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FEAST OF ST. JOHN EUDES 19TH AUGUST 2007
Reflection
«In the Footsteps of St. John Eudes,
W o m e n
sent to our world
to be Living witnesses
to the tenderness and mercy of God»
«You have but one and the same vocation with the Mother of God» (Lect. N0.26)
Our founder St. John Eudes left us with a very rich Spiritual heritage which is very central to our understanding of our vocation, of God and our world. As we prepare to celebrate St. John Eudes’ feast,
THE COMMISSION OF SPIRITUALITY OLC invite you individually and/or as a community to reflect and contemplate the wonder of vocation and of our spirituality, so that this feast will be a true celebration of thanksgiving to God.
The theme of this reflection is the special vocation of our congregation «You have but one and the same vocation with the Mother of God».
We suggest five days of reflection and prayer beginning from August 14th to 18th culminating with the liturgy of the feast on 19th August 2007. Each day presents a reflection and challenge to each one of us and we are encouraged to share our reflection as a faith growth process.
The reflections are taken from the Lectionary, Constitution, the Mass Book proper to Our Lady of Charity (OLC), the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (CJM) and Good Shepherd Sisters (RGS) and from the Jerusalem Bible.
May we find newness and enrichment as we reflect on our spiritual heritage as daughters of St. John Eudes and women called to witness the mercy and tenderness of God.
The Sisters of the Spirituality Commission of OLC
Day One
***THE VOCATION OF OUR LADY OF CHARITY***
“My dearest daughters, you have in a way, but one and the same vocation with the mother of God” (Lect. 26).
At the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), God chose to form Jesus within Mary and in the hearts of the faithful through her agency. Mary’s acceptance of the Good News became Good News for all those who accept the word of God and live according to it.
Mary conceived Christ in her maternal heart before conceiving Him in her womb, Mary nurtured nourished and offered Christ to the world. St. John Eudes tells us that, (OMIT as Sisters of Our Lady of Charity) we have the same Vocation with the mother of God. Our Vocation has a divine origin, called chosen and called by the Father to bear His son in our hearts and to be able to offer Him to our world today; our world full of broken humanity.
We are called to: bring healing, hope, restore meaning and purpose in the lives of hopeless people, to accompany others towards the Father, to work for justice and reconciliation in our world, promote solidarity, to live in communion with the poor of our time, to bring mercy and compassion to the suffering of our society. We are called to be cooperators with Christ in His mission of salvation.
***We are called to bring the Good News that we are
reconciled with God***
Personal/shared Reflection
• How often do I thank God for calling me to my vocation ?
• What joys have I experienced in living my vocation ?
• What challenges have I faced in living my vocation ?
• What has sustained me in my life ?
• What place has Mary in your vocation ?
***Ask for the Grace to continue to serve the Lord faithfully***
Day Two
***FORMING JESUS IN US***
“The Father’s plan is to see His Son live and reign in us” (Lect. 16).
“My little Children, I must go through the pains of giving birth… until Christ is formed in you”.(Gal 4:19)
“Our principal concern should be the forming of Jesus in us, making Him live and reign within us… This is the task which God puts into our hands and we must work at it unceasingly” (Lect.16).
Jesus came to reveal to us the mercy and tenderness of God. He came to teach us to about God and to show us how to live the way of Compassion.
Forming Jesus in us means, putting on, being imbued with his spirit and devotion, his virtues and sentiments, his inclinations and disposition, in other words, having the heart of Jesus. It means to love as Jesus loved, to work at the salvation of others with the zeal that Christ had, and to glorify the Father as he did. We are called to become many Jesus walking on earth today, reflecting the face of the God to the wounded and witnessing to hope and meaning.
** To form Jesus in us is to let him live and reign in us through his
mysteries **
Personal/shared Reflection
• What does “forming Jesus in me” mean to me?
• What do I have to let go so that I may conform to the attitudes, sentiments,
devotion, virtues, dispositions, and inclinations of Jesus?
• To be a Christian is to love others as God loved us in Christ, How does this challenge my vocation in our world today?
***Our deepest desire is to be faithful to our founding spirit, to grow
in Gospel values and to form Jesus in us.
