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The
John XXIII Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order | |
 | The
John XXIII Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order The monthly fraternal newsletter Fredericton, NB March 2010 issue |  |
Rule
17 - Article 23-1 | Theme
of the Month: ***UPCOMING EVENTS***. Our Fraternity meets at 6:00 PM on the first Saturday each month at St Theresa’s Parish in the meeting rooms at back of church. Mass is celebrated at 5:00 pm. Your Council will meet Saturday March 6 at 2:30 pm. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions for the Fraternity please let a council member know. Special
Dates: | Prayers of the Month
Writing of St Francis: And upon all men and women, if they have done these things and persevered to the end, the Spirit of the Lord will rest…. They will be children of the heavenly Father whose works they do. And they are spouses, brothers, and mothers of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are spouses when the faithful soul is joined to Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. We are brothers when we do the will of His Father Who is in Heaven. (We are) mothers when we carry Him in our heart and body through love and a pure and sincere conscience, we give birth to Him through (His) holy manner of working, which should shine before all others as an example. – 2LF 48-53. |
Marriage - icon of the trinity
Marriage has been referred by the
late John Paul 11, as the “icon of the trinity”. This is because marriage,
like the Trinity is rooted in relationship. Thus the Trinity provides us with
some characteristics that should be present in Christian and Catholic marriages.
There are four:
1. Permanence: a commitment to permanence allows for stability
to exist within the relationship, which in turn, allows for the development of
trust.
2. Self-Communication: as humans we reveal ourselves to others through
communication. When we as an individual feel secure in a stable and trusting relationship
then we are willing to take the risk of revealing who we are to one another.
3.
Mutuality: this involves a relinquishing of control in order to have a sense of
true partnership present within the marriage.
4. Other Directedness: this is
the life giving dimension of the relationship. The couple does not turn inward
within themselves, but rather, moves outward to share the relationship with children,
extended family members, the workplace and the larger community.
The sacramental
grace of matrimony provides couples with the means to grow in these Trinitarian
characteristics and allows marriage to be that “icon of the Trinity”…..
As married couples, we are to enter into this mystery of the Trinity and experience
our marital relationship as the vehicle of our salvation.
Excerpt from “Marriage
in the Lord” by Ken & Kim Flanagan
Submitted by Sherrill Guimond
******************************
Our
Lady of the Angels Regional Spiritual Assistant
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
March ~ April, 2010
Through the observance of Lent and the unfolding of the
Easter mysteries we come to grasp the deeper meaning and scope of God’s design
that invites us to reflect their impact in our daily lives and our world. With
joy-filled devotion St. Francis dwelt in the heavenly mansions and in complete
self-emptying he remained for long periods hidden, as it were, in the wounds of
the Saviour. He therefore sought out solitary places where he could cast his soul
entirely upon God.
The Word of God humbled himself to dwell with us so that
we may see his glory bringing to perfection the saving work that the Father gave
him to do. As we see him we see the Father also. By signs and miracles, especially
by his death and glorious resurrection from the dead, and by finally sending the
Spirit of truth he completes the plan of God that raises us up to eternal life.
As
St. John wrote to the churches: “See what love the Father has bestowed on
us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world
does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God’s children
now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed
we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope
based on Him makes himself or herself pure, as He is pure.” God has revealed
his love and kindness through the Son as he took our sins upon himself. He gave
his own Son as the price of our redemption, the holy one to redeem sinners, the
just one to redeem the unjust. In the Son of God alone we have found the means
of holiness.
St. Bonaventure points out for our consideration that the perfect
saint is the person endowed with deep humility, well-tried virtue, and consummate
love. The root of this holiness begins with humility, develops through well-tried
virtue, and crowned with consummate love. Humility moves God to sustain us, well-tried
virtue makes us pleasing to him, but consummate love brings us to be totally rapt
in God and to share what we have with others.
Fraternally,
Friar
Louis Geelan, O.F.M.
Questions for personal reflection
and group discussion:
1. In what ways, during this Holy Season, can I open
myself to God’s designs for me and my loved ones?
2. In what ways is the
cross of Christ the source of all blessings for me and the cause of all graces?
