Na yacamu? Na yacaqu, O Jinky mai, Philippines. What is your name? This is the common question I used to hear and the common answer I used to say every time I meet people in the village of Navatuyaba, Toga, in Rewa province Fiji where I am having my exposure for language and culture. Answering this question is like telling the story of myself.
May 13, 2020
O Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
you were pleased to appear to the children of Fatima
and reveal a glorious message.
We implore you,
inspire in our hearts a fervent love
for the recitation of the Rosary.
By meditating on the mysteries of the redemption
that are recalled therein
May 12, 2020
Lord we remember that after the Resurrection
your disciples spent time isolated in the upper room.
They felt the loss of your presence.
They were afraid of what they could not control.
Sometimes we feel like that because of the virus
and its social distancing.
For many of us it is a time of loneliness.
Help us to have the confidence
May 11, 2020
Since I was appointed to mission in China I have been constantly asked what kind of ministry I have been involved in given that mission activity is banned in China. Due to a number of restrictions placed on foreign missionaries, I cannot be involved in parish ministry.
May 11, 2020
Father of love and compassion,
Thank you for your forbearance.
How many times have we unthinkingly prayed the words,
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Now our plans and comfort have been upended
and we are not in control of our situation.
Help us rediscover our dedication to doing
your holy will in every situation.
May 10, 2020
Loving God, as a mother gives life
and nourishment to her children,
so you watch over Your Church.
Bless these women, that they may
be strengthened as Christian mothers.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their sons and daughters,
may honor them always
with a spirit of profound respect.
May 9, 2020
May the Lord Jesus Christ be with you to defend you.
May He be within you to preserve you,
before you to lead you,
behind you to guard you,
and above you to bless you,
who lives and is King with the Father
and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.
May 8, 2020
Lord, this year we may not have been able
to celebrate your Resurrection as we would have wanted.
But we are reminded that your Resurrection
came after much suffering.
Help us to accept our anxiety and suffering
during the time of this virus so that we might
be prepared to accept the transforming power
of your resurrection in our lives.
Amen.
May 7, 2020
O Blessed Virgin Mary, you are the mother
and queen of every Christian family.
When you conceived and gave birth to Jesus,
human motherhood reached its greatest achievement.
From the time of the Annunciation
you were the living chalice of the Son of God made man.
You are the queen of the home.
As a woman of faith, you inspire all mothers
May 6, 2020
In the Gospel we hear how Jesus performed a miracle by saying to the paralyzed man, “Rise up and walk!” Today He continues to work the same miracle, maybe not directly, but through the intervention of people like us. As a Columban Missionary priest working in Peru, for many years I have served as chaplain to our school in Lima for special needs children.
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.