LITURGY
When a person answers a call to religious life, a loving relationship with God is encouraged and assisted by the prayer life of the community, we are called to live our lives as a "continuous act of prayer and praise".
We are called to be what Jesus was, to act as He acted, to speak as He spoke. We will never have something of our own to transmit to others. All is His. "Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name all the glory" (Ps 115: 1).
Spiritual and Liturgical Life
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The Word and the Liturgical Time
The liturgical time presented by the Holy Mother Church recalls and actualizes in the present day of our lives, the Saving Work of her Divine Spouse through which we are filled with the grace of salvation.
How encouraging it is for us, the Poor of Jesus Christ, to be grateful for the mysteries of the Lord's life throughout the liturgical year: from his birth in Bethlehem to his cross-redemptive death on the outskirts of Jerusalem; From his Baptism in the Jordan to his Victory over Satan in the wilderness; From the Call to the first along the Sea of Galilee to the new law given to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, etc.
The eternal Word entered the world in a human way: It became flesh (John 1:14). Therefore, for us to meet the Word is to meet a Person who speaks to our heart and who listens to us in our joys and sorrows, anguishes and hopes, fears and certainties.
As members of a Church which is essentially missionary, we can not keep the richness of this meeting to ourselves. It is necessary to spread it through preaching and witness, so that others may also hunger and thirst for the Word of the Lord (cf. Am 8,11b).
The Eucharist & Liturgy of the Hours
As the first Christian communities (Acts 2:42), we are invited to be assiduous participants in the Memorial of our Salvation.
Communion gives us the desire to be with Him more. That is why we daily honor His presence in such a sublime Sacrament.
Driven by the mandate of the Divine Master who tells us that we must always pray (Luke 18.1) and united with him, we raise to God daily prayer. We elevate it in a profound union with the Holy Mother Church, and for its edification and progress.
Together, we celebrate Lauds and Vespers, considered the principal hours, and which as such should be celebrated (LC 37). Before we finish our day and for due and well-deserved rest, we pray Compline. It is our last manifestation of gratitude to God for the day given to us and for everything we do in him, and the request to remain with us while we sleep.
Spiritual Direction & Reconciliation
Another important way to continue our progress in our religious life is spiritual direction.
A wise and prudent spiritual director, experienced in the spiritual life, helps us to face the challenges of our religious commitment helping us in all things to discern the will of God, pointing out the dangers and recommending to us the right remedy for the evils of the soul.
Once a month, diligently, we meet with our spiritual director.
Also monthly we are invited to go to the “Court’s Mercy” and with a contrite heart, confess our sin and repair our faults.
From this pursuit depends all our spiritual life, our friendship with God and our Salvation (cf. CCC 1470). Through this sacrament we also have the strength to stand firm in spiritual combat.
A good confession depends on a diligent examination of conscience. By examining ourselves we will be able to accurately detect our imperfections, progress in our state of life, avoid situations of sin, fight against vices and work tirelessly for our sanctification.
Devotion to Mary and St. Michael
Since the beginning of our Community, we have felt the ceaseless presence of Mary Most Holy. There was not one grace which was not given to us through her intercession. Our filial love is the reason why we devote different manifestations of praises and prayers to her.
On March 25, those who are properly prepared to make their Consecration to the Blessed Virgin according to the method of St. Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort, and on Saturdays, we recite the Little Office of the Immaculate.
In the daily recitation and contemplation of the Holy Rosary, we see, as it were, that our devotion to Mary is completed.
Following the doctrine presented by St. Paul about the spiritual battle (cf. Eph 6:10-20), we take as a particular aspect of our charism militant spirituality.
In this fight, we have the powerful aid of the Prince of the Angelic hosts, St. Michael the Archangel, who is due to win against the Dragon and his angelic retinue.
As proof of our gratitude and devotion, we greet him every year with a "Lent" and make him a special consecration.
