Bartimaeus, a beggar, was sitting on the roadside, outside Jericho, blind, begging, isolated, speechless, mute. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by He waited. How long did he wait? We can imagine him straining for the sound of footsteps along the road, hoping for a rising murmur among the crowd to signal Jesus' approach.
Hail Mary, White Lily of the Glorious
and always-serene Trinity.
Hail brilliant Rose of the Garden of heavenly delights:
O, you, by whom God wanted to be born,
and by whose nourishment the King of Heaven thrived.
Nourish our souls with effusions of divine grace.
Amen.
Father, source of light in every age,
the virgin conceived and bore Your Son
Who is called Wonderful God,
Prince of Peace.
May her prayer,
the gift of a mother's love,
be Your people's joy through all ages.
May her response,
born of a humble heart,
draw Your Spirit to rest on Your people.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Recently I have been fascinated by the news of two black holes circling each other and heading towards a massive explosion. All the physics of it is beyond me but that this happened nine billion years ago is amazing to me.
This day is full of beauty and adventure,
help me Lord to be fully alive to it all.
During this day, may I become a more thoughtful person,
a more prayerful person, a more generous and kindly person.
Help me not to be turned in on myself but
to be sensitive and helpful to others.
Let me do nothing today that will hurt anyone,
I suppose what really attracted me to become an associate with the Society of St. Columban as a lay volunteer was conviction and commitment to the same message that Jesus had started 2,000 years ago, to the same vision of Jesus in building the kingdom. It is not building the kingdom for the Columbans, but the Columbans building the kingdom for Jesus. Being a disciple and apostle of Jesus one has to take a definite position on for whom, what and why we exist as missionaries.
I have been studying the Fijian language for almost three months now. It is great to have a chance now to learn the Fijian language and culture after spending three years working with the Hindi language and Indian culture. It has been decided that I should spend Holy Week helping a Marist priest, F. Seamus McMahon, at Naililili Parish.
Once upon a time a young prince has an extensive and beautiful garden. Above all he loved “Bamboo’’ in his grove and used to visit him frequently. Bamboo reveled in his master’s attention. A slight breeze would come and bamboo would gracefully sway with sheer joy. The prince would experience peace of heart when he saw Bamboo’s graceful dance.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and Holy is His Name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.
Lord Jesus, in this Easter season
we celebrate today your Ascension to God´s right hand
as the goal of your resurrection from the dead.
We thank you that you have not left us orphans,
because you remain with us to the end of time.
May we always be glad
when we think of the many ways you are with us
to the end of time.
May we always be glad