Almighty and merciful God,
Who has commissioned O Thy angels to guide and protect us,
command them to be our assiduous companions
from our setting out until our return;
to clothe us with their invisible protection;
to keep from us all danger of collision,
of fire, of explosion, of falls and bruises;
and finally, having preserved us from of all evil,
January 16, 2020
January 15, 2020
O, Lord, support us all the day long,
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
and the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then in Your mercy grant us a safe lodging,
and a holy rest, and peace at last.
January 14, 2020
O Mary, Mother of Mercy, watch over all people,
that the Cross of Christ may not be emptied of its power,
that man may not stray from the path of the good
or become blind to sin, but may put his hope
ever more fully in God who is rich in mercy.
May we carry out the good works prepared by God
beforehand and so live completely for the praise of his glory.
January 13, 2020
Simon unfurls his tattered sleeping bag under the shelter of a park pavilion in one of the biggest parks in Hong Kong, a city where sky-high property prices and a yawning wealth gap have helped fuel a surge in homelessness. He is only one of many who spends his nights sleeping rough in Hong Kong streets and parks, although his story is very different from most.
January 13, 2020
Heavenly Father, keep us from vain strife of words.
Grant to us constant profession of the Truth!
Preserve us in a true and undefiled faith
so that we may hold fast to that
which we professed when we were baptized
in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
that we may have Thee for our Father,
that we may abide in Thy Son
January 12, 2020
Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin,
Help of the Christians,
we place ourselves under your motherly protection.
Throughout the Church's history
you have helped Christians in times of trial,
temptation and danger.
Time and time again,
you have proven to be the Refuge of sinners,
the Hope of the hopeless,
the Consoler of the afflicted,
January 11, 2020
Lord, your love helps me to embrace the unknown.
Reveal yourself to me so that I may recognize
you in myself and others.
You are my hope, O Lord, and my strength.
Teach me humility so that I may keep learning
and growing spiritually.
January 10, 2020
Lord, Jesus Christ,
You are the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Hear our prayer for truth and integrity
in all segments of society today.
May the truth be spoken by us and affirmed in others,
that in seeking truth, the world will come to find You,
the Source of All Truth.
Wherever relationships are weakened by deception or hypocrisy,
January 9, 2020
Lord, your spirit has been poured into my heart
making me a child of God.
Help me to see every person
as my brother and sister, and
show deep respect and love.
Through Your son, Jesus Christ,
who lives for ever and ever.
Amen.
January 8, 2020
Blessed be the mind, the heart, the hand,
That drew this icon fair,
Of beauty unsurpassable, yet sweet,
God's Mother, rapt in prayer.
All pure her face, her hands, her heart unseen,
Chaste, white rapture, as morning glow:
She ponders deep. Her sorrow shows,
She bears the weight of souls on earth below!
Awesome, yet so love-filled and so warm!
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.