Gracious Lord almighty, Jesus Christ,
let Your sufferings aid us,
and defend us from all pain and grief,
all peril and misery,
all uncleanness of heart,
all sin, all scandal and infamy,
from sudden and unforeseen death,
and from all persecution of our foes visible and invisible.
Lord, You love me and answer all my needs.
Help me to be less self-focused in life
and more attentive to the needs of others.
Lord, through Your Body and Blood
You offer me the gift of eternal life.
Help me to make sacrifices
and share what I have with the poor.
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the Author of Life,
Who died and now lives forevermore.
May we who work and pray
That all life may be protected
Always draw strength, confidence, and joy
From Your victory over death,
For you are Lord forever and ever.
Risen Lord, You have blessed us
with abundant gifts.
Open my ears to hear
the teaching of the Holy Spirit
that I may use these gifts
to bring hope, peace, and love
to those in need.
Amen.
O Lord, You are the Good Shepherd
who leads me along safe paths.
Help me to be a good shepherd to all people.
You watch over us and protect us from all harm.
Open my heart to embrace and share
Your vision of love and peace with all people.
On Saturday August 12, 2017, I officiated at the wedding of my grand-nephew Killian to his bride Jenna. The wedding took place in the parish of Notre-Dame de Bresse-Finage, in Burgundy, France.
For more than a year, I spent most of my time visiting the elderly while on mission in South Korea. I would say that meeting the different types of elderly people is interesting and enjoyable but requires a lot of energy and a peaceful mind and heart to be able to listen to them. Among the elderly people I have engaged with are:
Aminiasi and I arrived in Lima on May 20, 2016, for our pastoral experience called FMA (First Mission Assignment). We arrived during winter, above all, at midnight. The first thing I experienced was the cold breeze as soon as I went out of the airport. There was a period of two weeks of adjustment, which were like two days for me. Then my pastoral experience began.
Some days when it feels that God is far from us we may begin to harbor a real doubt: Is there a God at all? Am I fooling myself giving time day after day to pray and nothing seems to happen? Others who don't believe at all do well, are happy and live life to the full. Not only that, everything seems to come their way whereas I can be beset with troubles of one kind or another.
Lord Jesus Christ, my heart
reaches out in gratitude.
You have raised me up
from the darkness.
You have taken me from night
into the light of day.
Lord Jesus, even in my stubborn
pride, and lazy ways;
You continued to find me.