WELLSPRINGS
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ADORATION CONVENT OF DIVINE MERCY
HOLY SPIRIT DRIVE, BRGY. MAITIM II EAST 4120 TAGAYTAY CITY, PHILIPPINES |
A PUBLICATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ADORATION SISTERS (SSpSAP)
Newsletter: December 2021 - January2022
Newsletter: December 2021 - January2022
From the Crib to the Cross
From the crib to the cross is a journey of love – that is, the following of Christ through the narrow path of self-emptying in imitation of him who emptied himself becoming man to make us divine. For love of us, he gave himself unto death on the cross to give us a resurrected life. The joy of Christmas leads to the joy of Easter. We make this journey of love through the Christian Lenten practice of prayer, of fasting and almsgiving. How do we understand prayer, fasting and almsgiving?
Prayer is an expression of our relationship with God – spending time with him, whether we pray alone or pray together with others. We come to God as his child, a repentant sinner, a suffering and needy person, or simply, who we are and what we are. We connect with God as our Father through Christ in the Spirit. Let us be present to God and express our relationship with him in prayer.
Fasting is an expression of selfdenial. Let us fast not only from food but also from any form of self-indulgence, the noise of modern technology and the lure of this world. To fast is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to repentance, to overcoming temptation, to the victory of Christ’s cross in our daily life of challenges, trials and sufferings.
Almsgiving is honoring and glorifying the Father, Giver of all Gifts, by sharing our gifts, talents and resources with our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Almsgiving atones for our sins (see Lk. 11: 41; Tob.12: 9). Furthermore, let us extend, give and receive the gift of forgiveness and reconciliation which Jesus won for us on the cross. Let us mend broken relationships. Let us walk the narrow path of self-emptying that leads to the transformation of self to share in the glory of the Risen Christ who gives us the Holy Spirit for our sanctification.
Let us make the prayer of St. Ephrem our own:
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages
Prayer is an expression of our relationship with God – spending time with him, whether we pray alone or pray together with others. We come to God as his child, a repentant sinner, a suffering and needy person, or simply, who we are and what we are. We connect with God as our Father through Christ in the Spirit. Let us be present to God and express our relationship with him in prayer.
Fasting is an expression of selfdenial. Let us fast not only from food but also from any form of self-indulgence, the noise of modern technology and the lure of this world. To fast is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to repentance, to overcoming temptation, to the victory of Christ’s cross in our daily life of challenges, trials and sufferings.
Almsgiving is honoring and glorifying the Father, Giver of all Gifts, by sharing our gifts, talents and resources with our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Almsgiving atones for our sins (see Lk. 11: 41; Tob.12: 9). Furthermore, let us extend, give and receive the gift of forgiveness and reconciliation which Jesus won for us on the cross. Let us mend broken relationships. Let us walk the narrow path of self-emptying that leads to the transformation of self to share in the glory of the Risen Christ who gives us the Holy Spirit for our sanctification.
Let us make the prayer of St. Ephrem our own:
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages
Dear Friends and Readers, |
A Prayer of Thanks |
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May the graces and blessings of Lent, which we received, make us grow in holiness unto the new life of the Risen Lord. Christ is alive! May the Easter Alleluias fill our life with the power of Christ’s Resurrection and the fullness of his promises be upon every home and family – his peace, joy and the gift of His Holy Spirit to take up anew with love and courage the challenges of daily life with unceasing faith and hope in all that Christ’s Resurrection means to us and the salvation he gifts us! A Happy and Blessed Easter
is our wish and prayer for you! Like Mary, let us always keep and ponder Christ’s paschal mystery, his passion, death and resurrection that God’s every blessing be upon us through the cross to his resurrection. The crib on Christmas and the cross on Calvary have the same meaning: Christ’s second coming in glory to be with him who remained faithful to his love. May we share in his eternal life and glory. Sr. Mary Auxilindis and Sisters |
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to earth as a baby so many years ago. Thank you that He paid the punishment for my sins by dying on the cross. And thank you that He rose again to prove that death was truly defeated. I place my trust in you to be my Savior. Guide me through the dark times of my life and give me courage to live for you. Amen.
- Max Lucado |
CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS AND SYMBOLS
An Easter Prayer
Of all of God’s gifts Easter shows us our fate Forgiven we will rise And pass through Heaven’s gate This Easter remember The sacrifice of a Son And through His resurrection Eternal life we have won This Easter I pray That the love of God Is resurrected Reborn, renewed Inside your heart God Bless You! ~anonymous~
“Lord, I am here, send me.” (Is. 6:8)
Our Sr. Mary Clemens left on February 6, 2023 for her new assignment in Brazil. We miss her loving service and serving love to our community but we feel proud of being able to send her as a missionary to our community in Brazil. May God be with her and help her in all the challenges of a new home and environment but with a gratifying sense of being in communion and participation in our calling.
Our Sr. Mary Clemens left on February 6, 2023 for her new assignment in Brazil. We miss her loving service and serving love to our community but we feel proud of being able to send her as a missionary to our community in Brazil. May God be with her and help her in all the challenges of a new home and environment but with a gratifying sense of being in communion and participation in our calling.
