O blessed St. Jerome, our Patron and our guide,
humbly we ask that you intercede for us before God,
and that our petitions this day will be answered.
We ask your blessing on the poor,
the sick and the unemployed of our parish.
Bless all married couples, the young and the old.
Grant that those who have heard the call to serve
as ministers of your Church,
Blessed Saint Gabriel, Archangel, we beseech you
to intercede for us at the throne of divine mercy:
As you announced the mystery of the Incarnation to Mary,
so through your prayers may we receive
strength of faith and courage of spirit,
and thus find favor with God
and redemption through Christ Our Lord.
May we sing the praise of God our Savior
Dear Lord much of what is going on in my life
seems to be of no use.
One day is the same as the day before and on and on.
Sometimes I wonder where it is all going.
But then I realize that if I simply place it all in your hands
you will make sense of it all.
You have placed me here and now
for some specific purpose.
I, a faithless sinner -
renew and ratify today in your hands,
O Immaculate Mother,
the vows of my Baptism;
I renounce forever Satan,
his pomp and works;
and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ,
the Incarnate Wisdom,
to carry my cross after Him
all the days of my life,
and to be more faithful to Him
than I have ever been before.
Breath in me, Spirit of God,
that I may think what is holy;
drive me, Spirit of God,
that I may do what is holy;
draw me Spirit of God,
that I may love what is holy;
strengthen me, Spirit of God,
that I may preserve what is holy;
guard me, Spirit of God,
that I may never lose what is holy.
O Mary, grant that this church of Christ,
in defining itself, will acknowledge you
as its most chosen mother, daughter, and sister,
as well as its incomparable model,
its glory, its joy, and its hope.
We ask you now that we may be made
worthy of honoring you
because of who you are
and because of what you do
Behold me, my beloved Jesus,
weighed down under the burden
of my trials and sufferings,
I cast myself at Your feet, that You may renew
my strength and my courage,
while I rest here in Your Presence.
Permit me to lay down my cross in Your Sacred Heart,
for only Your infinite goodness can sustain me;
only Your love can help me bear my cross;
Show us, we ask You, O Lord,
in Your clemency, Your unspeakable mercy,
that You may both cleanse us from all our sins,
and deliver us from the punishments
which they have deserved.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns world without end.
Amen.
Sometimes I am amazed, Lord, at the people
you have chosen to do your work.
But you see beyond the superficial to the hidden goodness
and abilities of the people you have made in your image.
Help me to accept the gifts you have bestowed on me
and to offer them to others.
It would be a shame if out of a false sense of humility
On Monday morning, September 26, 2016, Sr. Anny, a St. Joseph Religious nun, asked me if I wanted to study in Mandalay. “I will be studying in the second biggest city of our country, Hooray!” I said to myself. She repeated, “I am asking you. Do you want to study in Mandalay?” “Of course, Sister,” I replied.