Dear Holy Trinity, united in perfect love,
All Three of You co-existed in one Being.
Oh, Holy Trinity, come down upon me
for I, Your poor miserable servant call upon You.
O holy St Norbert, gentlest of saints,
your love for Jesus Christ
truly present in every tabernacle around the world
and your charity for souls made you worthy
while on earth to possess miraculous powers.
Miracles waited your word,
which you were always ready to speak
for those in trouble or anxiety.
Encouraged by this thought,
We have many problems and difficulties
that make us fearful at this time.
Lord, help us to have trust in your loving presence.
With that confidence no evil force can overcome us.
We remember the words in the psalm,
“Taste and see how good the Lord is,
Happy the one who takes refuge in him.”
Lord you are our refuge and our strength.
Amen.
There are some people who do not believe the existence of the intangible things in the world. In the Philippines, the number of the Coronavirus patients has dramatically increased since the beginning of March 2020. That is why the President Rodrigo Duterte’s Government has imposed the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) over the entire Luzon area. However, the local situation is quite different now.
O Almighty and Eternal God,
look upon the Face of Your Son Jesus.
We present It to You with confidence
to implore Your pardon.
The All-Merciful Advocate opens His mouth
to plead our cause; listen to His cries,
behold His tears, O God,
and through His infinite merits
hearken to Him when He intercedes
for us poor miserable sinners.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Heart of my Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe,
I unite to your purity,
your sanctity, your zeal and your love,
all my thoughts, words, acts,
and sufferings this day,
that there may be nothing in me
that does not become through you,
a pleasure to Jesus, a gain to souls,
and an act of reparation
Blessed Apostle Peter,
to whom God has given the keys of the kingdom of Heaven,
and the power to bind and loose,
grant that we may be delivered through the help
of your intercession from the bonds of our sins.
O, Holy Shepherd, Prince of the Apostles,
pray for us that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
In 2019, I had the privilege of visiting our mission in Fiji where Columbans have ministered since 1952. Prior to visiting Fiji, I had read Fr. Frank Hoare’s account of the history of the Columban presence in his book, The Turning Wheel.
“They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, Jesus began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
How many times has someone climbed a mountain only to find that they are still not at the summit? And, in fact, a cliff lies between them and the higher peaks. Throughout history, humanity has passed through different crises such as wars, natural disasters, and epidemics. Because such calamities can bring us face to face with the limits of our existence, they can have a huge impact on humanity. In our current situation, we are facing a force which we cannot see,or control, and this invisible virus has brought us to an existential cliff. We thought that we had things pretty much under control, the economy was strong enough for us to live well, spending our time searching for the latest phone or best television.