Our Spirits Rejoice in God Our Savior

“Loving slaves of Jesus in Mary should hold in high esteem devotion to Jesus,
the Word of God, in the great mystery of the Incarnation, [on] March 25th,
which is the mystery proper to this devotion…”
excerpt from St. Louis Marie de Montrfort's True Devotion in the Preparation for Total Consecration

​In the marvelous lilt of the Church’s song of fasting and feasting, it is with the joy of hearts made pure by the austerities of Lent that we rejoice to celebrate our patronal feast: the Solemnity of the Annunciation. In the 10th anniversary of our founding, we delight—like a child who has discovered in itself its parents beloved features—to unite with Our Lord’s dependence upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and Our Lady’s great “Fiat”, that made possible the marriage of heaven and earth by the union of the Divine Nature and Sacred Humanity of the Eternal Son in her blessed womb.

Every consecrated soul finds particular courage and inspiration in Our Lady’s “yes” to the Divine Will: her complete gift of herself and her future to Almighty God is the model of our own gift of self through the holy vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Though in a different manner, we too, as consecrated brides of Christ, give Our Lord the gift of our motherhood and our autonomy. As a Mother dedicates herself completely to her spouse and child, so does the Religious give to Our Lord, by these vows: all she has, all she is, and all she may every be. At the moment of the Annunciation, Our Lady’s past, present and her future lay in the balance of the marvelous proposal set before her. Not only her future, but ours as well, for by God’s will Our Lady’s consent was necessary for the Incarnation and our subsequent redemption. By her “yes”, Our Blessed Mother became the cooperator of our salvation, the Mother of God and the Mother of us. She assented to the Divine Plan, and by giving herself to God, the Son of God was given to us through her. Spouses give themselves to one another to bring about new life; Our Lady gave herself to the work of the Holy Spirit to be the conduit of our eternal life, and to bring the Author of Life into the world as our brother. ​

By her vows, a Marian Sister makes present again the reciprocal exchange of life we see at the Annunciation. By her profession of the evangelical counsels, a Religious becomes a spouse of Christ and mother of souls. By the gift of herself to God, her fiat to His will for her, the Religious becomes an instrument whereby the Holy Ghost brings Christ to the world, magnifying the Lord by her visible witness to the super-satisfying abundance of God. This year, the 10th anniversary of the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa, we magnify the Lord for the great things He has done for us in and through our beloved congregation; and, in union with Our Lady, say “Fiat!” to His Will for us and the souls to whom we minister—now, and in the years to come. 

May Our Blessed Mother help each of you, and all of us, to say “yes” to every gracious gift of the Holy Spirit so that the life of Christ may be brought forth in souls. ​

Ecce ancilla Domini: Fiat mihi secundum verbum Tuum!