April 3, 2018
Mary, we, your sons and daughters
Look to you as we treasure and ponder
The Rising of Jesus - your Son.
Teach us how that marvelous moment can topple the proud,
Elevate the lowly, feed the hungry,
And mission the rich - even today.
Confident in God's power and love,
Trusting in the Risen Lord,
Relying on the Promised Advocate,
The Spirit of Life and of Truth,
We dedicate our lives, in your name and for your honor
To the transforming power of Easter.
Amen.
April 2, 2018
May Christ, the Living One
who came back from the dead,
fill your heart with blessings this Easter
May he share
the joy of His presence
with you this Easter
to guide you
in all your ways.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. Pat Sayles
April 1, 2018
May the Lord bless you this Easter Time:
Bless you with faith,
guard you in doubt;
Bless you with hope,
uplift you in despair;
Bless you with love
keep you from fear;
Bless you with peace,
calm you in trouble;
Bless you with mercy,
help you forgive;
Bless you with joy,
comfort you in sorrow
So your heart
may rejoice
in the Risen Lord.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. Pat Sayles
March 31, 2018
Like Mary in tears at the empty tomb
with the stone rolled back,
wondering where You were,
so in life we can be downhearted
even desperate for Your help,
Your presence, Your grace in our lives,
not knowing how to find You.
And there You were Lord, nearby,
and when Mary recognized You
her tears turned to joy.
Lord, help us to recognize You,
to see Your presence in our lives,
and not be despondent.
Help us to find You
when we seek You,
so that the sorrows of life
will turn to joy,
the joy of knowing that You are alive
and with us always.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. Pat Sayles
March 30, 2018
O Jesus, Who by reason of Your burning love for us
has willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood
for the redemption and salvation of our souls,
look down upon us here gathered together
in remembrance of Your most sorrowful Passion and Death,
fully trusting in Your mercy;
cleanse us from sin by Your grace,
sanctify our toil,
give unto us and to all those who are dear to us our daily bread,
sweeten our sufferings,
bless our families,
and to the nations so sorely afflicted,
grant Your peace,
which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your commandments
we may come at last to the glory of heaven.
Amen.
March 29, 2018
Lord, help me to show
compassion towards others,
as You show compassion to me;
help me to be forgiving towards others,
as You are forgiving to me;
help me to be considerate towards others,
as You are considerate to me.
So that in all things I may find peace,
knowing Your loving care in my life;
and that in all I do I may find joy,
knowing your loving presence in my hear.
Like the son who squandered Your gifts,
yet humbly returned seeking forgiveness
may I be truly sorry for my waywardness
and I give You thanks
that in spite of all my failures
I can still call You Father.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. Pat Sayles
March 28, 2018
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
My memory, my understanding
And my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace.
That is enough for me.
Amen.
March 27, 2018
O Lord Jesus, in order that the merits
of Your sacrifice on the Cross
might be applied to every soul of all time,
You willed that it should be renewed upon the altar.
At the Last Supper, You said:
"Do this in remembrance of me."
By these words
You gave Your apostles and their successors
the power to consecrate
and to do what You Yourself did.
I believe that the Mass is
both a sacrifice and a memorial-
reenacting your passion, death and resurrection.
Help me to realize that the Mass
is the greatest gift of God to us
and our greatest gift to God.
March 26, 2018
Lord, this Easter
I ask You to bless my home,
to make it a place
where Your goodness dwells,
where Your presence can be felt.
I ask You to protect my home,
to make it a place
where my loved ones
can find peace and security
knowing You love them.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. Pat Sayles
March 25, 2018
Teach me, my Lord,
to be sweet and gentle in all the events of life,
in disappointments,
in the thoughtlessness of those I trusted,
in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied.
Let me put myself aside,
to think of the happiness of others,
to hide my little pains and heartaches,
so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.
Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path.
Let me so use it that it may make me patient, not irritable.
As I go my rounds from one distraction to another,
let me whisper from time to time,
a word of love to You.
May my life be lived in the supernatural,
full of power for good,
and strong in its purpose of sanctity.
Amen.
March 24, 2018
The courage to believe,
to dare to believe
in the God who loves us!
The courage to dream,
to dare to dream
in the God who fills this world
with goodness and love!
The courage to hope,
to dare to hope
in the God of endless mercy!
The courage to believe,
to dare to believe
that You rose from the dead!
Lord, help us to turn to You
full of confidence,
not turn away from You
with the unbelieving hearts,
open our hearts
to know Your presence,
to know that You are risen.
Amen
- Columban Fr. Pat Sayles
March 23, 2018
O Jesus,it is not the heavenly reward You have promised
which impels me to love You;
neither is it the threat of hell
that keeps me from offending You.
It is You O Lord,
it is the sight of You
affixed to the Cross and suffering insults;
it is the sight of Your broken body,
as well as Your pains and Your death.
There is nothing You can give me
to make me love You.
For even if there were no heaven and no hell
I would still love you as I do!
March 22, 2018
At first
Mary didn’t sense
Your presence,
didn’t know it was You
there in the Garden.
When she realized,
her heart was filled
with joy.
How often You are
near to us
and we don’t realize
For You are never far
from any of us.
Lord, help us to be
aware You are close
to us, so that Your
presence can bring
us joy, a joy that
makes our heart sing.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. Pat Sayles
March 21, 2018
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus
while before Your face I humbly kneel and,
with burning soul,
pray and beseech You
to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments
of faith, hope, and charity;
true contrition for my sins,
and a firm purpose of amendment.
While I contemplate,
with great love and tender pity,
Your five most precious wounds,
pondering over them within me
and calling to mind the words which David,
Your prophet, said to You, my Jesus:
"They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones."
Amen.
March 20, 2018
Lord, at this time of Easter rejoicing
open our eyes that we may see You in others,
especially in the poor and suffering;
Open our hearts
that we may love You in others,
especially in those who need our forgiveness;
Open our spirits
that we may share You with others,
especially with those who feel far from You.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. Pat Sayles
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.
We go in the name of the Church to announce, by deed and word, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Missionary Society of St. Columban
1902 N. Calhoun
St. Columbans, NE 68056
Phone: 877-299-1920
Fax: 402-291-4984
email: mission@columban.org
