O Lord, behold here before You
a soul who exists in this world
in order to allow You
to exercise Your admirable mercy
and manifest it before heaven and earth.
Others may glorify You
through their faithfulness and perseverance,
thus making evident the power of Your grace.
How sweet and generous You are
to those who are faithful to You!
Nevertheless, I will glorify You
by acquainting others
of Your goodness to sinners
and by reminding them that Your mercy
is above all malice,
that nothing can exhaust it,
and that no relapse,
no matter how shameful or criminal,
should allow the sinner to despair of forgiveness.
Should I fall a hundred times
or should my crimes be a hundred times worse
that they actually are,
I would continue to trust in Your mercy.
Amen.
The Columbans are a society of missionaries, including priests and lay people, who minister to people of various cultures as a way of witnessing to the universal love of God.