It is five in the morning, and I hear the head monk chanting his prayers which by now are quite familiar to me. The night before I asked my friend's brother Ko Thein Zaw, if I could join them the next morning to harvest rice. Makauk Village sits next to the Irrawaddy River. The Irrawaddy River runs through most of Myanmar (Burma) from the north to the south.
November 12, 2018
O my God!
Who has graciously promised every blessing,
even Heaven itself,
through Jesus Christ,
to those who keep Your commandments;
relying on Your infinite power,
goodness and mercy,
and confiding in Your sacred promises,
to which You are always faithful,
I confidently hope to obtain forgiveness for all my sins;
November 11, 2018
O God, by whose mercy the faithful departed find rest,
look kindly on your departed veterans who gave their
lives in the service of their country.
Grant that through the passion, death, and resurrection of your Son
they may share in the joy of your heavenly kingdom
and rejoice in you with your saints forever.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
November 10, 2018
Merciful Father, I am guilty of sin.
I confess my sins before you and I am sorry for them.
Your promises are just;
therefore I trust that you will forgive me my sins
and cleanse me from every stain of sin.
Jesus Himself is the proposition for my sins
and those of the whole world.
I put my hope in his atonement.
November 9, 2018
O everlasting and Triune God,
I consecrate myself wholly to you today.
Let all my days offer you ceaseless praise,
My hands move to the rhythm of your impulses,
My feet be swift in your service,
My voice sing constantly of you,
My lips proclaim your message,
My eyes perceive you everywhere,
And my ears be attuned to your inspirations.
November 8, 2018
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!
November 7, 2018
I am from Kwangju in Korea. I had been teaching for a number of years when I heard about the Columban Lay Missionary program and decided to attend some meetings. I was 30 by then and was thinking of a change. When I mentioned the idea
November 7, 2018
Oh dear Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I give You my whole heart.
I see Your Heart on fire for love of me.
I want to be in this fiery furnace
and know the love of God.
Take me, Jesus.
Use me as Your little servant
to spread Your love to this world.
I give myself entirely to You
and I ask the Holy Spirit
to make me more like You.
November 6, 2018
Dear Holy Spirit,
You are my friend.
I give You myself.
I ask You to dwell deeply inside of me
and make me holy.
I want to know the fire of God's love.
I want to love God with all my heart.
Amen.
November 5, 2018
Obtain for me,
O Good Saint Anne,
the grace to fulfill faithfully,
after your example,
all the duties of my state of life
and to practice, like you,
all the virtues necessary to my salvation.
Grant that after having honored and loved you on earth,
O dear and good Saint Anne,
I may one day go to glorify you,
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.