Almighty God who is the Light of the world,
grant us Your heavenly blessing.
May the radiance of Your Light
illumine our hearts and
brighten our home with the
spirit of faith and love.
Let the Light of Your presence guide us,
for in Your Light do we see light.
Bless us also with Your Spirit,
that happiness and peace may abide in all men.
Through my observance of Lent,
Help me to correct my faults
And raise my mind to You,
And thus grow in holiness
That I may deserve
The reward of everlasting life.
Remember, O most pure spouse
of the Virgin Mary,
my beloved Patron,
that never it has been heard
that anyone invoked your patronage
and sought your aid
without being comforted.
Inspired by this confidence I come to you
and fervently commend myself to you.
Despise not my petition,
O dearest foster father of our Redeemer,
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
During the Holy Season of Lent
You call us to a closer union with Yourself.
Help me to prepare to celebrate
The Paschal Mystery
With mind and heart renewed.
Give me a spirit of loving reverence
For You, our Father,
And of willing service to my neighbor.
As I recall the great events
God our Father,
You sent Saint Patrick
to preach Your glory to the people of Ireland.
By the help of his prayers,
may all Christians proclaim Your love to all men.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
It started, really, with an invitation from catechist Tobia to come and talk about the Marian Movement of Priests. I checked with the pastor, Fr. Rogasiano Raikivi, a former student of mine, and he said he would like me to take the Sunday Mass also as this would free him to celebrate Mass in another village. And so my mountain mission to Saliadrau was set in motion.
Father and maker of all,
You adorn all creation
with splendor and beauty,
and fashion human lives
in Your image and likeness.
Awaken in every heart
reverence for the work of Your hands,
and renew among Your people
a readiness to nurture and sustain
Your precious gift of life.
Lord, bless our home with Your presence.
Far from it repulse all the wiles of Satan.
Your holy angels, let them live here, to keep us in peace.
And may Your blessing remain always upon us.
This we ask of You through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.
Through the observance of Lent, O Lord,
You purify Your Church every year.
See to it that Your children lead a better life
and so obtain the graces they are striving to acquire by doing penance.
This we ask of You through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.
Dear Lord, Jesus brought healing during his ministry on earth.
He healed the sick and brought the dead to life.
By his own death and resurrection he brings the promise,
hope and means of healing to us all.
Now we need his healing more than ever.
We need not only the healing from physical illness
brought on by the COVID-19 virus but healing for
human hearts, communities and world society.
Open our hearts that we may not turn in
on ourselves and our own needs.