January 21, 2021
Lord I believe that you will always care for us.
As it prays in the psalm “You have created
my inmost being you have knit me
in my mother’s womb.”
Now during this time of the virus help us
to have confidence that you will not abandon us.
No matter how much our lives have been changed
or how much we are suffering
I trust that you are here with us.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
January 14, 2021
Dear Jesus,
You came to show the real meaning of life.
You came to bring forgiveness and healing to a broken world.
By your giving of yourself even to the point of death,
you save us and bring the promise of new life.
May your touch and example embolden us
in facing the challenge of the coronavirus.
Amen.
— By Columban Fr. John Comiskey
January 7, 2021
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
December 31, 2020
Sometimes Lord I simply get tired of waiting
for things to get back to normal.
How long more?
Then I remember the well-known plea
in the words of psalm 13.
How long O Lord?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
But I read on and hear the psalmist sing,
“How good our God has been to me.”
Yes, despite it all I am blessed
in so many other ways.
Amen
— By a Columban Missionary
December 24, 2020
Good and gracious God, at this time of pandemic
help us to know that we are not abandoned.
Assist us in bearing this cross of suffering,
illness and death.
Guide us to an increase in Faith
in the life, death and Resurrection.
May we see that the difficulties of
this moment can be carried
with the Light of Your Love.
We pray in the Name of Jesus Christ,
Our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
December 17, 2020
Dear Lord God,
it was steady and predictable
to live in stability for a long time.
Now, there is much uncertainty
How long will this pandemic last?
In ages past, our ancestors also had
experiences of pandemic
We are not the only ones to know
this kind of illness and possible pending
suffering.
Faith teaches us that you will not abandon us Lord God.
So, we lean on your promise to stay with us
for all time.
Let us be sources of encouragement and support
for one another as brothers and sisters
as we face the changes and pandemic of our time.
With God, all things are possible.
May the God who gives us power and strength
grant us peace and solidarity
to live each day with goodness and grace
In Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
December 10, 2020
The golden glow of a late autumn afternoon
brightens leafless tree limbs.
Joy lingers in the memory of sunny days from long ago.
A warmth remains to bear the coming winter’s cold
and imagine spring’s new life.
Help me dear Lord be aware
of your faithful presence wherever I am.
Amen
— By Columban Fr. John Comiskey
December 3, 2020
There is a certain rhythm in our life cycle
of birth, growth, aging and death.
With the pandemic, this passing of stages
in life has been abruptly changed for so
many people.
Lord, help us at this time when our brothers
and sisters are in pain and dealing
with sickness and loss due to the
corona virus
Let us know in a deeper gift, that You are
with us;new even in this time of uncertainty
and illness.
We place this prayer in the loving hands
of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
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 19, 2020
Good and Gracious God,
guide us to live in harmony
during this time of the coronavirus.
Please grant us strength and courage
to be flexible and adapt
to the necessary changes
for the health and well-being
of our friends, neighbors and families.
We ask this in the name of
Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
November 12, 2020
Dear Lord,
This time of pandemic is indeed long.
And the statistics are grim.
Days of social distancing
have turned to weeks.
And weeks of near isolation,
have become claustrophobic months.
Like the athletes running the Boston marathon
who named a part of their route ‘heartbreak hill,’
I am struggling and I observe some around me
who are also showing signs of impatience and fatigue.
Discouraged, some are saying ‘enough’ and giving up.
Help me to keep putting one foot in front of the other
and to be a source of encouragement to those around me.
In small acts of kindness, I can make you present.
Give me the inspiration and the strength
to care enough about others’ safety to do my part
and protect them from the virus
so that as many as possible can safely complete the course.
Amen.
— Columban Fr. John Burger, U.S. Regional Director
November 5, 2020
My Jesus, I thank You for coming to me.
I know I could never deserve such an honor.
May I life always in a spirit of gratitude
for Your kindness to me.
I now offer You all the thanksgiving
of all the Mass that are being offered today
and will ever be offered in the world.
May You be blessed and praised
forever in the Eucharist.
October 29, 2020
Most merciful and Triune God,
We come to you in our weakness.
We come to you in our fear.
We come to you with trust.
For you alone are our hope.
We place before you the disease present in our world.
We turn to you in our time of need.
Bring wisdom to doctors. Give understanding to scientists.
Endow caregivers with compassion and generosity.
Bring healing to those who are ill.
Protect those who are most at risk.
Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one.
Welcome those who have died into your eternal home.
Stabilize our communities.
Unite us in our compassion.
Remove all fear from our hearts.
Fill us with confidence in your care.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Amen.
— By a Columban Lay Missionary
October 22, 2020
Lord of all creation, we are reminded in this month of October
of your call to your followers, that, through our baptism
we have been made sharers in the mission of the Church
to “go and make disciples of all nations”.
Through different times in human history you have invited us
to share in the task of transforming our world so that people
of all nations and cultures may have the opportunity
of experiencing the saving love and mercy of your Son Jesus Christ.
The world of today is torn by division, conflict and mistrust
and the planet on which we depend for our survival is threatened
with extinction through greed and ignorance of the consequences
of not preserving the gift of creation which you have bequeathed to humankind.
Empower us through the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be courageous
and zealous in bearing witness to the Gospel.
Grant to leaders of different nations a listening ear, to hear the cries
of the poor and afflicted in their midst, that people everywhere may share
in the riches of your creation and become partakers in the task
of making all things new in the name of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen.
-- By Fr. Bernie McDermott
October 15, 2020
My Jesus, I desire to receive You into my soul.
I know that I am not worthy, but I come to You,
my Divine Physician, with humble faith
like the sick people in the Gospel.
Only say the word and I shall be healed.
Through this virtual Communion let me draw life
from You and be able to love and serve You better.
May Your kingdom come in my heart and in all the world.
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
