VOCATION OFFICE E-NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018

laudare, benedicere, praedicare TO PRAISE, TO BLESS, TO PREACH

Meek and Humble of Heart INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Reflection on the Third Beatitude Recent Travels and Visitors Wisdom from St. Ambrose

December 2018

Christmas at the Motherhouse Recommended Reading: Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives

Blessed are the Meek, For they will Inherit the Earth A Reflection on the Third Beatitude

This Christmas Season, celebrating as it does the eternal Son of God born as a small Baby to a humble Mother, is an ideal time to ponder the hidden strength of meekness.

For many, meekness seems to imply weakness, but in Sacred Scriptures meekness is shown to be a tremendous strength.

Moses, leader of God's Chosen People, was said to be "the meekest man on earth" (Numbers 12:3). During the difficult journey in the desert when these same People rebelled against their God and committed apostasy, Moses begged God's mercy on their behalf.

When Jesus Christ, called by Matthew the New Moses, wanted to teach His followers how to live, He said, "Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart" (Matthew 11:29). Surely, then, meekness cannot be thought of as weak! Saint Thomas Aquinas affirms that meekness is a virtue, the moral strength to let the passion of anger be under the guidance of reason. He notes how important meekness is to knowing and acting in truth and love: "For anger, which is mitigated by meekness, is, on account of its impetuousness, a very great obstacle to man's free judgment of truth: wherefore meekness above all makes a man self-possessed. Hence it is written (Ecclus. 10:31): 'My son, keep thy soul in meekness'" (Summa Theologiae, II-II, Q. 157, art. 4, resp).

Jesus gives this third of the beatitudes as a call to the gentleness of humility, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the land" (Matthew 5:5). By the humble meekness of the Babe born for us in Bethlehem, the Lamb slain for us on Calvary and risen to new life, all the meek are invited to inherit the land of the new heavens and the new earth (see Revelation 21). May we dare to embrace the gentle strength of the Lamb of God, willing to be, like Him, meek and humble of heart.

Recent Travels

Marymount University November 29 While visiting Maryland, Sister Peter Marie and Sister Mary Michael went to Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. They visited with students and Sister Peter Marie gave a talk on discernment.

Recent Visitors to the Motherhouse

In mid-December the sisters who live at our Motherhouse were delighted to enjoy a Christmas concert presented by the Overbrook School third graders.

After the performance, the sisters visited with the students and their families.

We also welcomed about 50 students from Saint John Paul the Great High School in Virgina where our sisters teach.

Words of Wisdom

From Saint Ambrose of Milan Part of this excerpt from Saint Ambrose’s book On Virginity (cap. 12, 68. 74-75; 13, 77-78) is in the Office of Readings of the Liturgy of the Hours for the Feast of St. Lucy on December 13.

You are one of God’s people, of God’s family, a virgin among virgins; you light up your grace of body with your splendor of soul. More than others you can be compared to the Church. When you are in your room, then, at night, think always on Christ, and wait for his coming at every moment.

He enters by the open door; he has promised to come in, and he cannot deceive. Embrace him, the one you have sought; turn to him, and be enlightened; hold him fast, ask him not to go in haste, beg him not to leave you. The Word of God moves swiftly; he is not won by the lukewarm, nor held fast by the negligent. Let your soul be attentive to his word; follow carefully the path God tells you to take...

Who but holy Church is to teach you how to hold Christ fast? Indeed, she has already taught you, if you only understood her words in Scripture: How short a time it was when I left them before I found him whom my soul has loved. I held him fast, and I will not let him go.

How do we hold him fast? Not by restraining chains or knotted ropes but by bonds of love, by spiritual reins, by the longing of the soul. If you also, like the bride, wish to hold him fast, seek him and be fearless of suffering...

Whoever seeks Christ in this way, and finds him, can say: I held him fast, and I will not let him go before I bring him into my house... What is this “house”, this “room”, but the deep and secret places of your heart? Maintain this house, sweep out its secret recesses until it becomes immaculate and rises as a spiritual temple for a holy priesthood, firmly secured by Christ, the cornerstone, so that the Holy Spirit may dwell in it.

Whoever seeks Christ in this way, whoever prays to Christ in this way, is not abandoned by him; on the contrary, Christ comes again and again to visit such a person, for he is with us until the end of the world.

"Those whose hearts are pure are temples of the Holy Spirit."

- Saint Lucy of Syracuse

Christmas at the Motherhouse preparing our home to welcome our King

Christmas at the Motherhouse Celebrating the Coming of our Savior

"This is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." - Isaiah 25:9

During the Christmas season, the sisters enjoy spending extra time with Our Lord in prayer and extra time with one another.

Recommended Reading Jesus of Nazareth The Infancy Narratives

By: Joseph Ratzinger ~ Pope Benedict XVI In 2007, Joseph Ratzinger published his first book as Pope Benedict XVI in order "to make known the figure and message of Jesus." Now, the Pope focuses exclusively on the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life as a child. The root of these stories is the experience of a hope found in the birth of Jesus ... This is a story of longing and seeking, as demonstrated by the Magi searching for redemption offered by the birth of a new king. It is a story of sacrifice and trusting completely in the wisdom of God... Ultimately, Jesus' life and message is a story for today, one that speaks to the restlessness of the human heart searching for the sole truth which alone leads to profound joy.

- taken from the front jacket of the book

"Augustine drew out the meaning of the manger using an idea that at first seems almost shocking, but on closer examination contains a profound truth. The manger is the place where animals find their food.

But now, lying in the manger, is he who called himself the true bread come down from heaven, the true nourishment that we need in order to be fully ourselves."Â

Click on the image above for a link to order the book.

Upcoming Events If you are planning to attend the FOCUS SEEK 2019 Conference in Indianapolis, we would love to see you!

If you are planning to attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C., we look forward to seeing you!