Love is Revolution Day 19

Quote of the day

 We are saints when, through the merits of Christ, we participate in His love and live a life spiritually and morally coherent with the total love that God has for us.  As a consequence, sanctity consists in accepting the proposal of love that Jesus makes to us, in receiving from Him the life of grace, and thus in striving toward the maximum of perfection.  

Words that stood out to me:

through the merits of Christ

So often we attempt to live lives that reflect Christ's love for humanity by OUR OWN merits.  Here we woefully fail, hindered by our lack of humility, self righteousness and other many and varied faults.  I am reminded here that ONLY by the merits of Christ may I truly participate in His love and that I must first humble myself and invite Christ to work in and through me before I may be an Instrument of God's love and mercy in the world. (Lesa Lindsay, wife mother, long time Pro Sanctity Member Pro Sanctity Central States) 

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)


11 days until the convention!
To register click on the link below

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1j4oNhnPspglLuOOthtpsRQWmK8tiTFKlzCucJ4ez4Dc/viewform

Love is Revolution Day 19

Love is Revolution Day 18

Quote of the Day

God did not limit Himself to saving us; He made us sharers

in His own divine nature. Christ did not want to pay

the price of redemption (1 Cor 6:20) in a detached way,

but He became one of us, our brother.

 Isn't God's love amazing? He is not a distant deity but the God who says with His very being, "I am with you...I'll go with you." This should give us great confidence in responding to what we are called to do. We become witnesses of God's presence to the world, simply by living in His presence. Invite someone today to notice how God is with them in whatever situation or circumstances they are going through. Jesus is not only with us, He has conquered the darkness and the victory is ours! (Joan Patten, Apostolic Oblate, Pro Sanctity California)

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

12 days until the convention!!!  To register click on the link below

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1j4oNhnPspglLuOOthtpsRQWmK8tiTFKlzCucJ4ez4Dc/viewform

Love is Revolution Day 18

Love is Revolution Day 17

Quote of the Day

 Consecrated through the sacrament of matrimony, every

couple and their children are a little nucleus of a supernatural

family, set in a poetic way amid the cry of a baby, the

singing of the mother, the aroma of fresh bread. The parish

is a family gathered around the good father at an altar

adorned by white linens and flowers full of their perfume.

The local Church or diocese is a family, fitted to its bishop—

who knows how to be for his children a brother and a father;

how to have a smile and firmness—as the strings of a

harp through which the Spirit repeats the truth in melodies

of love (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Eph. 4). The whole

Church is a family which, in a world needing peace and love,

shows itself a living reality of the Father who looks for the

far-off, lost prodigal son, as Jesus recounts in the Gospel

(Luke 15:11 ff )

 Reflection

When I ponder family today I cannot help but look at my own family, we are typical...Some are married, some are not, some our poor, some are rich, some are believers and some are not....some are open to life and some are not....my list could go on, but in all our differences, beliefs and disbeliefs we all hunger for love, we all want to be loved, and we hunger to love!

The Founder of Pro Sanctity, Bishop Giaquinta invited us to be family to everyone we meet, to see everyone as brother and sister, and to invite, invite and invite again into the circle of a community of love. Love conquers so many things, and love can be honest, even tough when need be, most of all love opens us to taste the  unconditional love of God. In the story of the prodigal son, the younger son returned to his father because he lost everything and committed countless sins, but he was embraced by his father with unconditional love. In the background lurked his elder brother, who whined and complained that his brother did not deserve it, he should not be tolerated, because unlike himself, he was a sinner. Oh how hard he was on his wayward brother,  but the father exuberantly loved him with all his faults and love his whiny elder son too!  In reality he loved both with his whole heart showing us what unconditional love looks like in a family, in Church, the community, and in all affairs!

Grace to pray for:

As we prepare for the National Pro Sanctity Convention and ponder the revolution of love, let us pray for the grace of unconditional love, in the spirit of our heavenly Father, and love without conditions! May this revolution happen and may it start in our hearts today! Amen!

13 days to the convention!  To register  click on the link below

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1j4oNhnPspglLuOOthtpsRQWmK8tiTFKlzCucJ4ez4Dc/viewform

   

Love is Revolution Day 17

Love is Revolution Day 16

Quote of the Day

The brotherhood we must have among

ourselves is not measured by justice but by the immolation

that Christ chose in order to manifest His love for us.  

If we define justice as ‘giving the other their due’ and immolation as ‘sacrificial slaying’, we recognize that Bishop Giaquinta is reminding us to imitate Christ by going way beyond the minimum.  So often in this world, we hear the phrase, “It’s not fair!” and we equate justice with equitable treatment.  It is interesting to note, however, that nowhere in the Bible does Our Lord promise us that life will be fair.  Christianity is radical because we are called to give far more to others, even at the cost of our own comfort.