Pray for the Grace to let Jesus to be the centre of our Lives***
Day Three
***OUR SPECIAL VOW OF APOSTOLIC SERVICE***
With Jesus we are called to carry in our hearts the misfortunes of others with compassion, to have a real desire to help them, to actually help them as best as we can. (Const p. 52).
"Jesus came into the world so that the tenderness of God’s Heart should be felt and known here" (Const 35).
We are called to receive this tenderness and to share it with others.
This vow of zeal calls us to be compassionate women like Mary the Mother of Love, and to contemplate in our lives the mercy that God shows to each person especially the most vulnerable in our world.
We are called to generously give ourselves to those whose dignity is threatened or wounded; to be bearers of hope, upholding and restoring dignity. To believe in the strength of resurrection.
This special vow of apostolic service gives us our uniqueness and identity as followers of St. John Eudes. It is our consecration to the service of those to whom God calls us to love - those whom our society despises. It calls us to share with them our belief in the strength of their resurrection/transformation. This is our vocation, to cooperate with Jesus in the salvation/transformation of others.
***I give myself unreservedly to God, to love those whom he brings me to love in his name***
Personal/shared Reflection
• Our Mission is to those whose dignity is threatened or wounded especially
women, what are the new challenges of our mission today ?
• How can we venture into new missionary expressions while remaining
faithful to our founding spirit ?
• What do we need to ‘let go’ so as to embrace this newness ?
**May we give ourselves to the Spirit of Jesus so that
He may accomplish in us what we profess.” ***
Day Four
***PRAYER***
"Our Spiritual life is a journey. Our prayer is rooted in the Word of God which we listen to in the scripture and in the events of our life" (Cost.27).
God speaks to us through His word and in the events which we encounter in our lives. We are invited to reflect on His Word as individuals and as a community.
We live the mysteries of Christ through the liturgical year and are invited to allow ourselves to be transformed ( OMIT by Christ’s Paschal mystery) so that we become channels of Mercy and Compassion.
John Eudes invites us to use the “four movements” of Contemplation, Thanksgiving, Asking Forgiveness and Self Surrender in our prayer, in our actions and in our whole life.
Our prayer is to the adoration of the Father in the Son through the Spirit, it is the continuation of Jesus’ prayer. We are called to intercede for the needs of others so that the Mercy and love of God /His kingdom may be realized in our midst.
***Prayer is resting in the presence of God***
Personal/shared Reflection
• The Holy Scripture is our knowledge of God, how often do I take time
to read the Word of God as spiritual nourishment ?
• How does my mission and those I encounter lead me to contemplation, to thanksgiving, to ask forgiveness and to self surrender in prayer ?
• Christ is always with us interceding for us to the Father; do we always
offer to Him the needs of mission, ourselves and communities ?
• How can we enrich each other in our personal and community prayer?
***I urge you, therefore, with all my power, and beg you in the name of God; since our most lovable Jesus delights in being with you and conversing with you through prayer, do not deprive Him of this pleasure*** (Lect 9)
Day Five
***MARY, THE MOTHER OF MERCY***
“Mother of mercy, look kindly on so many miserable, defenseless, anguished hearts” (Lect 57).
St. John Eudes tells us that, we have one and the same vocation with the Mother of God. John Eudes had a deep spiritual understanding of the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
For him whoever sees Mary see Jesus, Mary is nothing and has nothing without Jesus (Lect.51).
Mary is the disciple of the Son and the image of God’s tenderness. Mary is associated with Jesus in the work of salvation. Mary is our companion in prayer and in mission guiding us to do what the Son tells us to do; with her we accomplish our mission. Mary shows how to listen attentively to God’s Word and prays with us. We can learn from Mary the happiness of a truly humble heart.
We are daughters of the Heart of Mary, like her we are called to ponder God’s Word and let it bear fruit in us, fruits of mercy and compassion which flow to others.
***And Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior***
Personal/shared Reflection
• Mary was chosen by God, her vocation is to bear and to give Christ forth to the world, how is She as a woman a challenge to me today ?
• How can we involve Mary in our life, mission and prayer today ?
• How can we use the values and virtues found in Mary to promote
the dignity of women in our projects, communities or in our encounters?
***His Mother said to the servants, Do whatever He tells you***
(Jn 2: 5).
Let us ask Mary to intercede for us to her Son for all our needs.