All for God! All through Holy Love !

We began our week with a beautiful celebration of the Paschal Mystery during which we offered our sufferings and joys to the Lord.  Yes, we are truly members of the same body, the Body of Christ.  This celebration brought to a close our time of reflection on Community Life. 

Afterwards, we reflected together on the theme of holiness. “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.” Matthew 5:48 Holiness is for everyone.  It is a choice in our daily lives.  It consists in giving a joyful greeting to one’s neighbor, in doing everything possible to offer happiness to him/her. 

Holiness for a sister of the Presentation of Mary consists in doing all things with humility and great love. We are called to live heaven wherever we are, with all that we are and in whatever we do.  For this reason, number D 58d of our Rule of Life gives us the key to holiness for all the daughters of the Apostle Woman in these terms:

• a faith-filled attention to the presence of God
• spirit of adoration and offering
• humility, simplicity
• concern for the glory of god and the salvation of souls.

Pope Francis, in turn, tells us how to acquire humility. He writes: “Humility can only take root in the heart through humiliations.  Without them there is neither humility nor holiness” (Gaudete and Exsultate, #118).  We believe that Marie Rivier would agree, having heard the Virgin Mary say to her: “Lead your daughters through humility. »

With Pope Francis, with the whole Church, with the whole world, with each one of you, we pray: Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort to our hearts. You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us again: “Do not be afraid” (Mt 28:5). And we, together with Peter, “will cast all our anxieties onto you, for you care about us” (cf. 1 Pet 5:7). (Message Urbi et Orbi, March 27, 2020)