Month: February 2015

Ash Wednesday

The part of the liturgical year which we call Ordinary Time is interrupted. We have celebrated five Sundays in Ordinary Time and will interrupt this series of 34 Sundays, to continue it after Pentecost with the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Why this interruption? Because we are already in the time of deep reflection. On Wednesday this week is Ash Wednesday, the day when the Church starts its great spiritual retreat, which is called Lent. For forty days, we want to imitate the forty days of Jesus’ fasting in the desert, preparing for his public life. The Church invites us to live this season, feeling ourselves as part of Jesus Christ, calling us to repentance, to an interior renovation of the soul, heart and life. Pope Francis asks this question: “What are you giving up for Lent?” It is not a matter of giving up material things. He is inviting us to change our heart, our lifestyle. It could be hard to fast in this way but it will prepare us to welcome the truth …

Fr Mary Alphonse in Jerusalem

Poverty and Reconciliation

Poverty Three weeks ago we started reflecting about vows. We begin with poverty. Juliana gave us some questions to reflect and answers. We did some research in the internet and in the Scripture to deepen our understanding of poverty. The world define poverty as deprivation humanity’s basic needs (World Bank). According to Pope Francis poverty in our world is a scandal–many families are living below poverty line–. The poor people are indeed crying for help and freedom from poverty. In Scripture we found various passages that describe God as the one who hears the cry of the poor. In this light we reflected how we understand and live out the vow of poverty as sisters of Sion. Fr. Theodore define poverty as entire renunciation of self to God and all spirit of ownership (book 4:149); it is an interior virtue which consists of awareness of our indigence and nothingness for everything belongs to God alone (book 4;258-260). In one way or another we all experience what is to be poor like Jesus. The challenge of …

“St. John in Montana” News, 01/2015

Dear All! Time passes quickly, and it can be astonishing to discover with the passing days how much one grows in understanding and love. During the first days of January, the sisters working in formation throughout the Congregation had meetings at Ein Karem. So the Novices had the opportunity to be visited by the sisters who are Postulate Directors in their own countries. What a joy it was to see them again – sisters who had lovingly journeyed with the novices in the two years before they came to Jerusalem. During these meetings of the formation responsibles, those in the novitiate were busy inviting everyone, and we became more than ever an open, welcoming community to so many visitors who came to enjoy our hospitality. After that, Sr. Maureen returned to our weekly schedule of sessions with us, on belonging and membership within the Congregation. She started by focusing on the desire and dream of our childhood. From there we explored what of that is important for me today? Is there some connection between that …

Nonviolent communication

In our 3 days session with Fr. Guy Theunis, M.A. about Non Violent Communication everyone were startled by the fact that violence is innate in us as we are part of this wrenched world where everyone exercising violence each day through our actions and the words we exchange to each other. Nonetheless, life is full of choices whether to continue to be a part of violence or to have a courage to stop this heinous act and holding on to that freedom to take a step to follow our Master of Non Violent way none other than our Saviour Jesus Christ. His desired is to change people´s heart to repent and believe without judgement. There are millions of reasons why violence is present around us and those reasons can be only understood within each person´s story with respect and with an act of loving service to each one. During the session we learned 2 different ways of languages by Marshall B. Rosenberg: 1. Jackal / Wolf language is a language of demand and composed of …