“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.”
(Gen. 2:15) In the beginning man and woman worked but it was with ease and delight for they were in right relationship with God, each other, and all of creation. After the sin of Adam man continued to work, but now it was toilsome and difficult: “…cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life…in the sweat of your face you shall eat bread” (Gen. 3:17, 19). With the triumph of the Incarnation of Christ and the Redemption He has won for us man is still invited to work – to be co-workers in the redemption of souls through the mission of the Church. My oldest friend, mine from the hour
When first I drew my breath; My faithful friend, that shall be mine, Unfailing, till my death; As a contemplative-active community, our Sisters go into the world for ministry while still keeping a contemplative spirit at heart. An important element of this contemplative spirit is the practice of silence. In general, we spend most of our day in "simple silence" which means that the Sisters only talk for reasons of charity or duties. This doesn't mean we walk everywhere like silent zombies with solemn blank faces - anyone who knows us can attest! - but it does mean that we try to save chatter or funny stories for our times of "recreation".
"As her humble daughters we strive to magnify Our Lady's role in the Church. Mary reflected on the divine mysteries in her heart, so we seek to anchor the work of our apostolate in contemplation. Just as she modeled intercessory prayer when she told her Son, "they have no wine", we offer our intercessory prayer for the needs of the Church."
- MSSR Constitutions - Suscipe me Domine, secundum eloquim Tuum, et vivam;
et non confundas me ab expectatione mea. “Receive me, Lord, according to Thy word, and I shall live; and let me not be confounded in my hope” Lights and Shadows
by a Marian Sister of Santa Rosa Mary and Joseph went up the temple to pray, And for the life of God’s newborn son to pay. A ransom from death for us sinners, unrepentant, Two turtle doves for His own life are there presented. Simeon sings of the swords that are yet to pierce The Heart of Our Lady—blades merciless and fierce. Anna proclaims, “The Messiah has come at last!” The blood shall be smeared on the doors of our souls That the destroyer may not our lives grasp. See the little turtle doves, innocent and sweet, Cooing and at being sold, turning the other cheek. Behold how their lives are twin tokens of Father’s love- As God the Father hands over to save our souls His dearest loves: His Son and His Jericho Rose—His purest doves. In Ramah soon, a cry will be heard, as never heard ‘fore nor since As Mary and Joseph make haste to protect the Blessed Sacrament. The light of the star that three Magi led from their treasures’ to paupers’ tent, To the Light of the Gentiles, heaven-sent (Hush…hear the rip of fabric—the veil of the Holy of Holies is rent…) Led too, did it not, to death of these Holy Innocents; And see now, foreshadowed, the tragedy high Of crucified Innocence. Let all mortal flesh be silent and stand in wondered loss For cast by the Light of Nations—lo! The shadow of the cross ... How delightful it is when little children reveal their age by holding up (somewhat haphazardly) as many little fingers as they have years to their lives. If we were to have done so this year, we would need all fingers on both hands: Our Lady’s Little community turned ten years old in the 2022. We would love to recount with you, our dear friends, relatives and benefactors, the many blessings bestowed on us by God throughout the past year.
"But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Romans 6: 8 - 11 As the New Year begins, many people look towards the motto, "new year, new me." Many wish to get back on track with their health - starting exercise routines or a different way of eating. Others focus on mental health. removing stress in their life, or carving out more time for family and loved ones. Thankfully, others wish to bring about a healthier soul - diving deeper into their spiritual life. All of these are good attitudes for one to have, providing that we see that a healthier body, mind, and soul helps one to serve God better and to more perfectly do His will.
"The Church presents to us the 'first fruits' of these 'true Christians,' those who by their works, and even by their death, having sung the glory of the Redeemer. We see them in the retinue of the divine Child, like angels on earth, who unite their hymn to that of the angels in heaven."
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