After a 14-hour flight from Korea, with a fierce wind and torrential rain waiting to greet me in Dublin, I realized that I had finally landed in Ireland. It was the first opportunity to experience the unique weather of Ireland.
Dearest Lord,
teach me to be generous;
teach me to serve You as You deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward
save that of knowing I am doing Your Will.
O God, who made the Bishop St. Peter Chrysologus
an outstanding preacher of Your word,
grant, through his intercession,
that we may constantly ponder in our hearts
the mysteries of Your salvation
and faithfully express them in what we do.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns in unity of the Holy Spirit,
O blessed St. Martha, your faith let you see beyond humanity.
With pure love for Jesus, you welcomed him into your home.
Pray for me that I may grow in faith, hope and love,
and that Jesus, who sat at your table, will hear me
and grant me a place at the banquet of eternal life.
Amen.
I have just completed 40 years in Chile and for 25 of these I have been going to the oldest jail in Santiago called the “Peni,” which is pronounced like “penny.” It was built almost 200 years ago for 500 men. Today there are 5,000 prisoners, and two years ago it held 7,000 men. You can imagine the problems caused by overcrowding.
Saint Michael the Archangel,
Defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
By the power of God, cast into hell
Satan and all evil spirits
Who wander through the world
Seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
God our Father,
may we always profit by the prayers
of the Virgin Mother Mary,
for You bring us life and salvation
through Jesus Christ her Son
Who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Good Saint Anne,
obtain for me an increase of faith
in the great mystery of the Holy Eucharist.
Help me to see in this great Sacrament,
Christ our High Priest,
making real for me the saving grace
of His death on the cross;
feeding my soul with His Flesh and Blood
so that I may live in Him and He in me;
producing the unity of the people of God
O gracious God, we remember before You today
Your servant and apostle James,
first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom
for the Name of Jesus Christ.
We pray that You will pour out
upon the leaders of your Church
that spirit of self-denying service
by which alone they may have
true authority among your people;
O Lord, you see how everywhere the winds have burst forth,
and the sea is convulsed with the great violence of the rising waves.
Command, we beseech You who alone are able,
both the winds and the sea.
Restore to mankind the true peace of your name,
that peace which the world cannot give,
and the calm of social harmony.