ÊCan life really be "merry" inside a Poor Clare cloister? This happy book reveals the challenges, cares and joys of that cloistered life from an "insiders" view. The poet's cry, "O world, I cannot hold you close enough!" is the heart's cry of the enclosed contemplative. No one who has not lived in a cloister can fully understand just how intertwined are the lives of cloistered nuns. Their hearts may be wide as the universe and bottomless as eternity, but the practical details of their living are boxed up into the small area within the enclosure walls. Cloistered nuns rub souls as well as elbows all their lives, and if they do not step out of themselves to get a true perspective, they can become small-souled and petty and remain immature children all their lives long. But, as Mother Mary Francis points out, they also have "as great a right to be merry as any lady in the world." Nor is merriment all. "Hidden away from the glare and noise of worldly living," Mother Mary Francis writes, "we are enclosed in the womb of holy Church. I walk down the cloisters, and my heart moves to a single tune: Lord, it is good, so good to be here!
These meditations on Mary are filled with wisdom and hope. On ordinary days, on Marian holy days, and in times of spiritual and moral challenges, they offer the strength and the consolation that come from a relationship with the Mother of Jesus. Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C., a contemplative Poor Clare nun and an acclaimed spiritual writer, wrote with an intimate familiarity of the Mother of God. To her Mary was real, lovable, and accessible, and her words help the reader to discover that walking with Our Lady day by day is the cause of our unending joy. The book includes reflections for the feasts and solemnities of Mary throughout the year. It incorporates the most cherished Marian prayers of the Church, such as the Rosary, the Litany of Loreto, and the Magnificat. Also included are some of the author's poems and a moving tribute to her life and Marian devotion in the form of a foreword written by her Poor Clare spiritual daughters.
ÊThese meditations on the famous prayer of St. Ignatius by a Poor Clare nun and well-regarded spiritual writer will help every reader deepen his prayer life and draw closer to the Person of Christ. Popes, saints, and common folk have made this their daily prayer for centuries. Let the Abbess of cloistered nuns help you reflect deeper on the profound thoughts of this prayer that are needed to shape a devout life in Christ. Beneath the surface verbal expressions of this familiar prayer lie depths of meaning for which each unfolding petition prepares the next until arrival at the final all-comprehensive plea that God should call us to Himself and admit us into the eternal choir singing His praises. The unending joyous cry of the blessed taught by the ageless cry of the angels: Holy! Holy! Holy! is rehearsed on earth in the haunting reaches of this so simple and so profound prayer: "Anima Christi".
ÊAmong the many topics addressed by the Second Vatican Council was the need for the renewal of religious life. Some forty years later, many religious orders of women are dying out, begging the question: Did the reforms of Vatican II help the religious orders become more fruitful, or did they plant the seeds of destruction? In writing this work, Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C., carefully and prayerfully examined the decree on religious life promulgated by the Council Fathers and uncovered its noble meaning and purpose. With her penetrating eye and thoughtful reflection, Mother goes to the heart of the document,ÊPerfectae Caritatis,Êand finds there the calling to pursue perfect loveÑthough chastity, poverty and obedienceÑthat Christ himself extends to those disciples who would follow him more closely. This book is a timely volume on this important topic for religious life in the Church. For Catholics who want to discover how the religious life can be restored, this is a fine place to start.
Mother Mary Francis tells the story of how a cloistered Poor Clare Community, wholly content to stay where it was, has been called forth by God to go abroad and found or restore five more contemplative communities. In her own charming way, she relates the story - not only of the spiritual adventure of one contemplative nun, but also of the spread of contemplative life from New Mexico to Holland. Throughout the book the author explores spiritual themes about the call each person receives from God to venture forth into the spiritual unknown beyond the confines of our own "life plans" into the greater fulfillment of God's loving Providence. God gives His summons; the answer must be ours.
DEDICATION These personal revelations into the lives, hearts, and experiences of Those of Us Who helped to establish the Christian Dispensation, are lovingly dedicated to all the Children of God who seek peace, health, happiness, understanding, and who desire to learn THE WAY to return Home. This book is presented hoping that some of these Children of God will take courage from the realization that a few humble men and women passed through the same mental, emotional and physical trials that men face today. To this end, I have opened My Book of Memories and have written those dear revelations so that all who wish may read. Looking backward, individuals may gain the strength built from Our experiences and, looking forward, build a future of like perfection for themselves and the generations to come. Lovingly and sincerely, MOTHER MARY
These meditations on Mary are filled with wisdom and hope. On ordinary days, on Marian holy days, and in times of spiritual and moral challenges, they offer the strength and the consolation that come from a relationship with the Mother of Jesus. Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C., a contemplative Poor Clare nun and an acclaimed spiritual writer, wrote with an intimate familiarity of the Mother of God. To her Mary was real, lovable, and accessible, and her words help the reader to discover that walking with Our Lady day by day is the cause of our unending joy. The book includes reflections for the feasts and solemnities of Mary throughout the year. It incorporates the most cherished Marian prayers of the Church, such as the Rosary, the Litany of Loreto, and the Magnificat. Also included are some of the author's poems and a moving tribute to her life and Marian devotion in the form of a foreword written by her Poor Clare spiritual daughters.
Did you know that the Virgin Mary died and was buried before she was Assumed into Heaven? Or that she was raised in the Temple Precinct, along with other Jewish maidens--called "Almas"--until she reached marriageable age? Learn more about the life of the Mother of Jesus in this book written especially for children. "Mary the Queen" is the first of a series of 8 books on Christian Doctrine written in the early 20th century by a religious of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, which we have named The Seat of Wisdom Series, in honor of Our Lady. These books seek to teach the child not merely the catechetical truths of our Faith, but also the crucial importance of Apostolic Tradition, and how it informs the practice of our Catholic faith in ways we might not expect.
This last of Mother Mary Loyola's full-length works is an object lesson in learning to trust implicitly in God for all things, especially when it is most difficult to do so. Who better than she to lead us on this path-having begun her long life as an orphan, and now patiently awaiting eternity, bedridden with a broken hip for 5 years? Her firsthand experience tells in this intimate portrait, as she extols the rewards inherent in the very struggle in which she found herself enmeshed. Amidst her trials, she holds up for us the examples of the saints and the martyrs, the faith of the Patriarchs, and the solicitousness of our Father in Heaven, Whose gifts to us are without number, and in return asks of us what any loving parent longs for: the unconditional love and trust of His child.
Mother Mary Francis gives us a fresh look at one of the oldest arts--friendship. Long before you have finished the book, you will know that the author really means it. She goes to the source of love and invites you to accompany her. You cannot sell friendship. You can only give it away. That is what Mother Mary Francis does. Mother Mary Francis tells us how to recapture the commodity in shortest supply in the world, the love and friendship of Jesus Christ, in whom we have our friendship with all his brothers and sisters.
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