Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Bringing Christ's love to the world
Saturday, Dec 2 was a busy day of retreats at St Frances Cabrini Shrine in New York City. In the morning we had a Spanish-language Advent retreat followed by Mass and confessions. In the afternoon Sr. Bernadette Anello, MSC, led a group of 14 through a powerful reflection on hope. “This was outstanding!” participant Greg Gartner exclaimed.
On Saturday, December 9th, the Cabrini Lay Missionaries (CLMs) of the Guadalupe Province, held an Advent prayer service. It was a time to come together in faith and pray that our hearts will be ready to receive the Christ-child. The theme of our prayer was faith. We focused on Mary, our Blessed Mother and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Sr. Lucille Souza, MSC, gave a beautiful reflection on the way Mary said “yes” to God. She spoke about how that required great faith on her part. Sister went on to share how her own faith has empowered her to say “yes” to God. As part of her reflection, Sr. Lucille invited each of us to share the ways that faith has helped us to say “yes” to God.
Digna Merchan, CLM, shared about her devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She also shared a very meaningful video with us.
We wanted to include prayers of peace for our world. Srs. Genet, Abaynesh and Abebech sang, ‘Peace for the World Song’ in Amharic, their native language. We ended with everyone singing, ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ in their native languages.
A special thank you to Susan Pierson who prepared the prayer service in both English and Spanish.
~ A Reflection by Sr. Terezinha Esperanca Merandi, MSC originally written for the Global Sisters Report.
Advent is a coming, an awaiting, expectation. It involves emptiness, an openness, eyes, heart and spirit awake! Wanting to be filled, looking for something more and better.
It spells H-O-P-E and b-e-y-o-n-d the here and now of all around.
In South Sudan, in this fragmented country of conflict and shattered dreams, having completed a decade of independence and yet living in the constant, haunting shadow of war, ambush, kidnappings, torture and brutal killings, this youngest and newest country in the world can choose!
Choose what? Choose to “put pain to purpose”!1 There is so much pain and trauma here in this “adolescent of a country”, whose dreams waver on nightmares when faced with everyday threats and obstacles. Where is God? Where is change? Where is hope? How to “feed” hope? Teach our hearts to hope, dream for the future, hope in impossible times of sadness and tragedy? How?
First and foremost: to stay with; not cloud, abandon or mystify reality. Join hands (hearts and spirits), even in this time of Covid; defy mistrust and fear to find energy, that can be renewed, in a community of believers who know that Emmanuel is on the horizon.
Relationship and sharing enable a unifying process, beyond revenge, separation, hatred and exclusion. Is this not what the promises of the Incarnation, of God’s Advent into our human history brought about? Hope! And hope in abundance feeding our life in need (Jn 10,10).
Mustering up a maturing in growth for mindful re-evaluation: God is light, His light has come into the world (Jn 1,4-5.9). Reaching out, willfully, in dialogue, going towards encounter: exer-cising a freedom, true and deep, which breaks down barriers (Jn 4,10). Making love real, tan-gible, present in the situation here and now: affectively not withdrawing and being inclusive of all ailing parties (Jn17,21.26). Where there is great suffering, only great love can endure,2 to give meaning and motivation for the struggle ahead, forging the pathway forward with purpose: accompanying/building/ encouraging the newness of life being born, strengthening faltering and slumping hope, be-ing a bridge in the breach for reconciliation and peace.
Advent of Jesus’ Incarnation in South Sudan: Come, Lord Jesus, Come! Oh Wisdom, oh Adonai, oh Stem of Jesse, Radiant Star, David’s Key, King of all Nations, Emmanuel,3 Come! Walk with us through tragedy into the joy and hope of your ever-coming Advent Presence! Christmas Peace on South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Nicaragua and All!
~ Terezinha Esperança Merandi, MSC November 27, 2021 Kit, South Sudan
To read a related article in the Global Sisters Report please click here
1 Jane “Nightbirde” Marczewski, CNN interview, Chris Cuomo Prime Time, June 23, 2021.
2 Richard Rohr develops this theme at length in “The Universal Christ”, p.83.
3 “O” antiphons of the Advent Evening Prayer Magnificat, December 17 – 23.
As the saying goes, “Prayer can move mountains!” Even COVID-19 could not stop several of the Cabrini Lay Missionaries (CLMs) sharing an Advent prayer service with the Sisters at Sacred Heart Convent in New York City.
Once again, we were thankful for technology as we met via Zoom. It was wonderful to see each other as we have been quarantined and not able to visit in person. After some ‘catching-up,’ we shared in song and prayer. Thank you to Sr. Isalia Carvalho, MSC, for being so supportive of our coming together and making sure all the technology was in place. We look forward to being together again, hopefully in person, but until then, we are blessed to see each other via Zoom.
Each week during the season of Advent, one of the Cabrini Lay Missionaries offers a reflection. The reflection for the Fourth Sunday in Advent is presented by CLM Patricia Stancato-Purkey.
