UT CHRISTUS REGNET. A publication of the School Sisters of Christ the King. Mary, our Queen, pray for us.

Transcription

1 UT CHRISTUS REGNET A publication of the School Sisters of Christ the King Mary, our Queen, pray for us.

2 Dear Family and Friends, Jesus has always been a true gentleman in my life. He planted the seed of a religious vocation in my heart as early as seven years old and patiently waited 15 more years for me to have the courage to broach the topic with my family. When I finally told my mother that I was seriously considering going to the convent, she shared with me a secret she had tucked away in her heart for over 20 years. After multiple pregnancies, some of which ended in miscarriage, stillbirth and infant mortality, mom was pregnant with me! She was excited but also filled with anxiety and fear. She bargained with Mary, with whom she had a very close relationship, that if I was allowed to live she would consecrate me to her Son, Jesus. What absolute trust my mother had in her mother Mary! Obviously I survived, but not without fearful and trembling parents and a very concerned nurse who conditionally baptized me immediately! After one month in the incubator I was able to go home where I could be safe with my family. My mother s relationship with Mary was strong and deep. I always admired this bond but found it difficult to have my own close relationship with Mary. It took many years for me to allow Mary s love to really penetrate my heart but it did finally and I am confident that mom had something to do with it. Just like any relationship it must be nourished, so I often speak to her by praying the Ave. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my mothers, earthly and heavenly, for their love and support throughout my life. Have you thought recently about the impact your mothers, especially your heavenly Mother, have had on your life? With joyful gratitude and praise for my King and His Mother, Mother Joan Paul, CK In this Issue... From robins eggs on the sidewalk to deer bounding through the field, to an unexpected patch of flowers, summer is a season for discovering new life. In this issue we take a look at Mary, the one God chose to bring His new life to us. May our Blessed Mother sharpen our eyes to see the work of her Son in our lives and teach us how to share the new life He has given us. congratulations to all graduates! As you begin a new adventure on this pilgrimage to heaven, may Mary accompany you with her motherly love and guide your steps toward your eternal home. A Mass was offered for you at Villa Regina Motherhouse on June 24 th. Be assured of the love and prayers of your CK Sisters!

3 Ordinary Signs of Mary s Extraordinary Love Through His incarnation, Jesus invites us to see the whole world as signs of His love and presence. Looking through the lens of faith, even the most ordinary things are transformed into extraordinary reminders. Here are a few examples of ordinary signs of the extraordinary love of our Blessed Mother: Care Bears I have a vivid memory of one day gathering all the Care Bears in our home and trying to stuff them into a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe (and still have room for myself as well). My little four-year-old heart was welling over with motherly love, and I was lavishing it on those lucky little bears. As I think back on that memory it makes me ponder Mary s motherly love. If I could bestow affection on fluff-filled inanimate objects, how much more must Mary lavish her love upon us. Red Wagon Distractions in prayer are par for the course, which causes them to be a frequently addressed topic. I once read the idea of giving Mary all our worries and distractions at the beginning of a prayer period. Over time this idea morphed into me mentally loading up a little red wagon and giving it all over to her. If I ve got a lot on my mind (or on my desk), I simply load up that red wagon within my heart and entrust it to her. Chess Pieces Though I am mostly ignorant of chess, a simple homily about it bolstered my love for Mary (or perhaps, more precisely, it bolstered my realization of her dedication to me). The priest spoke of the Queen s task to protect the King and how she can move any direction to faithfully fulfill her duty. Similarly, Mary has given her life over to Jesus and lives for him. We who are baptized into the life of Christ also receive her attentive protection and care. Watercolor paints Painting with watercolors typically opens up a creative side of me and gives me a better outlook on life. Every now and then I also benefit by picturing Mary with a rolled up sleeve and a paintbrush in hand. It reminds me of how creative she is in bringing us to Jesus. Garden Hoe One of our Sisters has fond memories of her sixth birthday party. Many of her friends were at her house, and they were all playing in her front yard. The discovery of a large snake on their driveway suddenly skyrocketed the level of drama present. Fortunately, Sister s mom jumped into protective mode and, with a garden hoe, she saved the day. Even more so, Mary stands ready. Often in statues and images of Mary, I find it comforting to look at her feet crushing the enemy as she brings Jesus into the world. By Sister Mary Jacinta, CK

4 Photo Album

5 To see more photos, like us on facebook.com/cksisters

6 Led by His Love for Our Mother Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did. - St. Maximilian Kolbe St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe seems a bit extreme to me at times. He greeted his brothers with Ave Maria. He added Maria to his religious name before his final vows. He celebrated his First Mass at the altar where the fiercely anti-catholic Alphonse Ratisbonne was converted after seeing Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. He d pass out his spiritual bullets (Miraculous Medals) to everyone he met. He built entire cities dedicated to Mary in both Poland and Japan. She appeared to him when he was young. She was real. She was his mother. She led him closer to Jesus. I love my mothers. My earthly mom is an amazing woman who constantly pours herself joyfully into all she does. So much of who I am is because of her. I want to be more like her. I love spending time with her because I feel so at peace and more complete. After I entered the convent at the age of 18, I needed someone to talk to and share with who would let me know I am loved as I am. I turned to my heavenly Mother. I want to be like her. She too brings me peace. When I was in high school, I enjoyed being a cheerleader. As my junior year approached I tried out, hoping to make the Varsity squad. As I lay in bed the night after the tryouts, I heard some of the older squad members hanging a sign on our front door and yelling, Congratulations, JV Cheerleader! I was crushed. I didn t want to be on JV for a third year. Trying to hide the tears and pretending I was asleep was useless. My mom sat on my bed, hugged me and let me cry. She understood without words what my heart was going through. A few years after I entered the CKs, I professed vows and was welcomed into the community life of the older Sisters. I loved knowing I belonged totally to Jesus. I was beginning to study for my education degree and to live our life more fully. One day I came home after a long day of challenging classes surrounded by college students (and not my Sisters). I missed the younger Sisters that I did not see as often. I was still trying to figure out religious life and felt overwhelmed. Wanting to be alone, I went to my room. Tears filled my eyes as I tried to process what my heart needed. I needed a mother to hug me, tell me everything was going to be okay and let me know I was loved as I am. I turned to my heavenly Mother Mary who had been such a dear mother for so many of the saints in heaven. She did not disappoint me. I sensed that she was there and that she understood. Time and time again she has been there. The Lord knows we need mothers. They treasure us, guide us and let us know we are loved. May we always thank Him for the great gift of our earthly mothers and turn to our heavenly Mother, confident of her love and protection, seeking to love her more and more each day. May the Immaculata increasingly draw you to her immaculate heart. - St. Maximilian Kolbe By Sister Mary Maximilian, CK

