Lord, unite me more closely to You,
the one true God
and lead me safely through death
to everlasting happiness with You.
April 7, 2017
April 7, 2017
Through the decades, more than 20 Columban Fathers have been martyred while on mission. However, not until 1983 did martyrdom touch the Columban Sisters, after police accidentally gunned down Columban Sister Joan Sawyer in Lima, Peru.
April 6, 2017
O Lord, through your holy communion
may I be protected from evil.
May You be a helmet of faith
and a shield of good will.
May You purify me from evil ways
and put an end to my evil passions.
May You bring me charity and patience,
humility and obedience,
and growth in power to do good.
April 5, 2017
Lord, Father all-powerful,
and ever-living God,
I thank You,
for even though I am a sinner,
Thy unprofitable servant,
not because of my worth,
but in the kindness of Your mercy,
You have fed me with the precious Body
and Blood of Your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
April 4, 2017
May the tribute of my humble ministry
be pleasing to You, Holy Trinity.
Grant that the sacrifice which I,
unworthy as I am,
have offered in the presence of Your majesty
may be acceptable to You.
Through Your mercy may it bring forgiveness to me
and to all for whom I have offered it:
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
April 3, 2017
Father, source of light in every age,
the virgin conceived and bore Your Son
Who is called Wonderful God,
Prince of Peace.
May her prayer,
the gift of a mother's love,
be Your people's joy through all ages.
May her response,
born of a humble heart,
draw Your Spirit to rest on Your people.
April 2, 2017
Jesus, my Lord, let me go to Mary
when suffering threatens to overwhelm me.
Ask your mother to stay with me
when I am afraid and tempted to surrender.
Let me look to Mary as my model for love,
as well as my haven of healing.
Make sure I am considerate of other people
and notice how they are affected by their suffering.
April 1, 2017
Life is for living. It is to experience freedom to love and help others, to be free to grow and have family. To be human is to be free from fear and punishment and ill health, poverty and hunger. Living is to be free to think, to speak our thoughts and freely choose the good. To be alive is to have justice and dignity and the fullness of existence. To be able say I am alive and I know that I am is to be aware of life. But millions are deprived of these basic values of human life. The death penalty is just another way to deprive people of life itself.
April 1, 2017
By Fr. Bobby Gilmore
What was it my father used to say? A bird stuck between two branches gets bitten on both wings. I would like to add my saying to the list now, Father: A man stuck between two worlds lives and dies alone. (Dinaw Mengestu-The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears)
April 1, 2017
I'm not the only one.
I beg you, Lord,
to help me grow in compassion.
If I am faithful to You
and close to Your blessed mother,
those who suffer will be comforted by my presence...
and they will gain courage
as I stand beside them,
by their cross.
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.