O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints,
your love for God and Charity for His creatures
made you worthy, when on earth,
to possess miraculous powers.
Miracles waited on your word,
which you were ever ready to speak
for those in trouble or anxiety.
January 17, 2019
January 16, 2019
When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. (Luke 2:15-20)
January 16, 2019
Heavenly Father, fill my heart with
a tender affection for Your Goodness,
a hatred for my faults,
and a love for my neighbor,
Let me always remember to be
submissive to Your word,
faithful to my friends,
and charitable to my enemies.
January 15, 2019
O Mary,
look upon all mankind,
this modern world in which
the Divine Will calls us to live and work.
It is a world that has turned its back
on the light of Christ;
then it fears and bemoans the frightening shadows
that its actions have created on all sides.
May your most human voice,
O most beautiful of virgins,
O most worthy of mothers,
January 14, 2019
Way back in 1983, I was sent as a lay missionary to the United Kingdom under the auspices of the Columban Fathers in the Philippines. The purpose of the program was to share our experiences of the Philippine Church with the English Church and be able to get some of their "churchness" in return. For centuries the Philippines was a receiving church.
January 14, 2019
Be our King, O Lord,
not only of the faithful who have never forsaken You,
but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned You,
grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house and sit at Your table
Call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith,
so that soon there may be but one flock and one shepherd.
January 13, 2019
Lord God, you revealed your Son in the waters of the Jordan
and anointed him with the power of the Holy Spirit
to proclaim good news to all people.
Sanctify us by the same Spirit,
that we may proclaim the healing power of the gospel
by acts of love in your name.
Amen.
January 12, 2019
O Maria, transform my heart unto yours.
Place around it a wreath of purity,
adorned in virtue.
Take my heart, dear Mother,
consecrated as your own.
Present it to God the Father
as an offering from me to you.
Help me O Maria in each day
to make your heart more known.
Amen.
January 11, 2019
Almighty and eternal God.
May your grace kindle in all of us
a love for the many unfortunate people
whom poverty and misery
reduce to a condition of life
unworthy of human beings.
Arouse in the hearts of those who call you Father
a hunger and thirst for social justice
and for fraternal charity
in deeds and in truth.
January 10, 2019
Grant, O Lord, to Your Church,
assurance of faith and healing;
give peace and order to all nations,
and make the earth resound
from pole to pole with one cry:
Praise to the Divine Heart
that wrought our salvation:
to it be glory
and honor forever.
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.