More than 20 years ago, I left the Philippines for the first time as a Columban lay missionary assigned to Brazil.
In This Issue
Here are the latest stories from Columban missionaries around the world working with the poor, homeless and those in need. You can find these stories in the current issue of Columban Mission magazine. New stories will be add each week.
A Belief Challenged
July 15, 2019
I arrived in Pakistan in 1994 after joining the Columban lay missionary orientation program which included a focused study on Islam and the Pakistani culture.
The Emmaus Story
July 1, 2019
The story begins with Cleophas and his companion traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Their outward journey is a symbol of an inward search. But they are traveling in the wrong direction! They are walking away from Jerusalem and moving away from the place of pain! They are unable to face Jerusalem, because Jerusalem is associated with failure. It is natural therefore for them to want to leave it. However, one cannot leave failure behind even if one leaves the place of failure. Life is a process of letting go, a dying and rising.
Music Eases My Journey
June 24, 2019
Learning a new language is really difficult. One has to become a child again and enter an entirely new culture.
Bartimaeus, the Blind Beggar
June 3, 2019
Bartimaeus, a beggar, was sitting on the roadside, outside Jericho, blind, begging, isolated, speechless, mute. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by He waited. How long did he wait?
The Immensity of God
June 1, 2019
Recently I have been fascinated by the news of two black holes circling each other and heading towards a massive explosion.
Patience and Perseverance
June 1, 2019
People around the globe report increasing levels of stress. Our lives are so busy that day-to-day we feel hurried and harried. I think many of us yearn for a quiet respite. But if we do take the time to turn off the TV and the computer and press the "pause" button in our lives, we often do not know what to do next. What can we do that will allow us to go deeper and tap into the wellsprings of inspiration and sources of courage for living? Years ago a spiritual director introduced me to four questions:
The first of these questions is, "What do you treasure in your heart?" As St. Matthew's Gospel tells us, "For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also." I think for most of us, the answer is really
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.