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| The Guiding Star |
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“When
they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding
great joy.” [Matt.
2:10] |
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scripture account of the birth of Jesus
tells us that wise men from the east, having
seen "his
star as it rose",
travelled a lengthy distance to Bethlehem
in search of the "infant
king of the Jews"They
experienced a drawing and they answered
it by setting out in openness, faith and
trust. They were filled with inner joy as
they reached their destination and fell
to their knees in homage in the presence
of the Christ child. Others did not respond
in faith. Herod reacted with hostility,
the Jewish leaders with indifference. They
did not make the journey. |
| Behind
this lovely symbol of the star is the most
profound reality for every human person
- God's loving call to each of us, God's
guiding hand, God's guiding plan. We touch
this call and plan of God only with a heart
attitude, walking in faith and trust in
God's love. The star is not only a symbol
of God the Father's love but also of Jesus
himself. Old testament prophecy foretold
"there shall come
a Star out of Jacob" [Num.
24:17] and in
the Book of Revelation Jesus says of himself:
"I am the root
and offspring of David, and the bright star
of the morning."
[Rev.
22:16]. The
journey of faith leads us to God our Father
and to "the
bright star of the morning",
Jesus. |
| “God’s
Will will be your polar star … view
it calmly and steadily.” [Margaret
Aylward] |
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This
is one of the most loved quotations among
Holy Faith sisters from Margaret Aylward’s
writings. These are not just the cherished
words of a foundress but words that allow
us to glimpse the extraordinary depths
of faith in Margaret herself.
In
1860 when Margaret was imprisoned unjustly
in Grangegorman Female Penitentiary, Ada
Allingham was left with the problems of
running the fledgling St. Brigid’s
Orphanage and she poured out all her worries
to Margaret. These words derive their
power because Margaret was not just writing
them but living them in horrific circumstances.
She continued to live them on release
from prison when she found her companions
reduced to two. She reaped the reward
of her faith and trust seven years later
when Holy Faith was approved as a religious
congregation.
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Pause
and reflect on God's touch in your own
life in your times of joy, in your times
of sorrow. |
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Pray
in thanksgiving for the past and ask
God's blessing for today and your future. |
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April 2008:
"Success"
and "Failure" |
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Jesus
said 'It is accomplished' and bowing his head he
gave up his spirit.
[John 19:20] |
At
this momentous instant in the history of
the universe, as Jesus yielded his spirit
into the hands of the Father, the majority
of the apostles had scattered in confusion
and fear. The words of the disciples on
the road to Emmaus mirrored the thoughts
of the followers of Jesus: "Our
own hope had been that he would be the one
to set Israel free." Their dreams,
their hopes, their longings and expectations
were shattered. |
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In
divine terms, the reality was so different.
Jesus Christ, beloved son of the Father,
having lived perfectly in faith and trust,
had yielded his life in love for the salvation
of the world, thus allowing the power of
God to raise him up on the third day - and
bring the transformation of resurrection
and the power of the Spirit into the lives
of all who journey in faith. |
"Know
that I am
with you always;
yes, to the end of time."
[Matt.
28:20] |
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For
each of us the experience of death, sickness
and other trials can bring us great pain.
The moments when we experience confusion
about our life direction can be equally
painful. Here, like the apostles, we are
challenged to cling to the words of Jesus
and have faith in God’s power and
loving plan for us. Margaret Aylward experienced
the pain of apparent loss of direction when
she left religious life for the second time. “She
moved to Dublin, most probably to avoid
the local gossip which inevitably followed
on her second failure in religious life.” [Lady of Charity,
Sister of Faith - Margaret Aylward, Jacinta
Prunty]. She
continued to search, both in this experience
and during her imprisonment and found that
the Lord’s purposes for her were even
greater than she had imagined during her
trials. |
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| Resurrection |
To
believe in resurrection
is to believe in
someone who acts
in us and for us
with immense power,
capable of bringing
life from death
and of making old become new,
orienting us to a future
of huge dimensions. |
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To
believe in the resurrection
is to believe
that no limit,
no barrier,
no difficulty,
nothing in this world,
will be able to kill
the life and hope
which were born in the heart
of God's people. |
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Carlos
Mesters, O. Carm |
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- Bring
your longings, hopes, fears and expectations
to the Risen Lord.
- Open yourself to God's transforming presence
at this moment in your life.
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Go
to Reflections 2: ~ to watch the Easter video "He Lives" |
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Mary, our Model of Faith |
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Between August and October we celebrate some beautiful feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary and so it is fitting to consider Mary as our model of faith in this reflection. In addition, the August feasts of the Assumption and Queenship of Mary hold special significance for Holy Faith Sisters as these are the days when First and Perpetual Professions generally occurred and September 8th, the birthday of Mary and the feast of the Holy Rosary on October 7th were traditional days for entering the congregation. |
"I am the handmaid
of the Lord;
be it done unto me
according to your word
."[Luke
1:38} |
The following extract from Caryll Houselander’s “The Reed of God” sums up the essence of Mary’s faith and gives us a model for imitation: |
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Our Lady said ‘Yes’ for the human race. Each one of us must echo that ‘Yes’ for our own lives. We are all asked if we will surrender what we are, our humanity, our flesh and blood to the Holy Spirit and allow Christ to fill the emptiness formed by the particular shape of our life. |
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The surrender that is asked of us includes complete and absolute trust; it must be like Our Lady’s surrender, without condition and without reservation … To surrender all that we are, as we are, to the Spirit of Love in order that our lives may bear Christ into the world – that is what we shall be asked. Our Lady has made this possible. Her fiat was for herself and for us, but if we want God’s will to be completed in us as it is in her, we must echo her fiat.” |
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| Fr. John Gowan's devotion to Mary |
In the annals of Holy Faith the devotion of Fr. John Gowan to Mary is well documented. Fr. Gowan recounted that at the age of 12, he received his vocation to become a priest. As he crossed a stile in a field in his native Skerries, he saw a vision of Our Blessed Lady, St. Joseph and St. Brigid and his life-long devotion to and trust in Mary’s help was strengthened at this time. He wrote an Act of Consecration to our Lady on 15th August,1895 and initiated the custom for the sisters to renew this Act of Consecration annually on this feast: |
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O Mary, Mother of God, Immaculate Virgin,
Queen of Heaven, Refuge of Sinners, Help of Christians,
our hope and most dear Mother,
we, the Sisters of the Holy Faith,
though most unworthy to be called thy children,
come on this blessed day (of thy Assumption)
to place ourselves anew
to the service of
thy Divine Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, and thine.
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O Mother of Mercy,
keep the enemy far from us,
obtain for us a love of our holy vocation,
fidelity to our rule and to our duties,
and the great grace of final perseverance,
that gaining our last end, we may, under thee,
enjoy the good God for endless eternity . Amen |
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| "And Mary pondered all these things in her heart" |
- Ponder on your life story and renew your surrender to Jesus.
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