August 2023 laudare, benedicere, praedicare T O P R A I S E , T O B L E S S , T O P R E A C H
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It is hard to imagine waking up in the desert after a miraculous exodus and wondering where I’d find my next meal.
It is even harder to imagine discovering that God himself had rained down bread from heaven to nourish me for the long journey to the promised land And yet, I wake up to that miracle every day. Each morning during the celebration of the Mass the Lord becomes my food for the pilgrimage to heaven.
In the book of Exodus, the story of the manna in the desert is a captivating testimony to the providence of God. After the Israelites grumbled for the food they had left in Egypt, God promised to satisfy their human hunger with heavenly bread.
By Sister Michaela, O.P.
For forty years while the Israelites wandered in the desert, God provided miraculous bread, or manna, each morning The Israelites would gather “all they wanted”, and while some gathered little and some gathered much, God saw that “each one had as much as they needed.” (Exodus 16: 17-18).
That is simply amazing
And yet, it is only a dim shadow of the great gift of the Eucharist which Christ would institute on Holy Thursday. Are we amazed?
"Every morning the Lord is waiting to be my food for the pilgrimage to heaven."
In his 2003 encyclical Ecclesia Eucharistia, John Paul II challenged us to cultivate a spirit of “Eucharistic amazement.” The hidden presence of Christ in the Eucharist is a breathtaking mystery John Paul explains that the whole mystery of our salvation is “concentrated forever in the Eucharist." When we gather for the Mass, we stand at the foot of the cross and at the threshold of heaven As we approach the altar we receive the full mystery of Christ – body, blood, soul, and divinity. We are fed not with earthly manna but with the true bread from heaven
The Eucharist remains for us a daily bread that far surpasses “all we wanted.” Like the Israelites, we are wandering in the desert It is our pilgrim route. Here we learn to trust in the providential care of our Heavenly Father. Here He provides for us a supernatural nourishment that makes us fit for our supernatural home in Heaven. Each morning may we be amazed
A few tips for cultivating Eucharistic Amazement
1.Accepthunger. TheChurchrequiresustofast foronehourbeforethereceptionofHoly Communion.Makethisbriefperiodoffasting meaningful.Beattentivetothesacrifice;embrace thehungerthatremindsusofourneedfor supernaturalbread
2. PonderEucharisticPrefigurements. TheOld Testamentisfilledwithmagnificentstorieswhich pointtoandprepareusforthemysteryofthe Eucharist. Spendsometimere-readingand meditatingoneventssuchasthesacrificeof Melchizedek,thePassovermeal,thedesertmanna
3 Explorethedoctrine Wecanneverexhaustthe mysteryoftheEucharist,butwecancometo understanditbetter. Dedicatesometimeto studyingtheChurch'steachingontheEucharist. TheCatechismisagreatplacetostart
4 RestinHispresence Makingregulareye contactwiththepersonyoulovesparksgratitude andaweatthegiftofanother. LookattheLord, mysteriouslypresentintheBlessedSacramentat Eucharisticadoration,andletHimlookatyou
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By Sister Maris Stella, O P
Recently, I had the joy of being a pilgrim in the Holy Land, walking the same paths that Jesus once walked, gazing upon the landscape He called home, and praying in the places He sanctified by his presence. My week as a pilgrim reminded me that the whole of our Christian life is a pilgrimage to our ultimate destination, heaven, and we ’ re much more than tourists along the way!
Unlike tourists, pilgrims don’t set out for photo ops and souvenirs, though these can be great reminders of the adventure once we return home. We don’t begin with the illusion that everything will go perfectly as planned. To be a pilgrim requires a certain amount of humility, in both attitude and action, as in Bethlehem where one must literally bow down to enter the doorway of the Church of the Nativity and the divine mystery contained therein.
A profound moment on pilgrimage came when I was kneeling in the cave of the Nativity, imagining what it was like on the first Christmas Just then, someone in the group began singing, “O Holy Night.” At the words, “Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices...” it hit me: This is where the shepherds and wise men fell on their knees! This is where Our Lady held her Child for the first time! This is where God humbled Himself for our sake! And I shed tears of gratitude for so great a gift.
While tourists seek a nice vacation, pilgrims seek a transformative encounter –an encounter with fellow pilgrims sharing our spiritual desires, an encounter with the inspiring stories of the places we visit,
an encounter with strangers who help and guide us, and above all, an encounter with the Lord who has called us on this journey and has plans for us beyond what we could have imagined. A pilgrimage reminds us that we are all just passing through this world, and one day we will arrive at the destination for which our hearts long, and for which the journey of this life has prepared us.
