Prelates, Kings, and people of the earth!
celebrate the glorious name of Raymond,
to whom the salvation of all mankind was an object of loving care.
His pure and spotless life reflected all the marvels of the mystic life;
and the light of every virtue shines brightly forth in him.
It was a Sunday morning. I was turning the pages of my Mandarin Chinese prayer book looking for suitable prayers for the dead. I was in one of the eight villages of our parish in the Dabaijian mountains in Taiwan.
O Mary, immaculate, and chaste are you
who has become the glowing gate of heaven.
O Mother of Christ,
so kind and most dear,
receive our devoted hymns of praise:
that our minds and bodies may be always chaste,
with fervent heart and tongue we now implore you.
Obtain for us,
through your sweetly sounding prayer,
pardon for ever.
Let us pray. O God,
by the leading of a star You manifested Your only begotten Son
to the gentiles on this day;
mercifully grant that we who know You by faith,
may be brought to contemplate the beauty of Your majesty.
Through the same Jesus Christ Your Son.
Lord God,
you blessed Elizabeth Ann Seton with gifts of grace
as wife and mother,
educator and foundress,
so that she might spend her life in service to your people.
Through her example and prayers,
may we learn to express our love for you
in love for our fellow men and women.
Lord Jesus,
we humbly pray You to give us all a great reverence
and respect for Your most holy name.
Forgive us for ever having used the name of Jesus in vain,
or without due respect.
Help us remember how reverently and lovingly,
Your Mother Mary used the name of Jesus,
and how humbly Saint Joseph called You
and spoke to You by name.
"Quit being a lemon and make some lemonade in these straitened times," a journalist urged in a recent article. Instead of winging and complaining we must be on the alert for what is lovely around us. Instead of blaming people and events and falling into a “poor me” mode, we must consciously look for the good and the beautiful.
One of the striking aspects of spending four months in San Antonio, Texas, is the very Hispanic/Mexican feel of the city as well as the way it manages its social challenges, just as homelessness, poverty and more recently, the daily appearance (at its bus stations and airport) of Central American migrants who have been released “on cognizance’’ from nearby border detention centers. These people are often deposited at transport centers with little more than their children, the clothes they are wearing, and – if they are lucky – a paid Greyhound ticket to the destination of the relatives who have sponsored them, and in whose city they will have to appear for a definitive court ruling on their future.
What greater duty does any person of integrity have than to speak the truth about that which is morally wrong, unjust and despicable? To speak one’s mind, to challenge injustice, abuse, exploitation, torture and the unlawful taking of life is a serious obligation. It is a constitutional right to do so supposedly without fear of retaliation and persecution.
O God, grant us a deeper sense of fellowship with all living this,
our little brothers and sisters
to whom in common with us
you have given this earth as home.
We recall with regret that in the past
we have acted high-handedly
and cruelly in exercising our domain over them.
Thus, the voice of the earth
which should have risen to you in song
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
