Holy hour for courage

As we come before the Lord, let us ask him for the grace of courage today to be like him -enduring and strong to live this present moment in his grace and ever be faithful to the values He has given us through his birth, life and death. 

Let us first thank him courageously for all that he has given us 

Through the night the angels kept
Watch beside me while I slept;
Now the dark has passed away,
Thank you, Lord, for this new day.

We thank You, Lord, and worship You with gladness;
We praise Your Name and lift our hearts in song;
For You are good, Your love endures forever,
Your faithfulness continues all day long.
You’ve lavished us with every spiritual blessing;
We thank You, Lord, and praise You now in song.

We thank You, Lord, for everyday provisions,
For daily food, for clothes and shelter too,
For health and strength and grace for every trial,
For this free land where we can worship You.
You crown each day with Your abundant goodness;
We thank You, Lord, and lift our praise to You.

We thank You, Lord, for giving us salvation.
You sent Your Son that we might be forgiv’n.
Far as the east from west, our sins have vanished;
Now justified, we’re citizens of Heav’n.
You’ve sealed us with Your promised Holy Spirit;
We thank You, Lord, for love so freely giv’n!

We thank You, Lord, for giving us the Bible
To guide our steps, if we’ll but hear and read,
And for Your Church, a worldwide living body,
That gives sweet fellowship and meets our need.
We are encouraged, and we worship gladly;
We thank You, Lord, You’ve made us rich indeed!

I thank you for the new day. Thank you for the good sleep and rest I had, and for the protection. Help me to please you in all things today. Keep me from all evil. Give me wisdom. Bless my parents, children, family and friends. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Let us hear a story of an ordinary man who became extraordinary with his faith and courage. 

Years ago a hardworking man took his family from New York State to Australia to take advantage of a work opportunity there. Part of this man's family was a handsome young son who had aspirations of joining the circus as a trapeze artist or an actor. This young fellow, biding his time until a circus job or even one as a stagehand came along,

worked at the local shipyards which bordered on the worse section of town.

 ​Walking home from work one evening this young man was attacked by fivethugs who wanted to rob him. Instead of just giving up his money the young fellow resisted. However they bested him easily and proceeded to beat him to a pulp. They mashed his face with their boots, and kicked and beat his body brutally with clubs, leaving him for dead. When the police happened to find him lying in the road they assumed he was dead

and called for the Morgue Wagon.

 ​On the way to the morgue a policeman heard him gasp for air, and theyimmediately took him to the emergency unit at the hospital. When he was placed on a gurney a nurse remarked to her horror, that this young man no longer had a face. Each eye socket was smashed, his skull, legs, and arms fractured, his nose literally hanging from his face,all is teeth were gone, and his jaw was almost completely torn from his skull. Although his life was spared, he spent over a year in the hospital. When he finally left, his body may have healed but his face was disgusting to look at. He was no longer the handsome youth that everyone admired. When the young man started to look for work again he was turned down by everyone just on account of the way he looked. One

potential employer suggested to him that he join the freak show at the circus as The Man Who Had No Face. And he did this for a while. He was still rejected by everyone and no one wanted to be seen in his company. He had thoughts of suicide. This went on for five years.

 ​One day he passed a church and sought some solace there. Entering the church he encountered a priest who had saw him sobbing while kneeling in a pew. The priest took pity on him and took him to the rectory where they talked at length. The priest was impressed with him to such a degree that he said that he would do everything possible for him that could be done to restore his dignity and life, if the young man would promise to be the best Catholic he could be, and trust in God's mercy to free him from his torturous life. The young man went to Mass and communion every day, and after thanking God for saving his life, asked God to only give him peace of mind and the grace to be the bestman he could ever be in His eyes.

 ​The priest, through his personal contacts was able to secure the services of the best plastic surgeon in Australia. There would be no cost to the young man, as the doctor was the priest's best friend. The doctor too was so impressed by the young man, whose outlook now on life, even though he had experienced the worst, was filled with good

humour and love The surgery was a miraculous success. All the best dental work was

also done for him. The young man became everything he promised God he would be. He was also blessed with a wonderful, beautiful wife, many children, and success in an industry which would have been the furthest thing from his mind as a career, if not for the goodness of God and the love of the people who cared for him. This he acknowledges

publicly. ​The young man. Mel Gibson.

 His life was the inspiration for his production of the movie "The Man Without A Face."

  Be Confident, as long as there is life, there is room for hope.