July 25, 2018
O gracious God,
we remember before You today Your servant and apostle James,
first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom
for the Name of Jesus Christ;
and we pray that You will pour out upon the leaders of your Church
that spirit of self-denying service
by which alone they may have true authority among your people;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever.
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.