Lord our God,
the heavens are the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars you made;
the earth and the sea,
and every living creature came into being by your word.
And all of us, too.
May this tree bring cheer to this house
though Jesus Christ your good and holy Son,
who brings life and beauty to us and to our world.
December 23, 2017
December 22, 2017
Lord Jesus Christ,
grant me the grace of inner Peace.
As You commanded the storm winds at sea to be calm,
command the storms in my life to be calmed.
Give me the patience I need
to cope with the burdens of my life.
Grant me the strength to better deal with any problems,
and the understanding to be more tolerant
and kind to others.
December 22, 2017
I am Taemoon Kwon, a Korean Columban who was ordained a priest in 2010. Currently I am working in China. My main ministry is to share with Chinese Sisters and priests about spiritual direction and retreats and to look for Columban vocations.
December 21, 2017
Pour forth, we beg You, O Lord,
Your Grace into our hearts;
that as we have known the incarnation of Christ,
your Son by the message of an angel,
so by His passion and cross
we may be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.
Through the same Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
December 20, 2017
When I was asked to write about the meaning of Christmas for a newsletter for Columban lay missionaries, I wished to share with other missionaries about something special or unique which others never imagined. But it was not easy for me to reflect and write because Christmas day in my country of assignment [China] is not a holiday.
December 20, 2017
O Lord, You do not fail those who love you.
You do not change or vary Your ways.
Teach us Your own constancy in love.
Your humility, selflessness and generosity.
December 19, 2017
Lord, we thank You for all the love that has been given to us,
for the love of family and friends,
and above all for Your love poured out upon us
every moment of our lives in steadfast glory.
December 18, 2017
As I prepare for Christmas this year, my thoughts are with the people of Myanmar with whom I have celebrated Christmas since 2007. I lived in a community in Mandalay.
December 18, 2017
Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and my whole will.
You have given me all that I am and all that I possess.
I surrender it all to You
that You may dispose of it according to Your will.
Give me only Your love and Your grace;
with these I will be rich enough,
and will have no more to desire.
Amen.
December 17, 2017
O Lord, take away my heart of stone,
my hardened heart,
and grant to me a new heart,
a heart of flesh, a clean heart!
O You who purified the heart
and loved the clean heart,
possess my heart and dwell in it,
containing it and filling it,
higher than my highest
and most private thoughts.
You are the image of all beauty
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.