O God, Who endowed holy John,
Your confessor and doctor,
with a wonderful love of self-denial
and a surpassing love of the cross;
grant that by following ever in his footsteps,
we may obtain everlasting glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
world without end.
December 14, 2018
December 13, 2018
Saint Lucy, whose beautiful name
signifies light, By the light of Faith
which God bestowed upon you,
increase and preserve His light in my soul,
so that I may avoid evil,
be zealous in the performance of good works,
and abhor nothing so much as the blindness
and the darkness of evil and sin.
December 12, 2018
Christmas is a celebration of hope and joy as we remember the birth of Jesus, the ultimate gift God has given us out of His infinite love for us. It is with gratitude that I look back on how God continues to show His love for us. One inspiring experience I've had in mission is witnessing how God has manifested His love through one girl's life.
We called her Min
December 12, 2018
God of power and mercy,
you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac
with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe.
May her prayers help all men and women
to accept each other as brothers and sisters.
Through your justice present in our hearts
may Your peace reign in the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
December 11, 2018
Come, long-expected Jesus.
Excite in me the joy and love and peace
it is right to bring to the manger of my Lord.
Raise in me, too,
sober reverence for the God who acted there,
hearty gratitude for the life begun there,
and spirited resolution to serve the Father and Son.
I pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
whose advent I hail.
Amen.
December 10, 2018
You don't have to be a Christian to believe in the values of Christmas. They are universal. They uphold the human dignity and right of every human being irrespective of religion, race or status. Believer or not, Jesus of Nazareth whose birth we celebrate, was a wise man of great principles, and He brought a message of hope, peace, love, justice and human dignity into the world.
December 10, 2018
O Holy Mother,
Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate
and merciful hands for introducing
and increasing your glory to the maximum
in all the many strayed and indifferent souls,
and thus help extend as far as possible
the Blessed Kingdom of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
For wherever you enter,
December 9, 2018
Lord, you have created me for goodness,
love, compassion and peace.
Help me to make good use of the gifts
you have given me to make a difference
where I am at this moment of my life.
You are the compassion of God in the world.
You never forget any of your people.
Give me the courage to be
the compassion of God for others.
December 8, 2018
O God, who by the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son,
we beseech You that,
as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son,
You did preserve Her from all stain,
so too You would permit us,
purified through Her intercession,
to come unto You.
Through the same Lord Jesus Christ,
December 7, 2018
Lord, I long to feel secure and at peace.
Let your love by my refuge.
Show me how to build my life
on the everlasting rock of your compassion.
Lord, sometimes I forget
that the work of love is my responsibility, too.
Help me to join with you
to pour out love wherever it is needed.
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.