Discover to me, O my God,
the nothingness of this world,
the greatness of heaven,
the shortness of time,
and the length of eternity.
Grant that I may prepare for death,
that I may fear Your judgments,
that I may escape hell,
and in the end, obtain heaven;
through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Your day of birth …
Filled with possibilities. But mostly…
Filled with God.
With light and love that spans the universe
of who you are.
This is God’s gift to you.
Your heart’s calling to guide you.
How can this Gift be honored?
O gracious God,
we remember before You today Your servant and apostle James,
first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom
for the Name of Jesus Christ;
and we pray that You will pour out upon the leaders of your Church
that spirit of self-denying service
by which alone they may have true authority among your people;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
O most blessed Virgin Mary,
mother most loving and most merciful,
I, a miserable and unworthy sinner come before You,
with the heartfelt prayer,
that of Your loving kindness
you would concede to graciously to be near me
and all who throughout the whole Church
are to receive the body and blood of Your Son this day,
O Mary, crowned with stars,
who has the moon for your footstool
and who sits enthroned above all the choirs of Angels,
turn your eyes toward this vale of tears,
and hear the voice of one
who puts all his hope and trust in you.
If you are from a very poor family living in a remote village with no electricity, no running water and poor transportation, you might feel depressed and feel the world is unfair. You would be right to think this way.
Blood of my Crucified Savior,
detach me from the world,
and the spirit of the world.
Make me humble in life and sacrifice,
after the example of St. Catherine of Sienna,
who loved You so much.
O Lord, my God,
from this day I accept
from Your hand willingly
and with submission,
the kind of life that it may please You to send me,
with all its sorrows, pains, and anguish.
Into Your hands, O Lord,
I commend my spirit.
Give me strength, O my God,
to absolve my offences,
to overcome temptations,
to subdue my passions,
and to acquire the virtues proper in my life.
Fill my heart with tender affection for Your goodness,
hatred for my faults,
love for my neighbor,
and contempt of the world.
O God, how precious I am to You.
Since the beginning of time,
You were there for me.
You were there when I was happy;
You were there when I was sad.
You never left me.
Once when I felt so alone,
so broken and in grief,
I thought You had left me.
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.
We go in the name of the Church to announce, by deed and word, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Missionary Society of St. Columban
1902 N. Calhoun
St. Columbans, NE 68056
Phone: 877-299-1920
Fax: 402-291-4984
email: mission@columban.org
