August 20, 2019
Mary, our Mother,
the whole world reveres you
as the holiest shrine of the living God,
for in you the salvation of the world dawned.
The Son of God was pleased to take human form from you.
You have broken down the wall of hatred,
the barrier between heaven and earth
which was set us by the disobedience of Adam and Eve.
In you heaven met earth
when divinity and humanity were joined in one person,
the God-Man.
Mother of God, we sing your praises,
but we must praise you even more.
Our speech is too feeble to honor you as we ought,
for no tongue is eloquent enough to express your excellence.
Mary, most powerful, most holy, and worthy of all love.
Your name brings new life,
and the thought of you inspires love
in the hearts of those devoted to you.
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.