"A pilgrimage reminds us that we are all just passing through this world...
of the
Way Disciple
by Erasmo Levia-Merikakis
Explore in depth six Gospel scenes to discover the essential elements of Christian discipleship.
Consider the vital position of the Mother of Our Lord in the life of his disciples.
Learn to prepare the heart for scriptural meditation.
“The call to discipleship is above all an invitation to intimate companionship with Jesus, as we read in Mark: ‘Jesus called to him those whom he desired… in order that they might be with him’ (3:14-15).”
-Taken from Ignatius Edition cover, 2003
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on a
Pilgrims Journey
by Sister Anna Joy, O.P.
As a 13 year old, I had already been blessed to visit many holy sites & shrines across Europe-but none had quite moved me as did that tiny, mostly untouched town ninety miles north of Lisbon. God’s providence had led my family and me to make a pilgrimage to Fatima leading up to receiving the sacrament of confirmation, a time of remarkable gifts of grace!
Standing on that anointed ground where Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia had received visits both from St Michael the Archangel, Prince of Peace and Our Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of the nearness of God in this place of encounter Between the candlelight rosary procession on our knees, the grandmother at our bed and breakfast recounting her eye-witness experience of the October miracle of 1917, and the reverence of the pilgrims, there was this deep sense of reparation, of atonement-to become at-one-ment with God through our Lady that permeated this place
This sense, while accented by the soft candles and the beautiful open arms of the basilica, meant nothing, though, without the open and magnanimous response of the devout pilgrims I was struck with the recognition that they were the real sacred space, the people of encounter- in the openness of the human heart where God comes to each one of us in the silence to invite us
gently to Himself It was in witnessing these walking sanctuaries that I met Him in the arms of the Sanctuary of our Lady, in the sanctuary of my own heart where I encountered his invitation to belong to Him alone It was simple and oh so gentle. I was totally free. And He assured me that I would be happy, no matter what I chose. His invitation pursued me across the years and miles, his mercy captivated me and taught me to trust in his loving plan, and his love, so constant, impelled me to respond with the same radicality from which this invitation game All became simple when I stilled myself in the sanctuary of His Heart-the Person, the Place of Encounter- and it was there that I knew that I was home
Vocation Story
Our Father Dominic on Pilgrimage
When Saint Dominic founded an order of itinerant preachers he founded an order of pilgrims Traveling from place to place, his followers would seek not primarily a holy place but the hungry hearts of the children of God. Saint Dominic set a remarkable standard traveling over approximately 7660 miles on foot. This is approximately the equivalent of walking from coast to coast in the US three times - or alternately, from Los Angeles all the way to Jerusalem! The map above traces his footsteps.
Dominic walked approximately 7662 miles during his 6 years of itinerant preaching.
www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org
In the Summer of 2024, the Blessed Sacrament will be carried in procession across the United States Four procession routes will converge in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress Click the link to view the map and see if one of the processions will be passing through your city.
www.rosarypilgrimage.org
“Catholics from around the country will unite on September 30, 2023 to confidently seek the intercession of Our Lady. Join the Dominicans and pilgrims from around the country in Washington D C Jin praying for our country and growing closer to Christ through His mother ”
You're Invited to join the on
Pilgrimage Join us at: Join the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage:
Dominicans
Join the Eucharistic Pilgrimage:
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Silver Jubilee
Family and Friends of the sisters who celebrated 25 years of religious profession joined us on June 25th for Mass and lunch in honor of our sisters: Mother Anna Grace, Sister Mary Peter, Sister Anna Laura, Sister Mary Rachel, Sister Mary Jacinta, and Sister Mary Monica
Top Left: The sisters renew their vows
Bottom Left: Sister Mary Peter with some of her guests
Bottom Right: Sister Mary Rachel and her family
Light of the Church, Teacher of Truth, Light of the Church, Teacher of Truth, Rose of Patience, Ivory of Chastity, Rose of Patience, Ivory of Chastity, You freely poured forth the waters of wisdom, You freely poured forth the waters of wisdom, Preacher of Grace, unite us with the Blessed. Preacher of Grace, unite us with the Blessed. Blessed Father Dominic, Pray for us! Blessed Father Dominic, Pray for us!
