Feast of St. Juliana Falconieri, Servant of Mary
We praise you, Father, and we bless You,
because in your merciful providence
You called forth in your Church
the Seven Saints, our fathers and brothers,
Saint Juliana,
and, down through the centuries, many men and women
to serve Mary, your servant and mother of your Son.
By your grace, O God,
Juliana, together with the first Servites,
strengthened in faith by the sacraments
and nourished with the Word of life,
proclaimed the wonders of your love,
and prayed for the health of the sick
and for the conversion of sinners.
By your kindness, O God,
Juliana, like the first Servites,
was attentive to the promptings of the Spirit,
and carried out your will.
With compassion and mercy,
Juliana stood beside the crosses of her brothers and sisters
with her eyes turned toward Christ
and His Sorrowful Mother.
By your gift, O God,
Juliana, from the first Servites,
learned to honor Mary as her Lady,
to sing her praises,
and to take refuge under her mantle.
Stir up in us, O Lord,
through the intercession of Saint Juliana,
a love for that silence which gives space to the Word,
a thirst for You,
and a hunger for the Bread of Life.
To You, Father, life giving fountain,
through Christ your faithful servant,
in the Spirit who renews all things
all honor and glory forever.
Amen.
(In Praise of Saint Juliana of Florence)
Fr. Vidal Martinez, OSM
