Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters PO Box 6026, Techny, IL 60082-6026 319 Waukegan Rd., Northfield, IL 60093 Office of Vocation Ministry Phone: 847-441-0126, ext. 704 sspsovm@aol.com www.ssps-usa.org www.worldssps.org
Lent, 2012 “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me” --Psalm 51:12 Dear Friends, In a few days we are going to celebrate Ash Wednesday that marks the beginning of Lent. Again this great season in the Liturgical Year offers us an opportunity to reflect on our relationships with God, others and ourselves. It calls us once again to transformation that is possible only when we return to our initial commitments of our baptisms. One of the images of Lent is desert. Jesus begun his public life with a time of fasting and prayer in the desert and this is also where God is inviting us to be during this season. In the desert we are offered scarce nourishment because of its barren nature. The only way we can survive our desert experience is by drawing on our inner resources. This is precisely what God is calling us to do especially during this time of Lent. God invites us to this desert experience to reflect on our inner life. He calls us once again to deepen our commitment that we made in our baptism inviting us to act, to share our resources with those who lack in any way and to reflect on our patterns of behavior and make some necessary changes. Through this desert experience God calls us to transformation that brings greater communion with God and one another. Simply said, God invites us to put on the mind and heart of God. Changed in that way, we will be able to effect other changes in our environment creating one family of God. Do you think that your inner resources will sustain you during these forty days? How about having sufficient resources for the rest of your life? Let us take time to look at our lives and see what really needs to change this time and what needs improvement to show that we are truly children of LIGHT. Let us make the transformation happen this time…. May Our Lord grant us all the graces we need and desire to celebrate with an open heart the beautiful season of Lent!
Sr. Veronica Marie Mikkelsen, SSpS and Sr. Elwira Dziuk, SSpS Art by Sr. Agnes Paul, SSpS
Called by the Spirit, Embracing the World.