Action Plan: Over the next week, practice willingly offering intentional acts for others that require sacrificing one’s own desires to complete.  (Kay Parlor, wife, mother Cooperative Oblate Pro Sanctity Central States) 

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

14 days to the convention!  To register click on the link below

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1j4oNhnPspglLuOOthtpsRQWmK8tiTFKlzCucJ4ez4Dc/viewform

Love is Revolution Day 16

Love is Revolution Day 15

Quote of the Day 

  Who is the saint? Every person who with all the sincerity and passion of which he is capable tries decisively to reach the fullness of love is a saint. 

When thinking of this it reminds me of an interview question I was asked about picking a superhero and having a super power in order to figure out my personality. Not following these things, I know of them but not why they are considered such my answer ended up being non conclusive yet my superpower was related to striving for the virtue that the Saints in Heaven strived for when they were on earth. Because everyone by the virtue of our Baptism is called to live for God and follow his Commandments and do what Jesus commanded, we are called to be saints who are decisively capable of being a saint like the ones in Heaven. (Rhonda Eby, wife mother and long time Pro Sanctity Member, Pro Sanctity Central States)

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

15 days until the convention!  To register click on the link below

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1j4oNhnPspglLuOOthtpsRQWmK8tiTFKlzCucJ4ez4Dc/viewform

Love is Revolution Day 15

Love is Revolution Day 14

Quote of the Day 

  For how could we ignore our brethren in

their various situations of life? Our love for the Father must

make us feel the need and duty of speaking with them of our

marvelous experience of encountering the mystery of God-

Love. 

  I often wonder how we can say the Our Father and not feel compassion and love for all God's children.  If we truly mean the words we say then what is happening to any of God's children...whether it be a brother around the corner or a sister in South Carolina studying scripture or a Christian Moslem being persecuted half way around the world it is happening to one of our own brothers or sisters...The words Our Father makes us all one family, all brothers and sisters impelling us to laugh with joy over good things or cry with sadness and compassion over wrongs and injustices and the least, the very least we can do is be a part of God's army of Prayer soldiers and pray for the strength and wisdom to know what God wants of us to help change the world and to offer pray in support of our brothers and sisters wherever they may be (Pro Sanctity Member Nina Riti, Brooklyn New York)

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

16 days until the convention! To register go to www.prosanctity.org and click on the gold REGISTER NOW link

Love is Revolution Day 14

Love is Revolution Day 13

Quote of the Day 

Creation is none other than a pale repetition of that mysterious

love that indissolubly unites the Father, the Son, and

the Holy Spirit. God creates out of love, that is, He communicates Himself in some way, and He wants to give to His creatures—inasmuch as they are able to receive it—His

beatifying presence.

Our God's love for us is endless. He shows us this time after time through the Fathers's Love for His Son and the Breath and Life of the Holy Spirit. Let us model our families by this Most Holy Trinity. That we may be complete , total gift to others. Let us desire that inseparable unity of the Holy Trinity. That we may some day gaze upon His Beatifying Presence. Amen   (Paula Bastian, wife, mother and long time Pro Sanctity member, Pro Sanctity Central States)

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

17 days to the convention!  To register go to www.prosanctity.org and click on the gold REGISTER NOW link

Love is Revolution Day 13

Love is Revolution Day 12

Quote of the Day

Love is looking at the Father Who has loved us to the point
of not sparing His own Son for our sake (Rm 8:32). Love is listening to the divine Word, Jesus the Incarnate Word, Who has come to reveal to us the ineffable mystery of a FatherWho loves us infinitely and wants the totality of our love.

This quote reminds me of the "Love Is..." cartoons, but while most of them are cute, they are also shallow, depicting human love for one another, which is limited and often conditional. The contrast is that here, Bishop Giaquinta is talking about the Father, who loves us "infinitely", "to the point of not sparing His own Son for our sake". This is an unconditional love so deep, it is beyond all human understanding. As Christians, we talk all the time about God's love, but how often do we contemplate the true depth of that love? How often do we allow ourselves to really feel the Father's love in our hearts and souls?

In today's world, we are often too busy to take the time. Many people are uncomfortable with feeling loved, because they don't feel they deserve it. Regardless of whether we take the time or allow ourselves to feel it, the Father's love is there. We are His children, and He loves us infinitely.

Jesus, knowing His fate, loved the Father so much that He accepted this fate because it was the Father's will. Jesus gave the totality of His love, for the Father as well as for us. Jesus encourages us to give the totality of our love to the Father as well.

Action step:
Make a point to spend time contemplating the Father's love for you personally. Ask the Father to show you His love for you as His son/daughter. Stay with this feeling and allow His love to fill you up. Then examine your love for the Father. Are you holding back? Ask Jesus for insight on how you can give the Father the totality of your love. (Theresa Rakes, long time Pro Sanctity member, Pro Sanctity Central states)

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone. Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

18 days to the convention! To register go to www.prosanctity.org and click on the gold REGISTER NOW link

Love is Revolution Day 12

Love is Revolution Day 11

Quote of the Day

The saint is a creature in need of brothers
to whom he tries to give not what is superfluous from his
abundance but all that he has; he is immersed in “the today”
but looks toward eternity, trying to anticipate it in the time
in which he lives, according to his capabilities.

