Morning Prayer with the Oblate Family, May 1st

With Fr Frank Ryan in North Wales

Good morning and welcome to our morning prayer! Today is the third Sunday of Easter and the Feast of St. Joseph – so what better way to celebrate his feast day than to be joined by Fr Frank Ryan OMI of St Joseph’s Parish, Colwyn Bay, in north Wales.

Fr Frank reflects on how we sometimes wonder about the effectiveness of prayer. He talks about how, during the time of the Soviet Union when Christianity was outlawed, the Church dedicated the workers of Russia to St Joseph. Today, a number of decades later, most Russians are Christians – a fact which many would consider miraculous and evidence of the effectiveness of prayer. With that in mind, let us say our own prayer to the patron saint of workers.

Glorious Saint Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labour, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my many sins; to work with thankfulness and joy, considering it an honour to employ and develop, by means of labour, the gifts received from God; to work with order, peace, prudence and patience, never surrendering to weariness or difficulties; to work, above all, with purity of intention, and with detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account which I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all after thy example, O Patriarch Joseph. Such shall be my motto in life and death. Amen.

Thanks for joining us this morning.

Tags: morning prayer