My Lord and my God
I have realized that whoever undertakes to do anything
for the sake of earthly things
or to earn the praise of others deceives himself.
Today one thing pleases the world,
tomorrow another.
What is praised on one occasion
is denounced on another.
Blessed be You,
my Lord and my God,
October 1, 2019
September 30, 2019
O Lord, show Your mercy to me
and gladden my heart.
I am like the man on the way to Jericho
who was overtaken by robbers,
wounded and left for dead.
O Good Samaritan, come to my aid.
I am like the sheep that went astray.
O Good Shepherd, seek me out
and bring me home in accord with Your will.
Let me dwell in Your house
September 29, 2019
Out of the depths I cry,
Lord, please heed my voice.
Look, Lord, how I sigh
to hear you and rejoice.
Out of the depths I call,
Lord, forget my sin.
Save me from this fall,
strengthen my faith within.
Out of the depths I pray,
Lord, in you I trust.
Pleading all the day,
raise me from the dust.
September 28, 2019
With that profound humility which the Faith itself inspires in me,
O my God and Savior Jesus Christ,
true God and true man, I love You with all my heart,
and I adore You who are hidden here,
in reparation for all the irreverences and sacrileges
which You received in the most adorable Sacrament of the Altar.
I adore You, O my God,
September 27, 2019
Almighty God,
who called your servant Vincent de Paul
to serve you in the person of those in need:
Grant that we, following his example,
may fulfil your commandments
by defending and supporting the poor,
and by loving you with all our hearts,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
September 26, 2019
Oh glorious martyrs of Christ,
Saints Cosmas and Damian,
you gave your lives for the love of God,
benefiting your fellow man, and crowning your martyrdom
with an open and loyal profession of your faith.
You taught us to love God above all things,
and to love our fellow man as ourselves,
professing always, and without fear,
the religion of Jesus.
September 25, 2019
Lord, I know that your mercy
for those who have died,
and your love for each and every one of us
is vaster than the entire universe,
an immense grandeur of love.
Yet you see our smallest sorrow,
our tiniest tear, our briefest fear for tomorrow.
There is not the tiniest bird in the sky
that falls to the ground
but you know it, Lord, and care.
September 24, 2019
O my Divine Lord,
I offer You my body and its senses,
my soul and its faculties,
my heart and its sentiments.
My thoughts, my desires, my words,
my actions, my whole being are Yours.
Since You have given Yourself wholly to me,
can I do less than give myself wholly to You?
Grant me, O Divine Jesus,
to persevere in Your holy love.
September 23, 2019
Recent Anzac Day commemorations in New Zealand made a special attempt to recognize that “not all wounds bleed.” There has always been great sympathy and understanding for those who suffer physical injuries, but the same recognition and understanding has not been there for those who suffer with mental health issues.
September 23, 2019
O Jesus, my God!
You are infinite in all perfections;
and I am but dust, and unto dust shall I return.
Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man.
Yet, O my sweet Jesus, if You leave me,
to whom shall I go?
What will become of me?
Rather will I say, "Stay with me, Lord;
abide always within my heart;
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.