Category

2023-letter

Letter from General Prioress – St. Catherine of Siena 2023

Por | 2023-letter, Letter from General Prioress

St. Catherine of Siena 2023

 

Dearest sisters,

            In the midst of the joy of Easter, we find ourselves with the celebration of the feast of our great sister, Catherine of Siena, an appropriate reason to continue delving into the Mystery of Christ the Savior and the Church, two themes that were very present in the heart and life of the saint.

            At this moment in which the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Canonical recognition of our Institute still resonates in our hearts and minds, St. Catherine gives us an example of dedication to the service of God and the Church.

            Living in an extremely troubled time, the saint, for the love of Christ, always knew how to love the Church. She learned to recognize in her the body of the Lord, a body so often disfigured and torn. She knew how to «get her hands dirty» recognizing always and in any circumstances that Christ is present in the Pope as in the poor, in those who suffer, in prisoners, in priests, in families, in the ecclesiastical hierarchy even though it was dominated by worldliness and power.

            This was the body of Christ that St. Catherine touched with her hands, the body of Christ that she has always loved unconditionally. She was convinced that no one can relish God, in the abyss of the Trinity, without the help of the Church, because we all have to go through the door of Christ crucified, and this door is not found anywhere else than in the Holy Church.

            We can say that the reality in which St. Catherine lived can be compared to our own reality. It is not necessary to list situations that reflect «the disfigured and torn body of the Lord» in the world and in the Church itself. This is the challenge that we have to face, and I hope that it will be so, with renewed dedication as we committed ourselves in the celebration of our 90th anniversary to maintain the brilliance of the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us.

            Walking together in this present time implies not only naming the errors or pointing out the causes, but like St. Catherine, spreading to the four winds, manifesting through our lives, deep convictions of constructive values of forgiveness, reconciliation and peace.

            Catherine, submerged into the bitterness of the evils that overwhelmed the Church, immersed herself into the contemplation of God’s Mercy and Divine Providence and placed all her trust in the promise of mercy for mankind and the Holy Church. Her unwavering faith and her experience of God moved her to awaken a world that was numb and deaf to the cry of her suffering brothers.

            Catherine did not have modern means of communication; however, her preaching was more effective because she believed that it is God himself who continues to hear the cries of his people and manifests himself through those whom He calls to communicate His ever-active mercy of which we are both the object and the subject at the same time.

            An evangelization like that of St. Catherine who cries out with her life, with her words, with her example before the world around her, firm and faithful to her conviction that «every change must be nurtured in the heart of man… where complementarity and fraternity flows forth” can offer an answer to what the world and the Church need in our time.

            Sisters, may the example and intercession of St. Catherine invigorate us and rekindle the fervor of our total dedication to God and to the Church.

​            Happy Feastday!

 

                                                                       With my fraternal embrace and prayer

                                               

Sor Mª Asunción González, O.P.

                                                         Prioress General

 

Other languages

Letter from General Prioress – Lent 2023

Por | 2023-letter

 

Lent 2023

 

Dear Sisters,

         We commence this year’s Lent journey, which begins with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday.  What sense would this have in the context we live nowadays?  On the one hand, we enjoy a lot of progress, such as making purchases online, communicating instantaneously with people in different continents, teleworking, etc.; on the other hand, we feel powerless in the face of wars in many parts of the world: in Myanmar, Ukraine, Syria… and other armed conflicts in different countries that have been relegated to the background of the media, but that thanks to the recent trip of Pope Francis to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, we have been able to verify their existence.

         Faced with this reality, we ask ourselves, what does Ash mean or symbolize in these times? As in all times, its significance hasn’t changed. It helps us to be aware of our human fragility; reminds us that despite human greatness, we are weak, and we need to pause along the way to reflect. It introduces us to Lent, a time of grace that invites us to take a closer look at our relationship with God, how we have allowed ourselves to be transformed by his love and that often arouses in us the desire to change many aspects in our lives, not only in the external details, but above all in our inner self, in the roots, in totality.

         The Church invites us once again to deepen the three practices that it proposes for this time: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Prayer unites us with God; it centers us on Him, and helps us establish an order of priorities. Sisters, I believe that we have a lot to work on in this aspect. Is Christ really the treasure of our life? If so, we will discover that we do not need so many material things. This will lead us to fasting, to let go of unnecessary things and share with others; and even more, to get rid of our attitudes that prevent a true fraternity in community life. The alms that please the eyes of God are those that spring from a grateful heart, self-giving and sharing with others. This becomes concrete by partaking in the sufferings of our most needy brothers and sisters, showing gestures of solidarity especially to those who cannot give anything in return.

         The Holy Father, reflecting on the Gospel about the Transfiguration of Jesus in his message for this season, points out that going up Mount Tabor, «Jesus took with him three disciples, chosen to be witnesses of a unique event.» This makes us understand “that our Lenten journey is “synodal”, since we make it together along the same path, as disciples of the one Master.” This path has as its goal a personal and ecclesial transfiguration.

         In the same message, the Holy Father proposes two ways to reach our goal: first, listening to Jesus through the Word of God that the liturgy offers us daily. This listening “often takes place in listening to our brothers and sisters in the Church”. The second: “not to take refuge in a religiosity made up of extraordinary events and dramatic experiences, out of fear of facing reality and its daily fatigues, its hardships and contradictions.” Lent is not an end in itself, it is oriented towards the Resurrection and this should encourage us to continue walking and building synodality in our communities without fear.

         Sisters, during this season may we allow ourselves to be transfigured by our communion with Jesus and, consequently, allow Him to transform our way of seeing life, free ourselves from our slavery and heal our wounds. «Transfigured», we will grow in our evangelical responsibility and, hence, proclaim with joy and conviction the Resurrection of our Lord and love of God that we have experienced to our brothers and sisters.

         May Mary, our Mother, take us by the hand along this path.

         Happy Easter!

                                                                       With my fraternal embrace and prayer

                                               

Sor Mª Asunción González, O.P.

                                                         Prioress General

 

Other languages