Mother's letters Feb 2019

My dear Sisters …

CONGREGAZIONE
SUORE DELLA PROVVIDENZA ROSMINIANE
Via Aurelia, 773
ROMA

My dear Sisters,
As we celebrate The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the ‘feast of Encounter’, together with the World Day of Consecrated Life, let us focus our gaze on the Lord, in the company of Simeon and Anna, who immediately recognized the Infant Jesus as the promised Messiah. They publicly praised God for this revelation and proclaimed this good news to those who were looking for the fulfilment of God’s promises to His people Israel.
“My eyes have seen…”! One look into the face of Jesus, and Simeon understands that the hope of his life is at last been fulfilled.
There are many beautiful thoughts and fine words about Consecrated Life itself as well as in connection with this feast. For now, let us consider together what lies behind these words:
“The desire to know God truly, that is, to see God’s face, is innate in every human being. And perhaps we unconsciously have this wish simply to see who he is, what he is, who he is for us. However, this desire is fulfilled in following Christ, in this way, we see his back and, in the end, we see God too as a friend, in Christ’s face we see his face. The important thing is, that we not only follow Christ in our needy moments or when we find a slot in our daily occupations, but in our life as such. The whole of our life must be oriented to meeting Jesus Christ, to loving him; and, in our life we must allocate a central place to loving our neighbour, that love which, in the light of the Crucified One, enables us to recognize the face of Jesus in the poor, in the weak and in the suffering. This is only possible if the true face of Jesus has become familiar to us through listening to his word, in an inner conversation with him, in entering this word so that we truly meet him, and of course, in the Mystery of the Eucharist”. Benedict XVI 16 Jan 2013)
In addressing the gathering of consecrated people on this Day, 2 Feb 2013, Pope Benedict XVI referred to the beauty and value of the consecrated life as a reflection of Christ’s light. He said: “A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (2:32): with these words, Simeon describes the Messiah of the Lord, at the end of his hymn of blessing…” He continued: “I invite you to renew the faith that makes you pilgrims bound for the future. By its nature, the consecrated life is a pilgrimage of the spirit in quest of a Face that is sometimes revealed and sometimes veiled: “Faciem tuam, Domine, requiram” (Ps 26:8). May this be the constant yearning of your heart, the fundamental criterion that guides you on your journey, both in small daily steps and in the most important decisions.”
And now, a word of advice from Bl Antonio Rosmini: “Oh, if only we kept our eyes fixed on Him; if we never took away from His face that gaze of our mind which is so apt to wander and be taken up with earthly things! If we did so He would, by the beauty of His countenance, make Himself our Master, and from Him we should learn more than anything that mere men can teach us. What should we learn? Humility, meekness, obedience, poverty of heart! Men will never teach us these things, for this knowledge is hidden. There is nothing haughty or proud about it, but it is the science of holiness, the science of salvation”. (AL Vol II no 17)
Along the same lines, Meister Eckhart has this to say, in one of the most famous texts: “The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me: my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, and one love,” (Essential Sermons: Qui Audit Me)
I ask our Good God to fix his gaze on our little Congregation and all those, spread in different parts of the world, who love and serve him.
I commend to your prayer in particular, the Sisters who are gravely ill and those who at this time, are living through suffering and difficult situations.
United in prayer, let us shine the Light of Christ for each other – for those people who are near and those far away.
God willing on 20 Feb 2019, in Tanzania, we will have 9 new postulants; we welcome them into our Family and we pray for them.
Happy Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Jesus to each one.