Sing, my tongue, the Savior’s glory,
Of His flesh the mystery sing;
Of the blood all price exceeding,
Shed by our immortal King.
Destined for the world's redemption.
From a noble womb to spring.
Of a pure and spotless virgin,
Born for us on earth below,
He, as man with man conversing,
Stay'd, the seeds of truth to sow;
When Dan O'Connor first arrived at the Columban House in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1983, he was greeted with "There's a Kiwi in the house!" And indeed he was a "Kiwi" hailing from Hokitika on New Zealand's South Island. He had been posted to Pakistan for two years on the Columban Overseas Training Program.
Father of Mercy,
forgive my failings,
keep me in Your Grace,
and lead me in the way of salvation.
Give me strength in serving You
as a follower of Christ.
May the Eucharist bring me Your Forgiveness
and give me freedom to serve You all my life.
May it help me to remain faithful
and give me the grace I need in Your service.
Columban General Council on the opening of the United Nations’ COP23 presided by Fiji and hosted in Bonn, Germany, wishes to send a message urging all leaders to take meaningful action on advancing the agreements made at COP21 in Paris and COP 22 in Marrakesh. Columbans have been present in Fiji for more than 60 years and know intimately the impacts of climate change on small island states in
Father, I belong to you.
I place myself anew in your hands
and acknowledge you as Master and Lord of my life.
Grant me the gift of a forgiving heart
and cleanse me of any anger,
hostility or revenge.
Heal my hurts and wounds and teach me to rely on your love.
Grant me wisdom of heart
and strengthen me by your grace to move on in faith,
"I have to be in Myanmar. I have to go. I have to take a risk. I know there will be a lot of frustration, difficulties and struggles, yet inside my heart I hear the voice of God gently saying, 'Go! You must go, you have to go.'"
I beg you, Lord,
let the fiery, gentle power of your love
take possession of my soul,
and snatch it away
from everything under heaven,
that I may die for love of your love
as you saw fit to die for love of mine.
Amen.
O Divine Eternal Father,
in union with your Divine Son and the Holy Spirit,
and through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I beg You to destroy the Power of your greatest enemy,
the evil spirits.
Remember, O most pure spouse
of the Virgin Mary,
my beloved Patron,
that never it has been heard
that anyone invoked your patronage
and sought your aid
without being comforted.
Inspired by this confidence I come to you
and fervently commend myself to you.
Despise not my petition,
O dearest foster father of our Redeemer,
In his book, The Road Less Traveled, Scott Peck's first sentence is the somber observation, "Life is difficult." Direct and honest, it is a reality worth mulling over because, though we all know and have experienced that life is indeed hard, nevertheless there is a widespread belief that we have a right to be happy and that pain, distress and hurts are to be shunned.