7 Beyond the Shore Whenever one of the other Sisters or I go places where people are not used to seeing women religious, we often get some unique reactions: Do you work for God? Hi, Church Lady. Mom, what s that thing with the hood? My personal favorite is Look, two Marys! These are charming first impressions that came from young children who say exactly what they are thinking. Even adults that are standing beside me in the line at Walmart or pumping gas across from me often have similar, although less animated, responses. They share struggles, prayer requests or an adamant, Thank you for your vocation. Even on the rare occasions when someone is unkind, I know that all of these reactions, both the good and the bad, are coming from the same place. This is one of the most humbling things about being a Sister. When people see me, they think of Jesus. St. John Paul II, and others before him, wrote that religious men and women are an eschatological sign. A priest once explained this phrase using the following analogy: Pretend you are walking in flip-flops on a beach, close to the edge of the water. As you walk, you notice all the people on the beach. Some are playing volleyball, others reading, the children are building a sand castle or playing fetch with a big, happy German shepherd. Then the water from the ocean gently, silently washes across the top of your feet. Instantly, you are reminded of the ocean. Under the hundreds of miles of blue, spanning as far as you can see, is another world. This world is entirely separate from the beach. You had forgotten about this underwater world as you walked along, and it now fills your imagination. Eschatological sign simply means a sign of heaven. We live our lives focused on the world in front of us, and for good reason. The volleyball player needs to think about the game and if the children stopped thinking of playing fetch, the German shepherd would surely remind them. God knows that we need to be reminded of our true home: Heaven. All Christians, through the grace of our Baptism, spend our lives walking along the invisible boundary between heaven and earth. When I go out shopping, or traveling, or just walking around the neighborhood, I become the water washing past the people God places in my path. For a moment they are reminded that there is another world beyond the one in front of them. This other world is Heaven. Just as the ocean is vastly different from the beach, Heaven, our eternal destination, is very different from the world that just moments ago had consumed their thoughts. Since Jesus is the One who enabled us to make the journey from this world to the next, what I have really done is to remind others of the One who longs to walk with us through our time in this world, into Heaven. This is the reason that I love, and am humbled by, being mistaken for Mary. Mary did much more than simply remind us of the gift of our Salvation. She brought the Savior, living, breathing, laughing and crying. To follow the ocean analogy, Mary wants to do more than walk beside us along the water s edge. She longs for us to join her in heaven because she knows the joy, beauty and Love that awaits us. Mary is like my brother, Daniel, who was the first to jump into the pool. While I stood gingerly on the side, he would yell, Come on! Jump in! Mary wants to share this joy, beauty and Love with us today. As we pray the Hail Mary, we ask Mary to be with us both, now and at the hour of our death. Ask her to share some of the joys of heaven with you and to teach you how to long for the world beyond the shore. By Sister Mary Gabriel, CK

8 ? We asked some students and Sisters. This is what they said: She is always present oftentimes silent, but always present. - Sister Marie Amata Where Mary is, the Holy Spirit rushes in! - Sister Mary Fidelis She listens to me. - Grace, Grade 5 I like that I can entrust everything to her. - Justin, Grade 5 She is my mother. - Sister Edith Marie [CC BY-SA 4.0 ( from Wikimedia Commons Mary What do you love about I love her smile. - Jadeon, Grade 5 Her beautiful, tender, compassionate motherly care and her powerful protection and intercession. - Sister Margaret Mary I love that our Lady is continually wrapping her mantle of love around me, giving me peace and comfort. - Sister Anne Joelle She stayed humble. - Alisyn, Grade 5 She is always ready to love and console me. - Lucy, Grade 5 I love how she brings our prayers to God. - Damien, Grade 5 Mary is a window to Jesus for me. She teaches me how to love Him and speak to Him. - Sister John Marion I love that Mary knows what it is to suffer. - Sister Mary Immaculata She is always there for me. - Lydia, Grade 5

9 Give all to Our Lady: I am all thine, my Queen and my Mother, and all that I have is thine. - Bishop Flavin Vocation Dates Fall 2018 Motherhouse renovations - contact us to arrange a visit. Spring 2019 Come & See: February 8-10 April May 5 11 Discernment Retreat: March ck-vocations@cdolinc.net Villa Regina Motherhouse 4100 SW 56th Street Lincoln, NE For address updates call Summer 2018 Vol. 23, No. 1 Non - profit org. U. S. Postage PAID Lincoln NE Permit No. 73