Vol.6 No.7 DoM E Message
Spiritual Gift of the Week
We ask for the grace of humility and a healthy sense of sin.
Holy Mary, Mother of God pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Spiritual Instruction of the Week
Come Holy Spirit! Renew the face of the earth!
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Dear Beautiful Daughters of Mary,
Pray. Reflect. Renew. Our motto. Our soundbite. Our mission. We reflect and pray that we will become women who are continually renewed in the life of faith. We hope to become humble, faithful instruments of renewal for our families, our Church and our community.
Often it may seem that we pat ourselves on the back. It is true—we love us! For sure—I love us! But we know that our love for God is first. Our gratitude to God for the gift of Daughters of Mary is foremost. We may pat ourselves on the back—but only as a way of praising God. No self-exaltation in other words; no boasting! Instead, we pray as Mary prayed, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord—for he has mercy on those who fear him.”
We seek the grace of humility. One treasured Ignatian principle says all that needs to be said about humility: “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam—All for the greater glory of God.” St. Paul said this in his own way to the Galatians: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (6:14). And Paul was simply renewing the treasured words of the prophet Jeremiah: “Let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. Our treasured way of saying it: Lord, send forth your spirit and renew the face of the earth! Humility keeps us always open to renewal.
The key to renewal is a humble openness to all that God gives to us. The treasures of old and the treasures found anew—all are to be revered. This spiritual dynamic is clearly set forth in Matthew’s Gospel (13:52). “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his store new treasure, as well as old.” At the heart of Daughters of Mary are great treasures drawn from the old—our living tradition—presented in ways that give us new and renewed insight into living our faith in our contemporary world. Ultimately we seek the greatest treasure, the ‘pearl of great price.”
“Daughters of Mary is a special treasure chest filled with many jewels,” Marcia Amos said last week, “so it only makes sense that the more jewels we have in the chest, the more valuable our chest will be.” For sure, we treasure the jewels that have come from past prayer and reflection, but renewal happens when we open our hearts to the ever-deepening grace of new treasures.
We humbly pray now and always to be renewed by God’s mercy. It is the Holy Spirit who instructs the hearts of the faithful. It is the Holy Spirit who grants us wisdom. It is the Holy Spirit who guides our discernment, that we may recognize the treasures and gifts of God.
So let us pray: “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.” Amen.
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Dear Beautiful Daughters of Mary,
It is with great pleasure and even greater hope that I welcome Lynn Clapper as our new facilitator. Lynn is a woman of prayer, who loves our Church deeply. The treasures that she brings, enrich our understanding of the spiritual life. We are grateful to Lynn for her commitment to us. She will begin her role as facilitator November 15. Please join us to welcome Lynn.
My own commitment to DoM is stronger than ever. I am moving to a new position as Daughter of Mary Director. My role will be to serve as a resource to facilitators and Coeur members. I will also begin writing a long awaited Daughters of Mary Guidebook. Finally, I will begin the challenging task of introducing Daughters of Mary to other parishes.
Daughters of Mary proclaim the mercy and love of God. We pray for God’s mercy. Most importantly, as we move into this time of transition, we pray the prayer of Pope Francis for the Church: “Let us be renewed by God’s mercy!”
Please pray for both Lynn and for me, please pray for us!
Veni, Spirito Santo, la misericordia di Dio ci salva—
Come Holy Spirit, it is by God’s mercy that we are saved,
Deb
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