Today I officiated the wedding of my sister Karen, who is a talented nurse, to her forever Dodo, who is who is a mechanical engineer. In all the eight years they were together before the wedding, I only met the groom on the day of their wedding! I told him that I would listen to his confession before the wedding. The day was filled with love from both families.
November 21, 2017
O Mary of all women,
you are the chosen one,
Who, ancient prophets promised,
would bear God’s only Son;
All Hebrew generations
prepared the way to thee,
That in your womb the God-man
might come to set us free.
November 20, 2017
O Lord, sometimes, my pride gets in the way,
Nevertheless, You will not stop trying to teach me humility.
I do not always practice rigorous honesty in my life,
Still, You continue to show me the value of honesty.
I may be experiencing spiritual dryness,
Yet, when I make an effort to talk to You,
You hear my every request, praise and thanksgiving.
November 20, 2017
In 1932, the Yangste and Han rivers overflowed and flooded vast areas in China. The members of the Missionary Society of St. Columban in Hanyang, China, together with the others, tried to come to the aid of the thousands of people in Hanyang affected by the Great Flood.
November 19, 2017
Sometimes, I feel distance from You, oh Lord,
But, You are always right here for me.
I may feel far from trusting You,
Yet, You are trustworthy.
I may fall short of having faith in You, Lord,
However, You are ever faithful towards me.
Bring me closer to your unconditional love and
guide me on the path to righteousness.
November 18, 2017
Most holy and afflicted Virgin,
Queen of Martyrs,
you stood beneath the cross,
witnessing the agony of your dying Son.
Look with a mother's tenderness and pity on me,
who kneel before you.
I venerate your sorrows
and I place my requests
with filial confidence
in the sanctuary of your wounded heart.
November 17, 2017
O Jesus, come back into our society,
our family life, our souls
and reign there as our peaceful sovereign.
Enlighten with the splendor of faith
and the charity of your tender heart
the souls of those who work
for the good of the people, for your poor.
Impart in them your own spirit,
a spirit of discipline, order and gentleness,
November 17, 2017
On November 23, in the year 615, in the town of Bobbio in northern Italy, Saint Columban (also known as Columbanus), passed into eternal life.
November 16, 2017
Lord Jesus, Carpenter and King,
supreme Sovereign of all men,
look with tender mercy upon Your children
who bear the indignities of injustice everywhere.
Raise up leaders in every land
dedicated to Your standards of order, equality and justice.
November 15, 2017
Heavenly Father:
we pray to You for those on the perilous ocean
that You will embrace them with your mighty protection
and grant them success in all their rightful undertakings.
Grant them in all hours of need
to see that they have a God who remembers them,
and grant them grace in the hour of danger
to commit their souls into Your hands.
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.