O Lord Jesus Christ,
who ascended into heaven in glory,
I adore You and praise You
and beg You to ask Your Heavenly Father
to look down in mercy upon us
who still struggle here on earth.
Amen.
May 21, 2020
May 20, 2020
Lord you are kind and merciful.
You forgive us.
You are always available to welcome us back
after we have failed.
It is not easy sometimes to offer kindness or mercy
or to forgive others when we have been offended.
It is particularly difficult when we are under stress
as so many are now with the coronavirus.
Lord guide us to share that same spirit of kindness
and mercy that you have shared with us.
Amen.
– By a Columban Missionary
May 19, 2020
Dear Lord Jesus,
When I look at other people’s houses from the outside,
I imagine they are all enjoying days of coziness and companionship.
Forgive me, Lord, but I envy those people who have a tranquil home.
As day after day, I ‘shelter in place’ in my house,
I find that this is not a refuge from tension, anger, shouting, and worse…
Lord, protect me and anyone who lives in fear in their own home.
Defender of the weak, I need your help and I place myself in the
shadow of the cross.
Amen.
— Columban Fr. John Burger, U.S. Regional Director
May 18, 2020
Holy Immaculate Mary,
help all who are in trouble.
Give courage to the faint-hearted,
console the sad,
heal the infirm,
pray for the people,
intercede for the clergy,
have a special care for nuns;
may all feel,
all enjoy your kind and powerful assistance,
all who now and always render and will render,
you honor, and will offer you their petitions.
Hear all our prayers, O Mother,
and grant them all.
We are all your children:
Grant the prayers of your children.
Amen forever.
May 17, 2020
Lord in our present suffering from the coronavirus we call to you.
You have delivered us from our fears in the past.
Please hear us in this special time of anxiety.
But we are confident that even in this time you are watching over us.
Please give your consolation to all of us
but especially those suffering from the present uncertainty.
Give us confidence in your saving presence.
Amen.
– By a Columban Missionary
May 16, 2020
O most blessed Virgin,
obtain for me of your dear Son,
our Lord and our God, a lively faith,
firm hope, perfect charity, true contrition of heart,
unfeigned tears of compunction, sincere confession,
fitting satisfaction, abstinence from sin,
love of God and my neighbor, contempt of the world,
patience to suffer affronts and disgrace,
and scornful death itself, for love of your Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ.
May 15, 2020
Dear Mother Mary, with this virus going around
I ask you to pray to Jesus for my grandchildren.
How I would love to make the world safe for them.
But deep down I know that is impossible and yet I wish I could.
Nonetheless, I pray that I may be able to pass on to them
the gift of faith and a heart with the impulse to pray.
Then, in whatever dangerous situation they find themselves,
whether it be sickness or violence or famine,
they will believe in you and turn to you.
Amen.
— Columban Fr. John Burger, U.S. Regional Director
May 14, 2020
Oh Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I give you my heart.
I want to love you.
I want to love Jesus,
the Father,
the Holy Spirit,
and this world through your holy heart.
My dear mother,
I place myself in your heart,
I know you will care for me in all my needs.
I give myself to you,
Mary, my mother.
I love you so much!
Amen
May 13, 2020
O Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
you were pleased to appear to the children of Fatima
and reveal a glorious message.
We implore you,
inspire in our hearts a fervent love
for the recitation of the Rosary.
By meditating on the mysteries of the redemption
that are recalled therein
may we obtain the graces and virtues that we ask,
through the merits of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Redeemer.
May 12, 2020
Lord we remember that after the Resurrection
your disciples spent time isolated in the upper room.
They felt the loss of your presence.
They were afraid of what they could not control.
Sometimes we feel like that because of the virus
and its social distancing.
For many of us it is a time of loneliness.
Help us to have the confidence
that you are with us during this time of trial.
Lord you are our strength.
Renew your spirit among us.
Amen.
– By a Columban Missionary
May 11, 2020
Father of love and compassion,
Thank you for your forbearance.
How many times have we unthinkingly prayed the words,
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Now our plans and comfort have been upended
and we are not in control of our situation.
Help us rediscover our dedication to doing
your holy will in every situation.
Keep us far from greed and self-pity.
And do not let us be indifferent to the needs
of the less fortunate among us.
Our pride and complacency have suffered.
May your Holy Spirit give us a truer
understanding of our reality.
May our hearts swell with renewed gratitude
for all the people and things we have taken for granted.
We make this prayer in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
— Columban Fr. John Burger, U.S. Regional Director
May 10, 2020
Loving God, as a mother gives life
and nourishment to her children,
so you watch over Your Church.
Bless these women, that they may
be strengthened as Christian mothers.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their sons and daughters,
may honor them always
with a spirit of profound respect.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
May 9, 2020
May the Lord Jesus Christ be with you to defend you.
May He be within you to preserve you,
before you to lead you,
behind you to guard you,
and above you to bless you,
who lives and is King with the Father
and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.
May 8, 2020
Lord, this year we may not have been able
to celebrate your Resurrection as we would have wanted.
But we are reminded that your Resurrection
came after much suffering.
Help us to accept our anxiety and suffering
during the time of this virus so that we might
be prepared to accept the transforming power
of your resurrection in our lives.
Amen.
– By a Columban Missionary
May 7, 2020
O Blessed Virgin Mary, you are the mother
and queen of every Christian family.
When you conceived and gave birth to Jesus,
human motherhood reached its greatest achievement.
From the time of the Annunciation
you were the living chalice of the Son of God made man.
You are the queen of the home.
As a woman of faith, you inspire all mothers
to transmit faith to their children.
Watch over our families.
Let children learn free and loving obedience
inspired by your obedience to God.
Let parents learn dedication
and selflessness based on your unselfish attitude.
Let all families honor you and remain devoted to you
so that they may be held together by your example
and your intercession.
Amen.
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.