Hi, I'm Sister Delia Marie Monrose. I am the Novice Director in Trinidad for the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. Join me on my spiritual journey by following this blog. Check back soon for stories about the daily lives of Sisters--how through work and prayer, we bring fuller life to others. Thank you for visiting!
Goodbye 2011! Welcome 2012!
ReplyDeleteI am so greatly to community for always giving me the opportunity to prepare myself spirtually in order to welcome the New Year! On Saturday, December 31, we spent some time reflecting and sharing. We had adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at the Formation House in Trinidad. At the end of adoration we shared our reflection and moved into Evening Prayer.
The reflections helped me to evaluate my life during the past year and commit myself to deeper growth and transformation for 2012. Sr. Julie Marie led us into relfection. The entire afternoon was spent in silence. What a wonderful way to end the year! The cleaning and cooking did not prevent us from gazing upon Christ and considering "what more can I do?" Without prayer everything I do seem so insignificant.By the end of the evening, I felt a sense of peace, just letting go of the past, emptying self, to embrace the new year and all the experiences I will have.
How can I be engaged in order to experience a New Year?
ReplyDeleteI slipped out of bed on January 1, 2011 and my hand went out as usual to make the sign of the cross. I said, "Thank you Lord for the past year. Thank you, Lord for the gift of Life today. Thank you for blessing me with the opportunity to greet the new year!"
Have you thought about that? Some of our brothers and sisters went to sleep and did not wake up that morning. They died in their sleep. Some died as a result of road accidents on December 31.Some were too sick to enjoy January 1. Here I was with energy, life and enthusiasm to welcome the new year. Shouldn't I be grateful and commit myself to give back to God during the year 2012? Yes, I am filled with gifts, blessings, zeal, love and hope. I will give back to God by being attentive to the needs of my brothers and sisters and providing for them. I will give back by developing and strengthening healthy relatonships. God calls me, God calls you to be present to where "God dwells among us." Look at the faces of the poor, those who live on the streets, those who have been rejected by family, those who have been abused, those who are being oppressed in their homes and at the workplace. Have you seen their faces? Then you have seen the Face of God. Let us do something more, something different this year. Let us bring joy and hope to those who suffer. We will transform their faces, faces of God with joy and hope.
So we have a mystic in Trinidad. God bless you Sister for reminding us to see God in the faces and places we often not see but where He is continually present to us all if we but take the time to look
ReplyDeleteToday the readings challenged me to listen to God and continue to bear fruits even when I am surrounded with accusations and negative remarks from others. In the Gospel reading we experience Jesus doing a good deed and yet he was falsely accused of doing it in the name of Beelzebul. Did Jesus stop doing good? No, he continued to listen to God in the depths of his heart. He continued his mission, what he was sent to do. He continued to bear fruits. Stones are usually thrown at fruit-bearing trees. No wonder sometimes when we strive to do good, we encounter negative statements from others. When this happens we need to recognize that we have to continue building God's Kingdom. God's desire for us is to grow and bear fruits of freedom, love, peace, forgiveness and joy. We should never allow ourselves to be crushed by others. During this Lenten Season let us reflect on our lives and the graces we can embrace in order to remain strong and focus on God's purpose in our lives. Let us continue to bear fruits. It is important for us to focus on the positive and allow ourselves to learn something positive from each negative experience in our lives.
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