March 8-14th is the newly designated national Catholic Sisters Week! To celebrate that and the upcoming Year of Consecrated Life, we have a special chat session this Sunday.
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life released a letter on Feb 26th entitled Rejoice (in English) in preparation for 2015’s Year of the Consecrated Life. (1)
Members of religious orders, secular institutes and consecrated virgins are asked to spend a considerable amount of time remembering the joy they felt when they first realized God was calling them.(2)
“Joy isn’t a useless ornament, but a necessity and foundation of human life,” the letter said. “The world often has a deficit of joy. We are not called to make epic gestures nor to proclaim pompous words, but rather to witness to the joy that comes from the certainty of feeling loved and the confidence of being saved.” (3)
This Sunday March 9, Sister Susan Marie of the Brooklyn Visitation and Sister Mary Roberta of the Georgetown Monastery will share their joy as Visitandines.
Joy is absolutely inherent in the Gospel passage of the Visitation!
Luke 1:39-56 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”
The Magnificat
46 And Mary said:
“My soul exalts the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 “And His mercy is ]upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 “He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the]thoughts of their heart.
52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
53 “He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Visitandines carry that joy internally and externally all the time as they live out their founding, scriptural mystery. Learn how you can associate with the Visitandines and bring out your own budding joy to the full.
Join us Sun Mar 9 at 730PM est for a joyful chat about the vocation of a Visitation nun!
Source: 1: Currently In Italian only, entitled “Rallegratevi”: la Lettera a tutti i consacrati
2 and 3: Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service | Feb. 27, 2014