Let us gain courage for our own battle
by honoring the martyrdom of the glorious virgin Agnes.
St. Agnes, vessel of honor,
flower of unfading fragrance,
beloved of the choirs of Angels,
you are an example to the worth of virtue and chastity.
O you who wear a Martyr's palm
and a virgin's wreath,
pray for us that,
January 21, 2020
January 20, 2020
One day, words on the poster at a local charity shop caught my attention. “…Can you donate two hours of your time to raise funds for people who are blind or vision impaired?” I am not only interested in people with disabilities, but this phrase, people who are blind or vision impaired, reminded me of my lovely kids at the center where I work in Payatas.
January 20, 2020
Dear Commander at the Roman Emperor's court,
you chose to be also a soldier of Christ
and dared to spread faith in the King of Kings,
for which you were condemned to die.
Your body, however, proved athletically strong
and the executing arrows extremely weak.
So another means to kill you was chosen
and you gave your life to the Lord.
January 19, 2020
Lord, Your light gives us strength
and shows us the way to God.
Remove our blindness that we may see
the light of goodness, truth, peace and love
within ourselves and others.
January 18, 2020
Lord, You commanded us to love God,
ourselves, and our neighbors.
Help me to let go of my fear of love.
Show me how to set my heart free
to love as You did.
January 17, 2020
O blessed Saint Anthony,
I place my studies under your powerful protection.
Through your intercession,
may the Holy Spirit fill me with light, strength, intelligence and humility.
I implore the creator of all things
to grant me the ability to grasp things correctly,
and the talent of exact in my explanations.
Amen.
January 16, 2020
Almighty and merciful God,
Who has commissioned O Thy angels to guide and protect us,
command them to be our assiduous companions
from our setting out until our return;
to clothe us with their invisible protection;
to keep from us all danger of collision,
of fire, of explosion, of falls and bruises;
and finally, having preserved us from of all evil,
January 15, 2020
O, Lord, support us all the day long,
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
and the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then in Your mercy grant us a safe lodging,
and a holy rest, and peace at last.
January 14, 2020
O Mary, Mother of Mercy, watch over all people,
that the Cross of Christ may not be emptied of its power,
that man may not stray from the path of the good
or become blind to sin, but may put his hope
ever more fully in God who is rich in mercy.
May we carry out the good works prepared by God
beforehand and so live completely for the praise of his glory.
January 13, 2020
Simon unfurls his tattered sleeping bag under the shelter of a park pavilion in one of the biggest parks in Hong Kong, a city where sky-high property prices and a yawning wealth gap have helped fuel a surge in homelessness. He is only one of many who spends his nights sleeping rough in Hong Kong streets and parks, although his story is very different from most.
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.