The first reading is taken from 2 Samuel 7:1-5; 8-11;16 and refers to when David was anointed king in Hebron by all the tribes of Israel and Judah and his first step was to capture Jerusalem from the Jebusites and make it the political capital of his kingdom.
The second reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 26:25-27 where he introduces himself to the Christians in Rome and he gives an incomplete synthesis of his theology. His words remind us to give glory to God this Christmas and always, for the marvelous things he has done for us.
The Gospel is from Luke 1:26-38. At the moment our Lady said: “be it done to me according to thy word” the most stupendous event that ever happened, or ever could happen on earth, took place on this planet of ours. The Son of God took on human nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin. We are familiar with this story from childhood. We often say the Angelus in which this tremendous act of God’s love is described. Although familiarity, in this case, does not breed contempt, it does help to blunt the real impact on our minds of such an extraordinary occurrence. If God had created a very special child, and made him into an outstanding saint, so that he could intercede with God for us, this would be a great act of love for us on God’s part. Or, if he had sent an angel from heaven in human form, to teach us all about God and to help us to lead holy lives, this would deserve our deepest gratitude. But neither a saintly man nor a holy angel could do for us all that God wanted. No man or angel could make us adopted sons of God and heirs of heaven. It was necessary, in God’s plan for us, that his divine Son should become man, should share our humanity so that we could share his divinity.
Could infinite love have gone any further? Our creation, the fact that we exist as human beings on earth, is a great gift to us on the part of God. Of what value could eighty, a hundred, even seven hundred years of a continuously happy life on this earth be for us if we learned that we had to depart life forever one day? In a world tormented by sin and its evil effects our normal span of life would be less satisfying. However, when God created us, he so planned that our stay here would be but a stage, a steppingstone in fact, toward our everlasting home. We are well aware indeed of the lengths to which God’s love has gone in order to make us his children and heirs to his kingdom. Are we, however, grateful to him for the love he has shown us? Are we honestly and sincerely trying to make ourselves worthy of the great future he has in store for us?
Today is a suitable occasion to look right into our hearts, to see how we stand with God. During the week we shall be keeping the feast of Christmas. The Baby in the manger will remind us of what God has done and is still doing for us. What are we doing in return? Have we shown our gratitude by living as true followers of Christ? If most of us must answer: “no,” this is the time to change our course and return to the right road once more. God is asking this of us today. Shall our answer be: “behold here I am Lord, your humble and grateful servant, let it be done to me according to your word”?
~excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O’Sullivan, O.F.M.
Each week during the season of Advent, one of the Cabrini Lay Missionaries will be offering a reflection.
This reflection by author and poet, Madeleine L’Engle is shared by CLM Marianne McGowan.
First Coming
He did not wait till the world was ready.
Till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
And prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
Turned water into wine.
He did not wait till hearts were pure.
In joy he came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
He came, his Light would not go out.
He came to the world that did not mesh,
To heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
The Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane to raise our songs with joyful voice,
For to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Each week, during the season of Advent, one of the Cabrini Lay Missionaries will be offering a reflection.
COVID-19 DURING ADVENT
In light of this once in a lifetime pandemic the humankind is sadly experiencing,
We ponder and wonder what message it wants to bring.
Would it be an absolute sting? Would it be an extreme suffering? Would it be completely devastating?
Or
Would it be a future full of hope?
Would it be our longing to responsibly cope?
Would it be a unified response at this gigantic scope?
Your answer is as good as mine
As seen from all the front-liners who put themselves
fearlessly on the line.
Let this Advent Season be our journey full of hope and healing.
~ by Vicky Lucio, CLM
First Week of Advent
Opening Song: Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord – Godspell
Reflection: The song, ‘Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord,’ was sung by John the Baptist in the play, Godspell. He was telling the people to prepare the way for one greater than he who was to come. How appropriate those words are to also announce the coming of the one who is greater than us. It is a call to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ Child.
The year 2020 has certainly been a hard year. COVID-19, the elections in the US, wildfires, landslides, mudslides, earthquakes, etc. etc. have all made this such a difficult time for everyone. It has been so hard to silence our minds and hearts. And yet, despite all of this, we are assured of the coming of Jesus. Despite all the despair and the chaos, we are assured that the Christ child will be born on Christmas Day.
In the Gospel for the first Sunday of Advent (Mark 13:33-37), we are told three times to be watchful. We have been listening for hours and hours to reports and updates about COVID-19, the elections, the different storms, etc. I find myself sometimes becoming numb to all that I am being bombarded with.
How can I silence my heart, my soul and my mind to prepare the way of the Lord this Advent?
What can I do to assure myself that despite all that is happening in this world, I will have Jesus born in my heart? What do I need to be watchful of to obtain the peace and love in my heart?
I know that it can be very frustrating when the words of some songs stay in my head. Perhaps, this Advent, it would be good to keep the words of ‘Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord’ in your head. Let it be a reminder that we are starting a very sacred and powerful journey to Bethlehem.
Lorraine Campanelli, CLM