-
submitted by Margaret-Anne Ashfield
*********************************
CIOFS
- ONGOING FORMATION PROJECT
SECTION II: SPIRITUAL INSIGHT
Topic
II: The Presentation of the Lord.
Jesus, light of the world and the grace of
the SFO profession
Fr. Amando Trujillo Cano, TOR
“…my eyes have
seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a
light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel” (Lk
2:30-32).
The feast of the Presentation of the Lord is
celebrated 40 days after Christmas and commemorates the presentation of the child
Jesus in the Temple to fulfill the ritual prescriptions of the Law: the mother’s
purification (cf. Lev 12:1-8) and the redemption of the firstborn (cf. Exod13:2,12).
The gospel passage (Lk 2:22-40) and the feast emphasize the latter more than the
first. According to Jewish thought, since Jesus was a firstborn male child, he
belonged to God by right. Through the offering of two turtledoves the child was
‘bought back’ and returned to his parents. Paradoxically, it was him
who later ‘paid the price’ for the salvation of the world, through his
death and resurrection, and returned us to God.
It is the faith-filled
intervention of the prophet Simeon and that of the prophetess Anna that help us
understand the real meaning of the event. The child Jesus was a very special one;
in him, God was indeed fulfilling the promise of salvation for Israel and all
peoples; he was indeed the king of glory.
On his first presentation in
the Temple – through the inspired words of two aged Israelites – Jesus
was “revealed by the Spirit as the glory of Israel and the light of all peoples”
(Preface of the feast). Early on in the eighth century, a candlelight procession
was introduced in this celebration by Pope Sergius. Distributing and blessing
of candles were fully incorporated into the celebration by the end of the same
century, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas. This tradition continues
to this day.
The light of the candles we hold during the joyful liturgy
of Candlemas represents Christ, light of the world, but also our faith in him,
which we received in baptism. Last month we recalled that Profession in the SFO
deepens our identity as baptized Christians and members of the Church and impels
us to live the gospel in Fraternity after the example of Francis of Assisi. This
month, we are reminded that Secular Franciscans have been given the special grace
of Profession, a gift of the Spirit that empowers them to be witnesses with the
light of the Gospel in their secular state.
Faith in Christ enables us
to see his presence and rejoice in it, like it happened to Simeon and Anna. This
faith is to enlighten our everyday life at home, work, school, and in society
at large. It should also guide our participation in Fraternity life and our service
in the community of faith. Let us conclude with some words from the Gospel:
“You
are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do
they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand,
where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father”
(Mt 5:14-16).
Questions for reflection and discussion
1.
What impresses me the most from the Presentation of the Lord and why?
2. Why
was Saint Francis a bright light for the society of his time?
3. Do I consider
my Profession in the SFO as a gift of light to me and the world? How do I share
that light with others?
- submitted by George Guimond
World Day
of Prayer: The World Day of Prayer is held each year on the first Friday in March.
Its roots go back to 1887 when lay women of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.
held a national day of prayer for immigrants and for reconciliation within the
nation in the aftermath of slavery. Three years later, a day of prayer for foreign
missions initiated by Baptist women was joined with the Presbyterian women’s
day of prayer. In 1920, a national committee was formed to call women together
for an annual day of prayer on the first Friday in Lent. That date was later changed
to the first Friday in March – since every Church celebrates Easter on the
same date.
Since 1941, the World Day of Prayer has been organized by Church
Women United, an ecumenical Christian group of women who work for justice and
peace. Each year, a women’s group from a different part of the world writes
a prayer service for the day.
The World Day of Prayer is held in more than
170 countries and regions around the world.
Article taken from “The
Little Black Book”,
Diocese of Saginaw, Inc.
World day of Prayer
for 2010 is from the women in Cameroon and their theme prayer is: LET EVERYTHING
THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE GOD
A global, ecumenical movement
of INFORMED PRAYER and PRAYERFUL ACTION
WDP 2010: Cameroon Let Everything That
Has Breath Praise God Friday, March 5
Submitted by Sherrill Guimond
ˆPAX
ET BONUM! . PEACE AND ALL GOOD THINGS TO YOU!˜