O glorious St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus,
you provided for the Holy Family.
We commit to your protection all our crops
and farm industries.
We humbly ask you, to intercede
in our behalf with Almighty God,
who rules the seasons, so that our fields,
being safe from pests and favored by the weather,
may yield abundant crops that will allow us
Part of life while growing up was the occasional phone call I would receive from my uncle, Columban Fr. Tomás King, who is a missionary priest in Pakistan. Every conversation I had with him over the phone would include the question, “When are you coming to Pakistan, Dáire?” While I knew he was usually joking, it still made the phone call a little awkward as I was unable to tell him I had never planned on going to Pakistan to see him. I would always answer
Lord, I wish to believe in You.
Let my faith be full and unreserved,
and let it penetrate my thought,
my way of judging Divine things and human things.
O Christ, our Morning Star,
Splendor of Light Eternal,
shining with the glory of the rainbow,
come and waken us
from the greyness of our apathy,
and renew in us your gift of hope.
Amen.
Mary, we sing our Alleluias today, for Jesus is risen.
Our souls proclaim the greatness of God,
our spirits rejoice in our Risen Savior.
May Your song be sung in our lives
at every moment of this day so that God's power,
which can do far more than we can ask or imagine,
may continue to call life from death and light from darkness,
Risen Lord, Your life-giving presence
gives me hope, strength and peace.
Help me to be Your witness of love
and compassion in the presence of others.
Amen.
Father, You chose Saint John Baptist de la Salle
to give young people a Christian education.
Give your Church teachers who will devote themselves
to helping your children grow as Christian men and women.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your Love
and Faith which You give to us.
Lead us to remember those who have this virus.
Free us from indifference.
Let all be healed and converted from our selfishness
so that your Kingdom of Light and Peace may surround us.
In Jesus Name, we pray.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Mary, God has worked a great wonder: Jesus is risen!
No longer are we caught in the cords of death,
For he has loosened our bonds.
No longer need we walk in fear,
For he has become our strong hope.
No longer are we alone and estranged,
For he has called us friends.
May your faith in the face of death - even death on the cross,
During the celebration of the Easter Vigil last year, this verse from the Exsultet resonated deeply within me. As the Paschal Candle, signifying the risen Christ, was raised high, I imagined the radiance of His glory dissolving the steel bars encircling the prison of death.