  consider Him contemplate Him as you desire to imitate Him. Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance! And transform your whole being into the image of the God Himself through contemplation! So that you may feel what His friends feel as they taste the hidden sweetness which God Himself has reserved from the beginning for those who love Him (Saint Clare) Prayer is the heart of our lives All over the world, in every place, at every hour and every moment, the brothers and sisters should believe truly and humbly and in their heart they should cherish, love, reverence, adore, serve, praise, bless and glorify the most high and supreme, eternal God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.(TOR Rule Ch 3)  We actively and wholeheartedly participate in the Eucharistic Celebration consciously offering ourselves with Christ and daily renewing our Religious Consecration. Let everyone be struck with fear, let the whole world tremble, and let the heavens exult when Christ, the Son of the Living God is present on the altar in the hands of a priest! O wonderful loftiness and stupendous dignity! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! The Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under an ordinary piece of bread! (Saint Francis) We extend the praise and thanksgiving of the Eucharistic Sacrifice through the day by prayerfully reciting the Liturgy of the Hours, uniting our hymn of praise with that of the whole Church, interceding in union with Christ for the whole of creation. ( FSM Constitutions Ch 3 )  In the spirit of Saint Francis we cultivate a warm and living love of the Scriptures, nourishing our personal prayer with the Word of God both in the liturgical readings and in our daily private reading of the scriptures, especially of the Gospels. In knowing God more clearly as He speaks to us through the Scriptures we are strengthened to follow Him more closely in a spirit of prayer, sisterhood and service. (FSM Constitutions Ch 3 )  Gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him. ( Saint Clare)  For those who are called by the Holy Spirit to spend longer times in solitude, provision is made in our contemplative/hermitage community. The brothers and sisters whom the Lord has called to a life of contemplation should show forth their dedication to God with renewed joy each day and celebrate the love which the Father has for the whole world, who created us, redeemed us and who out of His Mercy alone will save us. (TOR Ch 3)  This relationship of love leads to an attentive listening to the Word, contemplating the Word, gazing upon the Word made flesh, through which we enter into deep communion with God and with each other.  At other times music and song form part of our prayer and praise. Most High, all powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honour and all blessing, to You alone, Most High do they belong and no human is worthy to mention Your Name. Above all, they should keep before them the example of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Our Lord Jesus Christ. They are to do this in accordance with the command of Saint Francis who had a deep reverence for Holy Mary, Lady and Queen, the Virgin who became the Church. And they should remember that they are to follow the example of the Immaculate Virgin Mary who called herself the handmaid of the Lord. ( TOR Rule Ch 4 )  Hail His Palace! Hail His Tabernacle! Hail His Dwelling! Hail His Robe! Hail His Servant! Hail His Mother! (Saint Francis) |