Saint Maria Goretti,
strengthened by God's grace,
you did not hesitate,
even at the age of twelve,
to sacrifice life itself to defend your virginal purity.
Look graciously on the unhappy human race
that has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation.
Teach us all, and especially our youth,
the courage and promptness
July 6, 2019
July 5, 2019
O kind and good Mother,
whose own soul was pierced by the sword of sorrow,
look upon us while, in our sickness,
we arraign ourselves beside you
on the Calvary where your Jesus hangs.
July 4, 2019
Gracious and Loving God, let Your spirit
be with us on this anniversary of our freedom.
Hear our prayers, and help us, through our faith, to use
the opportunities of our democracy to shape a society
that is more respectful of the life, dignity and the rights
of all people, especially the poor and vulnerable.
July 3, 2019
Angel of Schools, at the bidding of Peter,
thousands today are saluting you.
We too are claiming your care and counsel,
Angel of Schools, be an angel to us.
Come to our aid when you hear us calling,
Light up the dark, make the rough places plain,
Bring to our thoughts the unknown or forgotten,
Give us the words that we seek for in vain.
July 2, 2019
Lord, forgive all reviling of Mary's name!
We beseech You, hear us!
Lord, forgive all contempt of her Immaculate Conception!
We beseech You, hear us!
Lord, forgive all coldness in the honoring of Mary!
We beseech You, hear us!
Lord, forgive all contempt of Mary's pictures!
We beseech You, hear us!
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.
July 1, 2019
In Pakistan, terminally-ill patients are treated as sources of income by the medical profession and the hospital culture. Their illness is not relieved, and the financial situation of their families is wrecked as they seek a cure or pain relief.
July 1, 2019
As a Columban lay missionary, I have been working and living in a community in Puente Alto near Santiago, Chile. I worked in a parish named after St. Andrew Kim, the first Korean saint. I lived in a house with two other lay missionaries, Kata from Fiji and Jenny from England.
July 1, 2019
You, O eternal Trinity,
are a deep sea into which,
the more I enter,
the more I find.
And the more I find,
the more I seek.
O abyss, O eternal Godhead,
O sea profound,
what more could you give me than yourself?
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.