Thanksgiving will never get off from my lips …
Dear Sisters
On the feast of St. Vincent Pallotti - with his words: Let every day be celebrated as thanksgiving (OOCC, VII) - I would like to invite you to the attitude of Gratitude.
Gratitude is one of the most characteristic features of Pallottine spirituality. Therefore, let us celebrate our Founder's day with gratitude. Drawing from the example of Pallotti's holiness and following his instructions, let us thank God for the gift of life and call of each of us. It is in him and through him that we find our deepest identity. We are part of his life and his story.
St. Vincent, in his prayer, is completely absorbed in God. Let us pray with him.
“My God, in every moment you nourish me with your Wisdom and you destroy my ignorance. You nourish me with your inaccessible Light and you destroy all my shadows. You nourish me with your infinite Perfection and you destroy my life which is a monstrosity of imperfections. You nourish me with your infinite Being and you destroy my brutish life, my loathsome self, a sinful man, and by a miracle of your Mercy, even though I have merited infinite times to lose God forever, God himself with all of his Nature, Person and Attributes made Himself all mine, he becomes my nourishment and he nourishes me always, so as to transform me into Himself and make me one with Him. Therefore, I am all in God and God is all in me: and with His eternal nature he brings me to all times and in his immensity he brings me to all places and I experience myself as eternal and immersed in Him. Oh Wondrous God, oh Infinite Mercy”. (cf. OOCC X, 696-698)
The three days of the Triduum are like three steps, in which we are heading towards the Roman celebration of the feast of St. Vincent Pallotti. This year's theme was inspired by the pastoral program of the diocese of Rome for the years 2019-2020. In the school of St. Vincent Pallotti, live in the heart of the city.
The first General Councils meeting of two Sister Pallottine Congregations (CSAC and SAC) for this year took place on 19 January 2020 in our Generalate. The meeting began with a prayer of the first days triduum before the Feast of St. Vincent Pallotti.
The members of the Preparatory commission for the XXI General Chapter of the Pallottine Missionary Sisters met together with the General Council for their first meeting from 13-18 January 2020 in Rome. The members of the Commission are: Sr. Alda Isa Paes (India), Sr. Maria Landsberger (Germany), Sr. Maria Dӧrig (Switzerland), Sr. Perpétue Nyiramahoro (Rwanda/Congo), Sr. Urszula Kłusek (Poland).
As we are living in a divided and fragmented world, in an atmosphere of on-coming war, our faith leads us to spread the values of the Gospel in inviting the people of good will to reconciliation and fraternity.
1 Samuel 16:1-13; Mark 2:23-28
Today's readings present two of my favorite Biblical accounts. The first is the choosing of David as king. The Gospel account is that of Jesus being confronted by a Pharisee because His disciples were violating the Sabbath by picking grain.
At first glance the two readings might seem to have nothing to do with each other, but in fact I believe that they are closely related. The key passage in the first reading is one that has always been a little frightening to me. God says to Samuel: "Not as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance, but the LORD looks into the heart." I find this a bit unsettling, because — as with, I believe, all humans — there is plenty in my heart that I don't want anybody to see. There lie all of my weaknesses, temptations, unfulfilled desires and unholy thoughts.
Mark 2:18-22
In today's gospel reading, Mark 2:18-22, Christ talks about two integrated concepts: the old verses the new and joyfulness. He refers to himself as a bridegroom and calls us to celebrate with him when he says, "As long as they (the disciples) have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast." In The Church of Mercy, our beloved Pope Francis also intentionally calls us to be JOYFUL. "And here the first word that I wish to say to you: joy! Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy born of having many possessions, but of having encountered a Person: Jesus, in our midst."
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34
1. John “Saw Jesus Coming Toward Him.” - Jesus is always coming toward us, too. Why? Because he loves us. He never imposes himself. He doesn’t burst through the door and force us to accept him or even acknowledge him. But he does remain close, hoping we will catch a glimpse of his love and, in that instant, recognize that he is everything our hearts long for. What will happen if we open the door of our life, of our heart, to Christ? He will call us to abandon the tight confines of our egotism, greed, lust, envy, and selfishness. He will open undreamed-of horizons and give a rich, new dimension to our poor, fleeting days on this earth. He will bestow on us a transcendent mission: to testify to him not only with our words, but with everything that we are.
Mark 2:13-17
Jesus has just healed (physically and spiritually) the paralytic man. Now, Jesus takes time out of his teaching to say to Levi, a tax collector who is working at the time, “follow me.” Mark then presents the scene of Jesus at Levi’s house at table with him and many other “tax collectors and sinners.” As usual, the sight of Jesus in this situation upsets the Pharisees, which leads to Jesus saying, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
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Meditations
* Our Way of Life *
"Our diverse talents and abilities, our differences in culture, nationality and age are assets for the richness of the community. Although we may be engaged in a variety of ministries, we all share the common call to apostolic discipleship in a community of the Catholic Apostolate of St. Vincent Pallotti."(OWL, 91)
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"Christ, the Apostle of the Eternal Father, and his mission are central to our personal and community life, giving meaning and direction to our thinking, our spirituality, our prayer, action and suffering." (OWL, 19)
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"As a community of disciples we are gathered around Jesus, the Apostle of the Eternal Father. Like the first disciples, we want to be with Jesus, be sent out by him and return to him to evaluate our service in the light of his presence." (OWL, 88)
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"As Pallottines, it is our special charism to foster growth in faith and love among the laity, to awaken them to awareness of their apostolic call, and to cooperate with them in furthering the apostolic mission." (OWL, 21)
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"Our relationships with one another should be marked by a love that bears all, believes all and hopes for all, a love that is neither conceited nor jealous, which hurts no one, nor is embittered or resentful. It is never discouraged but remains patient and kind. It rejoices with others and shares their suffering. It is with this kind of love that we should help and support one another." (OWL, 90)