Dear Jesus, You are our brother.
You have taken us by the hand
and lead us to join with You
in the work of justice, mercy and healing.
Life can sometimes be a difficult
journey – like Your journey to the cross.
Accompany us, open our eyes
and awaken our hearts to see,
to know and to live the life
of the servant that You invite us to be.
We are reminded of Your never-ending love
and that You will always be by our side.
Amen.
- By a Columban Missionary
Dear Jesus, I try to read slowly the story
of Your birth as written in the Gospels
of Sts. Matthew and Luke.
I ask what meaning do these words
bring to me now.
I might admire the fidelity of Joseph to Mary
in spite of the town gossip about her pregnancy.
I see You born in a humble stable.
I see the love and care of Mary wrapping You
in swaddling clothes.
Help me to grow in compassion and love.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Dear Jesus, at times I feel empty within.
Slowing down and remembering all the things
for which I am thankful provides an opening
to real prayer and not just mumbled phrases.
Then feeling Your presence and friendship,
I can bring to You my cares and also be open
to Your invitation to love and give of myself for others.
Show me the way.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Dear Jesus, I get so caught up in my doings
that I am scarcely aware of Your presence.
Yet when things go wrong or when I just seem
to be on a perpetual treadmill, I finally seek You out.
You are patient, gentle and kind.
You let me know that You are with me.
In turn, You invite me to get out of myself
and to broaden my awareness of others' needs.
Help me to show real care.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Dear Jesus, I try to come to You as I am,
though I know that I do try to give a good appearance,
to show off my best self.
Yet, You accept me with all the pretense,
with all my faults and failings.
Your mercy and understanding
brings healing to my heart.
You call me to simplicity, to be like Nathaniel,
a person without guile.
I come to realize that all that I am
and all that I have is Your gift.
That to be my true self, I need to
give myself away as You did.
Your love calls me to love in turn.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Dear Jesus, at times we get caught up
in the tasks of doing things.
The busyness of our lives may harden us.
We act as if our value and worth depend
on accomplishments.
We fail to appreciate the gift of life
and who we are.
You remind us that we are to become
like little children – open to being, open to life.
Help us to cherish Your love for us as we are,
so that in turn we may show a tender
compassionate heart to others.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Jesus, we, Your followers, live in an in-between world.
We know by Faith of Your victory over sin and death
through Your Life, death and Resurrection.
Yet we see the reality of evil in people
being exploited – in the land, sea and sky
being polluted – in people brought
to despair by poverty.
We continue Your mission of hope
by our own attempts to be fair and caring
in our day-to-day lives; in the struggles
to bring about true peace and justice;
in announcing to others that life has meaning
and is fulfilled in compassion.
By Your example of self-giving,
guide us to true love and life.
Encourage us to use our hearts, minds, and hands,
all together in following Your example of being life giving.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Heavenly Father, change is always difficult
but necessary for our society to grow.
We pray for those who often find themselves
at the forefront of movements for change
that their energy, passion and courage
will achieve positive results.
May their work to draw attention to issues in our society,
and reflect the fairness, love and peace of Christ.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Lord, in the past missionary activity was sometimes
seen by local people as just another arm of colonial rule.
We thank you for the tireless work of missionaries
who respect the cultures and traditions of local people
and work to become part of the local community they serve.
Through their work, they reveal the love of Christ
throughout the world.
We pray for all missionaries today,
especially those operating in difficult circumstances
that they may live and witness to the gospel
in a way that will draw people to Christ.
Amen
— By a Columban Missionary
Lord, we thank you for St Joseph
and for his role within the history of salvation.
We know little about what Jesus did
before he began his public ministry
but it is easy to imagine that he worked
with his father.
We ask that you bless all workers
and we pray that workers throughout the world
be given a fair wage, reasonable hours
and good working conditions.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Lord, we ask your blessing on Pope Francis
who now holds the office first given to Peter.
Guide him as he seeks to be faithful
to the tradition that has been passed on
through the generations while seeking
to communicate the joy of the gospel
to the world of today with its unique
challenges and opportunities.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Lord, there is something in our nature
that constantly wants to explore what is around us.
For generations humans looked at the moon and the stars
and wondered if we could ever go there.
We pray that all that we learn from our exploration
of the universe may increase our sense of wonder
at all that is and help us to have a realistic sense
of our place in creation.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Lord, so many people in our world have been displaced
and are seeking sanctuary.
We ask that you bless all migrants and refugees.
They often take hazardous journeys to escape conflict,
oppression, famine and poverty.
We remember the millions of people presently displaced
by the war in Ukraine and give thanks for those countries
who are providing a welcome for them.
May all refugees find a similar welcome.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary
Lord, we recognize that our health is linked to the health of our planet.
Help us to see the extent of the damage we are doing
so that we may be motivated to take the urgent actions needed.
May the beauty and wonder of all that you have created
provide us with the desire and the energy to preserve and care
for the great gift of life you have given to us.
Amen.
— By a Columban Missionary