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
June 29, 2016
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 he carry out the good works prepared by God beforehand and so live completely "for the praise of his glory". – Pope John Paul II from the Encyclical Veritatis Splendor, August 6, 1993
June 28, 2016
Father you have provided the means by which the life of your Son has come to us. Thank you for the Gospel and keep our ears open to hear it new each day. Amen.
June 27, 2016
Lord, God of peace, who has created man, the object of your kindness, to be close to you in glory, we bless you and we thank you because you have sent us your beloved son, Jesus, making him the paschal mystery, the architect of all salvation, the source of all peace, the bond of true brotherhood. We thank you for the desire, the efforts, the realizations which your spirit of peace has roused in our day: to replace hatred with love, diffidence with understanding, unconcern with care. Open yet more our hearts to the needs of all our brothers and sisters, so that we may be better able to build a true peace. Remember, Father of mercy, all who are in pain, who suffer and die in the cause of a more brotherly world. For the men of every race, of every tongue - may your kingdom come: your kingdom of justice, of peace, of love; and may the earth be filled with your glory. Amen. – Pope Paul VI
June 26, 2016
As a little child, I loved you like a mother. Now that I am old, my love for you has grown. Receive me in heaven as one of the blessed, and I will proclaim that I have obtained such a great prize through your patronage. Amen. – Pope Leo XIII
June 25, 2016
O Virgin, fair as the moon, delight of the angels and saints in heaven, grant that we may become like you and that our souls may receive a ray of your beauty, which does not decline with the years but shines forth into eternity. O Mary, sun of heaven, restore life where there is death and enlighten spirits where there is darkness. Turn your countenance to your children and radiate on us your light and your fervor. O Mary, powerful as an army, grant victory to our ranks. We are very weak and our enemy rages with uttermost conceit. But under your banner we are confident of overcoming him. Save us, O Mary, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, awe inspiring as an army set in battle array and sustained not by hatred but by the ardor of love. Amen. – Pope Pius XII
June 24, 2016
Holy Immaculate Mary, help all who are in trouble. Give courage to the faint-hearted, console the sad, heal the infirm, pray for the people, intercede for the clergy, have a special care for nuns; may all feel, all enjoy your kind and powerful assistance, all who now and always render and will render, you honour, and will offer you their petitions. Hear all our prayers, O Mother, and grant them all. We are all your children: Grant the prayers of your children. Amen forever. – Pope John XXIII
June 23, 2016
Lord Jesus who, in becoming man, chose to belong to a human family, teach families the virtues which filled with light the family home of Nazareth. May families always be united, as You and the Father are one, and may they be living witnesses to love, justice and solidarity; make them schools of respect, forgiveness and mutual help, so that the world may believe; help them to be the source of vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life, and all the other forms of firm Christian commitment. Protect Your Church and the Successor of Peter, to whom You, Good Shepherd, have entrusted the task of feeding Your flock. Grant that the Church in America may flourish and grow richer in the fruits of holiness. Teach us to love Your Mother, Mary, as you loved her. Give us strength to proclaim Your word with courage in the work of the new evangelization, so that the world may know new hope. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America, pray for us!
June 22, 2016
We thank You, Lord Jesus, because the Gospel of the Father's love, with which You came to save the world, has been proclaimed far and wide in America as a gift of the Holy Spirit that fills us with gladness. We thank You for the gift of Your Life, which You have given us by loving us to the end: Your Life makes us children of God, brothers and sisters to each other. Increase, O Lord, our faith and our love for You, present in all the tabernacles of the continent. Grant us to be faithful witnesses to your Resurrection for the younger generation of Americans, so that, in knowing You, they may follow You and find in You their peace and joy. Only then will they know that they are brothers and sisters of all God's children scattered throughout the world.
June 21, 2016
Holy Father, thank you for sowing your word in our hearts. Deepen the roots you have given us so that by your power we may stand strong and never be removed from the faith of Jesus Christ. Amen.
June 20, 2016
O Jesus, come back into our society, our family life, our souls and reign there as our peaceful sovereign. Enlighten with the splendor of faith and the charity of your tender heart the souls of those who work for the good of the people, for your poor. Impart in them your own spirit, a spirit of discipline, order and gentleness, preserving the flame of enthusiasm ever alight in their hearts. May that day come very soon, when we shall see you restored to the center of civic life, borne on the shoulders of your joyful people. Amen. – Pope John XXIII
June 19, 2016
Let me love You, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am: a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my enemies. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apaYour by fervour. Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others. Make me, Lord, prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks. Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity. Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault, my speech blameless, my life well-ordered. Put me on guard against my human weaknesses. Let me cherish Your love for me, keep Your law, and come at last to Your salvation.
June 18, 2016
Saint Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of Mary, you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty. You supported the holy family of Nazareth with the work of your hands. Kindly protect those who trustingly come to you. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them. You too knew trial, labour and weariness. But amid the worries of material life, your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with God's Son entrusted to you and with Mary, his tender Mother. Assure those you protect that they do not labour alone. Teach them to find Jesus near them and to watch over Him faithfully as you have done. Amen.
June 17, 2016
Lord, I believe in You: increase my faith. I trust in You: strengthen my trust. I love You: let me love You more and more. I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow. I worship You as my first beginning, I long for You as my last end, I praise You as my constant helper, and call on You as my loving protector. Guide me by Your wisdom, correct me with Your justice, comfort me with Your mercy, protect me with Your power. Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future. Help me to rise above my human weakness and to grow stronger as a Christian.
June 16, 2016
Gracious God, you hear the prayers of your children. Thank you for the privilege of bringing to you our needs and concerns. Help us always to look to you as the source of our help and hope, trusting in your love for us. Amen.
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.