O Mary, we have exiled your Divine Son from our lives,
our councils, our education, and our families!
Come with the light of the sun
as the symbol of His Power!
Heal our wars, our dark unrest;
cool the cannon’s lips so hot with war!
Take our minds off the atom
and our souls out of the muck of nature!
Give us rebirth in your Divine Son, us,
the poor children of the earth grown old with age!
October 3, 2020
October 2, 2020
My good Angel, you come from heaven;
God has sent you to take care of me.
Oh, shelter me under your wings.
Lighten my path, direct my steps.
Do not leave me, stay quite near me
and defend me against the spirit of evil.
But above all come to my help
in the last struggle of my life.
Deliver my soul so that with you it may praise,
love and contemplate the goodness of God
forever and ever.
Amen.
October 1, 2020
The Depths of the Love of Your Heart
Virgin full of grace,
I know that at Nazareth you lived modestly,
without requesting anything more.
Neither ecstasies, nor miracles,
nor other extra ordinary deeds
enhanced your life,
O Queen of the elect.
The number of the lowly,
"the little ones,"
is very great on earth.
They can raise their eyes to you without any fear.
You are the incomparable Mother
who walks with them along the common way
to guide them to heaven.
Beloved Mother, in this harsh exile,
I want to live always with you
and follow you every day.
I am enraptured by the contemplation of you
and I discover the depths of the love of your heart.
All my fears vanish under your motherly gaze,
which teaches me to weep and to rejoice!
Amen.
September 30, 2020
O blessed St. Jerome, our Patron and our guide,
humbly we ask that you intercede for us before God,
and that our petitions this day will be answered.
We ask your blessing on the poor,
the sick and the unemployed of our parish.
Bless all married couples, the young and the old.
Grant that those who have heard the call to serve
as ministers of your Church,
will receive a special blessing this day.
Pray for us, St. Jerome,
that our parish community will always remain united
in the love that only Christ can bring.
May your word and example
be our strength and our consolation.
Amen.
September 29, 2020
Blessed Saint Gabriel, Archangel, we beseech you
to intercede for us at the throne of divine mercy:
As you announced the mystery of the Incarnation to Mary,
so through your prayers may we receive
strength of faith and courage of spirit,
and thus find favor with God
and redemption through Christ Our Lord.
May we sing the praise of God our Savior
with the angels and saints in heaven
forever and ever.
Amen.
September 28, 2020
Dear Lord much of what is going on in my life
seems to be of no use.
One day is the same as the day before and on and on.
Sometimes I wonder where it is all going.
But then I realize that if I simply place it all in your hands
you will make sense of it all.
You have placed me here and now
for some specific purpose.
Doing what you want will bring happiness
beyond what I would have thought possible.
By a Columban Missionary
September 27, 2020
I, a faithless sinner -
renew and ratify today in your hands,
O Immaculate Mother,
the vows of my Baptism;
I renounce forever Satan,
his pomp and works;
and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ,
the Incarnate Wisdom,
to carry my cross after Him
all the days of my life,
and to be more faithful to Him
than I have ever been before.
September 26, 2020
Breath in me, Spirit of God,
that I may think what is holy;
drive me, Spirit of God,
that I may do what is holy;
draw me Spirit of God,
that I may love what is holy;
strengthen me, Spirit of God,
that I may preserve what is holy;
guard me, Spirit of God,
that I may never lose what is holy.
September 25, 2020
O Mary, grant that this church of Christ,
in defining itself, will acknowledge you
as its most chosen mother, daughter, and sister,
as well as its incomparable model,
its glory, its joy, and its hope.
We ask you now that we may be made
worthy of honoring you
because of who you are
and because of what you do
in the wondrous and loving plan of salvation.
Grant that we may praise you, O holy Virgin!
September 24, 2020
Behold me, my beloved Jesus,
weighed down under the burden
of my trials and sufferings,
I cast myself at Your feet, that You may renew
my strength and my courage,
while I rest here in Your Presence.
Permit me to lay down my cross in Your Sacred Heart,
for only Your infinite goodness can sustain me;
only Your love can help me bear my cross;
only Your powerful hand can lighten its weight.
O Divine King, Jesus,
whose heart is so compassionate to the afflicted,
I wish to live in You; suffer and die in You.
During my life be to me my model and my support;
At the hour of my death, be my hope and my refuge.
Amen.
September 23, 2020
Show us, we ask You, O Lord,
in Your clemency, Your unspeakable mercy,
that You may both cleanse us from all our sins,
and deliver us from the punishments
which they have deserved.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns world without end.
Amen.
September 22, 2020
Sometimes I am amazed, Lord, at the people
you have chosen to do your work.
But you see beyond the superficial to the hidden goodness
and abilities of the people you have made in your image.
Help me to accept the gifts you have bestowed on me
and to offer them to others.
It would be a shame if out of a false sense of humility
I did not offer to others what you have so generously given me.
Lord give me the courage to give of myself to others today.
- By a Columban Missionary
September 21, 2020
Glorious St. Matthew
through the grace of God,
Our Father, you gave us the Holy Gospel,
which brings us joy and life.
Inspired by your example,
I ask for your assistance in all my needs.
Help me to follow Christ
and remain faithful to His service.
Amen.
September 20, 2020
O My God,
I love you above all things,
with my whole heart and soul,
because you are all-good and worthy of all love.
I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you.
I forgive all who have injured me,
and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.
Amen.
September 19, 2020
Heavenly Father, You protected your faithful servant Januarius
and his companions who were thrown to the bears,
now we ask that You protect us from the COVID-19 virus
which has swept to every corner of our world.
Keep our families safe and healthy,
and inspire those working toward a vaccine.
Bless, too, the millions of people who contracted the virus
relieve their suffering and restore their health.
Through Your son Jesus Christ
who lives and reigns forever and ever.
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.