St. Joseph shared the life of Jesus and Mary. Like Mary, St. Joseph kept and pondered in his heart all that was said of Jesus.
St. Joseph
“From the depth of obscurity where he lived with his work, St. Joseph had the strength not to tell people, ‘The Son of God is here.’ Many speak who have nothing to say, St. Joseph had everything to say and was silent. He kept in his heart all the grandeur he contemplated.” – Ernest Hello
Let us ask St. Joseph to teach us to keep silence to open our hearts to contemplate the Word of God, to strengthen us in meeting the difficulties and challenges of life.
For the whole month of March, we invite you to send your intentions, which we will include in our devotion to St. Joseph and our novena from March 10 -18 before his feastday on March 19. He is a most powerful intercessor being closest to Jesus and Mary.
We also invite you to join us and pray with us wherever you are at home or somewhere on our novena to the Divine Mercy from April 7, Good Friday, to April 15. The Second Sunday of Easter, April 16, is Divine Mercy Sunday, our patrocinium. We will remember you and your loved ones and all your intentions in our daily Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, round-the-clock adoration, prayers and sacrifices.
“From the depth of obscurity where he lived with his work, St. Joseph had the strength not to tell people, ‘The Son of God is here.’ Many speak who have nothing to say, St. Joseph had everything to say and was silent. He kept in his heart all the grandeur he contemplated.” – Ernest Hello
Let us ask St. Joseph to teach us to keep silence to open our hearts to contemplate the Word of God, to strengthen us in meeting the difficulties and challenges of life.
For the whole month of March, we invite you to send your intentions, which we will include in our devotion to St. Joseph and our novena from March 10 -18 before his feastday on March 19. He is a most powerful intercessor being closest to Jesus and Mary.
We also invite you to join us and pray with us wherever you are at home or somewhere on our novena to the Divine Mercy from April 7, Good Friday, to April 15. The Second Sunday of Easter, April 16, is Divine Mercy Sunday, our patrocinium. We will remember you and your loved ones and all your intentions in our daily Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, round-the-clock adoration, prayers and sacrifices.
Welcome the Holy Spirit in your Heart. The Holy Spirit is a heart experience. Our Founder refers to him as the Heart of God for he is the love, in person, of the Father and the Son. The essence of love is purity. So, the Holy Spirit is called the Purity of God. Further, he sanctifies us. He is the gift of the Risen Lord as he appeared to his disciples and said: “Receive the Hoy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they will be retained.” (Jn. 20: 22-23). It is he whom we encounter in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He is the God of mercy who embraces us as a loved and pardoned sinner and guides us to grow in the love of God by keeping his commandments.
Our Founder, St. Arnold Janssen consecrated himself to the Holy Spirit Fervently devoted to him, he named his two women congregations after the Holy Spirit. The SSpS, in Latin is Servarum Spiritus Sancti, the Mission Congregation of the Servants of the Holy Spirit (the Blue Sisters) and the SSpsAP, in Latin is Servarum Spiritus Sancti de Adoratione Perpetua, Sister-Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration (the Pink Sisters).
Our co-foundress, Mother Mary Michael exhorted us to pray with our every breath, “Come, Holy Spirit.” Let us invoke the Holy Spirit to come upon us like to the first Pentecost, his coming upon Mary and the apostles, to give us the graces and blessings we need in life to witness and to live like Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life
Almighty God, I praise you for your power, presence, and purpose in my life. I confess my unbelief and unwillingness to press on when hope seems dead. Oh Lord, please pour your Spirit afresh on me. May your resurrecting power shine forth in my life and the lives of my loved ones. In Jesus Christ’s Name, I pray, Amen.– Carla Lake
Our Founder, St. Arnold Janssen consecrated himself to the Holy Spirit Fervently devoted to him, he named his two women congregations after the Holy Spirit. The SSpS, in Latin is Servarum Spiritus Sancti, the Mission Congregation of the Servants of the Holy Spirit (the Blue Sisters) and the SSpsAP, in Latin is Servarum Spiritus Sancti de Adoratione Perpetua, Sister-Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration (the Pink Sisters).
Our co-foundress, Mother Mary Michael exhorted us to pray with our every breath, “Come, Holy Spirit.” Let us invoke the Holy Spirit to come upon us like to the first Pentecost, his coming upon Mary and the apostles, to give us the graces and blessings we need in life to witness and to live like Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life
Almighty God, I praise you for your power, presence, and purpose in my life. I confess my unbelief and unwillingness to press on when hope seems dead. Oh Lord, please pour your Spirit afresh on me. May your resurrecting power shine forth in my life and the lives of my loved ones. In Jesus Christ’s Name, I pray, Amen.– Carla Lake
Pentecost Sunday is on May 29. We prepare for it with a Grand Novena from May 20 to May 28, 2023 for the needs of our time, the Church and our world and all who entrusts themselves and their intentions to our prayers. We invite you to send your petitions, and for our Corpus Christi Novena, June 2 – 10 and Sacred Heart Novena, June 7 -15.
