Lord, may the stones of life’s hardships
be rolled away from our lives.
May we allow You to heal our wounds
And in so doing, know the joy of Your peace and love.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. Finbar Maxwell
May 2, 2019
April 25, 2019
Risen Jesus, you heal our broken hearts and give us peace.
Help me to be a source of encouragement
to those troubled by pain and suffering.
Your abiding presence gives us hope.
Help me to be a strong and loving presence to others.
April 18, 2019
O Jesus, as You stood before the people
they clamored for You to be crucified,
and their shouts grew louder.
Pilate could find no case against You,
but as they threatened a riot,
he finally washed his hands
of Your innocent blood and gave You up
to them to deal with You as they pleased.
Knowing it was ordained for You
You were ready to drink the cup of suffering
and You were condemned to be crucified.
Lord Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner!
- Columban Fr. Patrick Sayles
April 11, 2019
Happy are we who walk in His ways
and follow in His footsteps day by day.
Sharing our love with one another
and lightening the burdens of our brothers
Our souls are lifted and filled with delight
as we dwell on Nature’s glorious sights.
Wonders and beauty beyond compare
created for us by a God who cares.
Happy are we when with God we are filled
and always try endlessly to fulfill His will.
Precious are we in His holy sight.
Know He remains with us day and night.
Happy are we as we walk life’s highway
spreading joy and happiness each day.
May we never wander far from the fold
and always be His to have and to hold.
April 4, 2019
Lord, I remember the place even though it was long ago.
It was a small clearing in the forest. I used to go there to spend some quiet time with You.
But there was this one occasion when I went there to sort out what was going on in my head.
As I sat on a stump of a tree, I could sense the leaves rustling and the sun settling.
Then there was a moment when time stood still. There was a sense of presence,
Your presence, Lord and a feeling of immense relief and deep peace.
I knew what You were calling me to do; I knew what You were asking of me.
It was a moment of intense certainty for I was in a sacred space and Your word was sure.
I can’t find that place anymore. Houses have been built there, and it just isn’t the same.
So sometimes when I sit in a church or on a park bench,
I think back to that sacred place in the forest, that place where I encountered You,
where I heard Your word, where peace because I knew what You expected of me.
And once again I feel I am back in that space again even for a brief moment,
and I am aware yet again that Your are always there no matter the place, no matter the time.
Thank you for those places and times when I have been to the mountain
and shared the feast and heard Your word and felt at peace.
Amen
- Columban Fr. Tom Rouse
March 28, 2019
O Lord, we become fearful if things do not come out as we expect.
We are afraid of things unknown, of the outcome of
what we have done or have not done.
We become imprisoned by our fears and our sins.
We remain blind to Your unfailing love.
Father, walk with us in our journey to freedom.
Free us from our selfish motives and intentions.
Free us from ourselves that we may be available for Your.
Grant us the grace to trust in Your loving presence,
a presence bigger than the universe we live in.
- A Columban Lay Missionary
March 21, 2019
As we go about doing our work, oftentimes we become full of ourselves.
Everything we do centers on us and the world we want.
We cling to something that is tangible,
that will put us in control and make us feel successful,
as if we do all things with our own capabilities.
And we want to get all the credit.
We forget that it is You who has given us all that we have.
It is You who is giving us the opportunity to love and be loved.
t is You who created the universe and us
- A Columban Lay Missionary
March 14, 2019
You are love. Your love is the source and being of our existence.
You continue to love us as we are with all our imperfections
and limitations brought by our human weaknesses and frailties,
leading us to sin against You, against Your people and the universe.
Father, help us to overcome weaknesses.
Give us the strength to ask you forgiveness
so that we may enjoy your loving presence forever.
- A Columban Lay Missionary
March 7, 2019
Lord, You do nothing in vain;
You know what You are about.
You may take away my friends;
You may throw me among strangers.
You may make me feel desolate, make may
spirits sink, hide my future from me.
Still, Lord, You know what You are about;
You love me as only You can.
Your loving kindness knows no limits.
- A Columban Missionary
February 28, 2019
Probe me, Lord, know my heart;
test me, know my thoughts.
Help me root out and resist the evil within me;
lead me along Your way.
I will trust You, Lord, and know that,
whatever my situation, You will never leave me.
If I am sick, may my sickness serve You;
if confused, may my confusion serve You.
If I feel lost, may I trust in You even more;
if I turn away from You, help me repent.
Let me never leave your loving side.
- A Columban Missionary
February 21, 2019
Give me a new heart, O Lord,
and a new spirit put within me.
Remove my heart of stone;
give me a heart of flesh.
I know You have created me for a
purpose – to do good, to do Your work.
With Your help, I shall bring peace;
I shall strive to speak the truth in love.
- A Columban Missionary
February 14, 2019
Lord, You formed my inmost being;
You know me intimately;
nothing in me is hidden from You.
When I was being fashioned in my
mother’s womb, You saw me growing.
I praise You, because I am wonderfully made.
I live in awe as I contemplate Your works.
You invite me into the mystery of Your life;
You are a loving father.
I trust in Your wisdom and goodness,
Your infinite and gracious beauty.
- A Columban Missionary
February 7, 2019
Lord, You know me; You understand my
most private thoughts. You can tune into
what I feel; You are familiar with all that I do or say.
Lord, even before I speak or act, You know it.
You are in front of me, behind me, within me, beside me.
You rest Your hand upon me;
You guide me; You protect me. You are my shepherd;
You bring me to green pastures; to cal waters You lead me.
“Come,” says my heart, “seek the Lord;” You,
O Lord, do I seek! Do not hide from me;
do not reject me in anger; do not cast me off,
God my savior!
- A Columban Missionary
January 31, 2019
Lord, through Your Son, You show us the path to life,
reaching out to others, especially to those in most need,
so that they too may discover and revel in the joy of knowing you.
You, as creator of the universe, sustain and care for all that is.
You invite us to collaborate with You
in caring for planet earth, our common home.
Thank you for entrusting us with so much.
Thank you for offering us freedom to choose.
Your gift of freedom allows us to choose either
a destructive path or, with Your help, creativity and life.
Our choice either closes the door to You or
puts out the welcome mat; we can choose
either to shut you our or to have You
at the heart of our lives.
- A Columban Missionary
January 24, 2019
Lord, we pray for nothing to be given
to us other than Yourself
You are our everything, our life,
our light, our food, our drink, our God.
Inspire our hearts with the breath
of Your spirit and pierce our souls with Your love.
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.