Lord, You sent Your Son into the world
so that we might have life.
You, with Your Son, have sent us Your Spirit,
inviting us to cry out with joy and trust, “Abba, Father!”
Though our baptism, You publicly and formally
welcome us to share Your life, to be Your children,
Your adopted daughters and sons.
By Loving, we live in Jesus, Your Son,
and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
You embrace us so that we might
be entirely confident in Your love.
- A Columban Missionary
Lord, you are the living Word of God
who came to dwell in hearts of all people.
Increase my desire and strengthen my will
to know the Word of God and to live it in my life.
Share with me your abundant grace and power.
Show me your will for me as I learn
to do great wonders in small ways
in my home and community.
Lord, help me to keep a balance this season.
Let me keep my buying in perspective,
not to spend more than I need to or can afford.
Let me not give in to the pressures of this world
and not equate love with money spent.
Let me always remember the many people
who have so much less in material things.
Help me to buy wisely,
so that my choices will not burden those in other countries
who are so deeply affected by economic conditions.
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.
Obtain for me, by your intercession
with God, perfect vision
for my bodily eyes and the grace to use them
For God’s greater honor and glory
and the salvation of souls.
St. Lucy, virgin and martyr,
hear my prayers and obtain my petitions.
Amen.
God Our Father we pray,
That through the intercession of St. Nicholas,
You will protect our children.
Keep them safe from harm,
And help them grow,
And become worthy of Your sight.
Give them strength,
To keep their Faith in You,
And to keep alive their joy,
In Your creation.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
O Blessed Mother Mary, before your
marriage to the carpenter St. Joseph,
you were overshadowed by the Holy Spirit
and conceived a child.
As you carried Jesus, your Divine Child, in your womb,
you overcame fear and rejoiced, anticipating His birth.
In your tender way, tough the hearts of all women
for whom being pregnant is more a problem than a joy.
Give them the help and courage they need
to bring a child into this world.
Mary, you believed that with God all things are possible.
Dispel any fear of giving the gift of life.
Replace it with trust in God.
Amen.
- A Columban Missionary
Lord, we thank you
for the goodness of our people
and for the spirit of justice
that fills this nation.
We thank you for the beauty and fullness of the
land and the challenge of the cities.
We thank you for our work and our rest,
for one another, and for our homes.
We thank you, Lord:
accept our thanksgiving on this day.
We pray and give thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Thank You, Lord, for bringing us together.
May we learn to appreciate one another more and more.
May we cherish the gift of each other.
May we share our feelings openly and honestly.
May we listen not only with our ears and minds
but also with our hearts.
May we grow in compassion for one another.
May we admit our failings and limitations.
May we remember that the day-to-day choices
we make and the work we do are signs of love.
May our friendship with each other
grow over the years of living together.
May that special friendship in turn grow outward,
embrace others, and open us to their needs.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. John Comiskey
Even though I can be so proud,
You humbled Yourself on a cross for me.
Even though I can be so selfish,
You rose to share Your life with me.
A love so great, so deep!
A heart so humble, so generous!
Lord, thank You for caring so much;
for seeing the good I’m capable of,
rather than condemning the bad;
for encouraging the good that’s in me,
the new life within waiting to happen;
for patiently waiting for me to come to life.
Lord, help me to lead a life
worthy of Your love.
Amen.
- Columban Fr. Pat Sayles
Dear God, thank you for the example of the Saints.
I desire to join in their company,
worshiping you forever in Heaven.
Please help me follow their footsteps,
and yours, Jesus Christ.
Please help me to conform myself
to Your image, seeking Your will in all things,
as the Saints did.
Please help me to devote myself,
and all that I do, to Your glory,
and to the service of my neighbors.
Amen.
Hear O Blessed Virgin the prayers which we address you,
Our Lady of Rest as we are mindful of that
maternal love in which you receive your children.
It is by your powerful intercession O Mary,
that our hearts and minds find rest.
We know well our own weakness;
but we trust in the everlasting promises,
and we hope for eternal happiness
as we cling to the crucified Jesus,
who has made His cross to be ours as well.
O Mary under your patronage we find peace
in the midst of earthly tribulation.
You are the quiet certainty of the strong soul,
ever on guard against the enemy.
You are the sanctuary of the pure
who remain unstained by earth’s corruption.
And just as, with you, we find peace during the present life,
so shall we find with you, when the days
of our pilgrimage are over,
everlasting peace in the world to come.
Amen
- Pope Pius XII
Your are the one who created me and let me call You, “Father.”
That is the Grace of all Graces and cannot help but be called a miracle!
You made not only me but all creatures in this beautiful world.
You give absolute love to all Your children,
wanting them to live with joy and happiness.
You are the one to be praised and glorified!
Always help us to look for You and understand Your will.
You are the only one who wants us to live with this love.
We believe that only in You is the way of our lives and truth.
With our whole heart and mind, we love You.
Through the parents and children You gave me,
I see Your unconditional and tangible love.
The Lord coming in the Spirit will be praised and glorified!
- Columban Fr. Tae-moon Kwan
Even when I show You the thorny side of my character,
or when I’m sharp, unloving to those I love
unapproachable, or in a bad mood,
You still show Your goodness to me
and let Your love shine down to bring me joy.
Thank You, Lord.
Even one small drop of Your love
on my thorniness is enough to soften me
with the radiance of Your presence.
Amen
- A Columban Missionary
O God, You made us in Your own image
and redeemed us through Jesus Your Son.
Look with compassion on the whole human family;
take away the arrogance and hatred
which infect our hearts;
break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love;
and work through our struggle and confusion
to accomplish your purposes on earth.
That, in Your good time, all nations
and races may serve You in harmony
around your Heavenly throne.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
- A Columban Missionary
