the Blessed Virgin Mary
was dedicated to You by her parents
when she was three.
Her holiness was very evident,
as she spent her days
praying and reading scripture.
You had great plans for her.
I ask Mary to pray for the plans
You have for my life.
Where I have strayed onto a road of my own choosing,
give me her hand to guide me back to where You want me.
Where I need to wait for a new plan to begin,
give me the grace remain patient and say,
"Your will be done."
Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for me.
Amen
November 20, 2020
O Lord our God,
You are the healer of all mankind.
In Your merciful love
you heal us of sin
and the effects of sin in this life
and the next.
We pray to you, our Lord,
this day to accelerate your plan of final healing
and glory for our loved ones.
Call your beloved home
to the fullness of happiness
and glory with You for all eternity.
Amen.
November 19, 2020
Father of mercies, God of all comfort,
hear our prayers for the souls of the faithful departed.
Console them in their sorrowful exile
from the kingdom prepared for them
from the creation of the world.
We make our prayer for them
through Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who loved them and delivered Himself
up for all of us.
Amen
November 18, 2020
Lord there are so many reasons
to be fearful in our world today.
Help me to realize that You are always with me.
You created me and sustain me.
You are my refuge.
Guide me and help me to do what I can
to live in full confidence that You
are at my right hand.
Let me live with deep trust
in your constant care for me.
The Columbans are a society of missionaries, including priests and lay people, who minister to people of various cultures as a way of witnessing to the universal love of God.