Audy was a bright-eyed, smiling three-month-old baby who arrived at church for her baptism in the arms of her proud father, Jason. I chatted with him for some moments at the entrance to the church while a large number of relatives and friends of the family arrived. Soon the church was rather full. It was Sunday afternoon and this was going to be my first baptism of a Filipino baby.
June 7, 2017
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and Holy is His Name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.
June 6, 2017
O most holy Heart of Jesus,
fountain of every blessing,
I adore You, I love You,
and with a lively sorrow for my sins,
I offer You this poor heart of mine.
Make me humble, patient, pure,
and wholly obedient to Your will.
June 5, 2017
The Missionary Society of St. Columban, a Catholic missionary organization serving in fifteen countries around the world, says: "Columbans serve communities across the globe who daily face the devastating impacts of a dramatically changing climate.
June 5, 2017
In the abundance of your mercies,
O Lord, remember all your people;
all those present who pray with us;
all our brethren on land,
at sea, or in the air,
in every place of Your domain,
who call upon your love for mankind.
Upon all, pour down your great mercy,
that we, saved in body and in soul,
may persevere unfailingly;
June 5, 2017
My name is Evangelyn Gawason. My friends call me Vangie. I'm a Subanen. The Subanens are an indigenous people whose ancestral homeland covers most of the mountainous Zamboanga Peninsula in the Philippines. For the past six years I have been involved in a livelihood project called Subanen Crafts.
June 4, 2017
O Master and holy God,
who are beyond our understanding:
at your word, light came forth out of darkness.
In your mercy, you gave us rest through night-long sleep,
and raised us up to glorify your goodness
and to offer our supplication to You.
Now, in your own tender love,
accept us who adore You
and give thanks to You
June 3, 2017
Lord our God,
loving Father,
we humbly pray to you
for our beloved missionaries,
heralds of the Gospel.
May our prayers
reach their hearts
that they may feel our love,
our strength,
our faith.
May our prayers
reach their hearts
that they continue
with your zeal
the mission
you entrust them with.
June 2, 2017
Sociologists claim that one of the major problems in much of the world is that nowadays people only listen to, read of and converse with people who think the same as them.
Power and prosperity can stifle the Spirit, blind us to others and prevent us from understanding the weak. Witness the rich man who never understood or appreciated Lazarus at his door. (Lk 16:19-31)
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.