Weekend Events of the Sisters

Day of Recollection at St. Julie Billiart Parish

On Saturday, February 3^rd, the Maronite Servants attended a Day of Recollection for Consecrated Religious hosted by the Diocese of Fall River, held at St. Julie’s Catholic Church in Dartmouth.

It was a beautiful day of prayer, reflection, conferences, and group sharing. It was a great joy to meet and greet the other consecrated men and women in the Diocese of Fall River.  Mass was celebrated by His Excellency, Bishop Edgar de Cunha of the Diocese of Fall River, himself a consecrated religious. The Bishop gave a beautiful homily on the importance of keeping our love for Christ burning brightly in our hearts, and how this is the key to effectively transforming and touching the lives of others.

Catechesis on St. Maron and Great Lent

On Sunday, February 4^th, following Divine Liturgy, the Maronite Servants offered a lesson of Catechesis to the children of the parish on the Feast of St. Maron on February 9^th and Great Lent.

Sr. Natalie Sayde spoke to the children about the extraordinary life of St. Maron and how and why he is important to us as Maronites. Sister reminded the children that for Maronites, the Feast of St. Maron on February 9, is a Holy Day of Obligation, and that we should attend Mass, if we can.

 

Mother Marla Marie spoke to the children about the importance of the upcoming season of Great Lent, and how Lent is a time for us to exercise our muscles of love, loving God and our neighbor, in a more intentional way. With the help of the sisters and other catechists, each child was able to come up with their own plan for Lent.   

Yes, Lord, I Choose to Give All

(Sister Natalie Sayde will take First Vows as a Maronite Servant of Christ the Light on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, March 19, 2018, at St. Anthony of the Desert Church in Fall River, MA.  Please keep Sister in your prayers.)

by Sr. Natalie Sayde Salameh

As a consecrated religious sister, I will profess three vows – obedience, chastity and poverty. I would like to share on what these vows mean to me. When lived to the utmost, the vows are a radical gift of ourselves to God and His Church. He is the One who makes the living of these vows, not only a possibility, but a deep joy, for He is the One who lived them first. We strive to follow the example of the obedient, chaste and poor Christ – a very counter-cultural message in today’s age, as Jesus was in His.

Present in all of us since the sin of Adam and Eve, is the need to dominate and have our own way; to gratify our senses and pleasures in whatever way we wish; and to possess and amass as much as we can of the goods of this world. The three vows of obedience, chastity and poverty, when lived, counter these strong inclinations.

Obedience was the hallmark of our Maronite saints, and is the crowning jewel of all the vows. Why? Because the greatest gift that God gave to mankind is our freedom to choose, He gave us our will. In the vow of obedience, we say, “I give this gift back Lord, because I love You, and I want only what You will”.  For a consecrated religious, the will of the Lord is expressed through the directives of the lawful superior.  We strive to conform to that will in every way (in all things but sin of course). This is the ultimate gift of self that we could possibly give God, “it’s no longer what I will, but You will, O Lord”. Jesus was the obedient One, par excellence, consumed with the will of His Father, and not His own will.

Christ the Bridegroom has such an unconditional, exclusive love for His Bride, the Church. The Church will always be His radiant lily, His Bride without spot or blemish, His earthly Kingdom. In the vow of chastity, we are responding to this unconditional, exclusive love of Christ, by saying, “Yes, Lord, I will love You exclusively as well, You alone will claim the affections of my heart, so that I can love with Your love, Your Bride, the Church and her children, my brothers and sisters”. Married couples are called to a unifying love that is open to life, for the procreation of children. As a chaste religious, often called a spiritual mother, I am called to reproduce the image of Christ in the souls of my spiritual children. This can only be done by living out the grace of chastity, which God bestows, then empowers and sustains with His infinite love.

“Jesus is the pearl of infinite price!” These were the words Bishop Gregory said to me when I first met him while discerning religious life. In the vow of poverty, I am publicly professing that Jesus is indeed the only treasure that life affords. He alone is my wealth, my possession, my portion, I lack nothing. In Jesus, I am complete. In the vow of poverty, I give Jesus the supreme pleasure of His heart, that of looking after me and seeing to all my spiritual and temporal needs as He sees fit. I am free!

I am very happy to be taking this important step in my vocation journey, and more than happy to lay down my life in the service of our Maronite Church and our people.

 

         

Perpetual Vows for Maronite Servants

Sister Therese Maria professing perpetual vows as a Maronite Servant before Mother Marla Marie on the Feast of the Immaculate Sister Therese Maria professing perpetual vows as a Maronite Servant before Mother Marla Marie on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception 2017 at St Anthony of the Desert in Fall River, MA.

Vocation: Life Giving Vow of Obedience

By Sister Therese Maria Touma

My food is to do the will of him who sent me, that I may accomplish his work”

(John 4:34)

In reflecting back over the nearly seven years of my religious life, I can honestly share that I have tasted the beautiful fruits of living obedience, and have seen my self grow in self-knowledge, confidence in God’s mercy and inner freedom. On the other hand, the daily struggle to live out authentic obedience has been real and trying. Throughout my journey, I have stumbled (and in the process have been humbled) in my quest to love God undividedly and master my self-seeking and strong will, which wants to seek its “own” way.

 

Obedience is much more than something I do or my efforts in striving to listen and follow my superior’s directives, I have come to learn that it is essentially a gift from God. “This is one of the greatest gifts that God gives us in our vocation as religious, to enable us to share in complete self-giving which is the life of the Blessed Trinity, to be enabled to give him our last self-possession, our own will and judgment, and by giving it to him, to receive it back from him glorious and divinized, part even of himself.”

(The Mysticism of Obedience, Page 29)

To surrender each day in faith, my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding to God has been something I have cultivated with the help of my formator, Mother Marla Marie. Sometimes I have been successful and at other times I have taken back my will due to certain fears, difficulties, weaknesses and a lack of trust on my part. So what impels me in my religious life to obey to my superior? Simply put, it is because I love God, and I believe that it is God who is speaking to me in the person of my superior, and when I do my superior’s will, I do God’s will and thus I am united to God’s will in my loving obedience. As Bernard Lemming, S.J. asserts, to unite our will with God is to become sharers in his nature and to be one with his being. “God’s will IS himself. He is immutable.” (The Mysticism of Obedience, Page 28)

In imitation of the obedient, poor and chaste Christ who redeemed the world through his obedience to God the Father, I too as his spouse and as a Maronite Servant of Christ the Light am called to live out this radical vow in union with him for the salvation of souls. Christ came to do not his will but the Father’s will. “I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)

My prayer is that I may always find great joy and beauty in seeking God’s will both in the small and grand assignments that come my way. Lord, grant me a greater trust and surrender knowing that you permit all things in your loving and wise providence.  

Lord Jesus Christ, take all my freedom, take my memory, my understanding, and take all of me. All that I have and cherished you have given to me. Take Lord Jesus, Take all of me. I surrender it all to you to be guided by your will. Your grace and your love, they are wealth enough for me. Give me these, Lord Jesus, I ask nothing more of you.

(Ignatius of Loyola)