The most successful approach to keeping myself out of trouble throughout my life has been following this advice. Being immersed in "the today" is being focused in what or who is in front of me...being present to the current situation. If it is not a good situation or has the potential for leading me astray, I think about what the consequences could be in the future. Do I want the younger generations to know about that activity? Will it bring me closer to God?

Of course, God does not want me to merely stay out of trouble but be a positive force for His cause of Maximal Love. Since God's Maximal Love is infinite, it will require my all - not just what I feel like giving at the time - in order to reflect an image of God to others (Marcus Knecht, long time Pro Sancity member studying for the priesthood) 

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone. Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

19 days until the convention! To register go to www.prosanctity.org and click on the gold REGISTER NOW link

Love is Revolution Day 11

Love is Revolution Day 10

Quote of the Day

He knew our congenital and innate poverty, so He did not
limit Himself to “becoming one of us” but wanted instead us
to “become Him.” Baptism, the Eucharist, and the Church
as His Mystical Body are three inseparable aspects of the
total victory of love over sin that Christ accomplishes in us,
inserting us into His reality.

In this quote from Bishop Giaquinta, he speaks of Christ "inserting us into His reality." As a stay-at-home mom of a toddler and a preschooler, I experience this amazing insertion into Christ's reality every time I am surprised to find myself being patient with my kids when I'd rather be yelling at them. No matter how much I love my kids, and no matter how much I pray to be a good mother to them, I still slip up pretty often. But once in a while, I seem to slip into "the zone. At these times, even though I'm tempted to yell at them or ignore them, I respond with patience and love. This kind of perfection does not exist in my reality. BUT...it does in God's. I know He is, by HIS grace, inserting me in to HIS reality, just for moments at a time. In these moments, Jesus gives me a taste of what He is calling me to be, even though I'm not there yet! And I'll tell you what; it tastes good. The next time you are tempted to push yourself to be "holier" in some way (or perhaps to do the opposite and despair that you will ever get past your own habitual sins), invite Jesus to come be the victor in your battle. Ask Him to insert you into His reality of beauty and joy, if only for a moment, so that you can taste it and know how good is that towards which you are striving. He may take His time, but He will not disappoint you.
(Heidi Emanuel, wife, mother,  Pro Sanctity Central States)

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone. Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

20 days until the convention! To register go to www.prosanctity.org and click on the gold REGISTER NOW link 

Love is Revolution Day 10

Love is Revolution Day 9

Quote of the Day

The first relationship of holiness is the personal one with
God; we can call it the first dimension of holiness. Each of
us, though, is surrounded by other persons for whom Christ
died, and so they are our brothers and sisters in grace or
must become so.

When we turn all our worries, dreams, lives, everything over to Jesus, he is able to perform miracles! Let us say, “Jesus, I surrender to you; take care of everything.” We must surrender totally and completely everything to Jesus, holding nothing back. Then we are open to hear his voice. When we have heard him, we respond as Mary tells us to, “Do whatever He tells you.” It is in this way that Jesus shows us the way for ourselves and how we are called to help others. (Donna Buell, wife, mother, cooperative oblate,  Pro Sanctity Central States)

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone. Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

21 days until the convention!  To register go to www.prosanctity.org and click on the gold REGISTER NOW link 

Love is Revolution Day 9

Love is Revolution Day 8

Quote of the day

Our Christian life is not merely the application of Christ’s merits as a remission for our sins, rather it is a participation in the mystery of the Trinity. 

 God loves you so much that he wants you to share his 

deepest joy – the love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  When you were baptized, you were claimed for Christ by the sign of his cross and you were baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  God’s life and love came to live in you and lives through you!  Rejoice that your life in Christ is not a part-time life, but is in you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Action Step: When you make the sign of the cross, don't do it just
automatically, but be mindful that the life and love of God, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, is alive in you!  (Fr Andrew Vaccari, Pro Sanctity spiritual advisor,  Pro Sanctity New York 

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

22 days until the convention!  To register go to www.prosanctity.org and click on the gold REGISTER NOW link

Love is Revolution Day 8

Love is Revolution Day 7

Quote of the day

 The saint is a person who lacks wholeness but aspires to wholeness; he is famished for a love that he already possesses but only partially

We all have the ability to love unconditionally and grow toward a wholeness with God. The infinite love of God is within all of us, but we must nurture this love. Spending time in prayer and adoration allows us to strengthen our relationship with God and allows his will to be done in our lives. As our relationship grows stronger with God we will begin to see Jesus in everyone we encounter and we will be able to treat all with love and kindness. We will not judge, but accept others for who they are. We need to be humble, get on our knees and ask God to be in control of our lives and fill our hunger with his love. We can all strive to be saints. (Mary Lanspa, wife, mother and long time Pro Sanctity Member Pro Sanctity Central States) 

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

Help me to do this today Lord by striving to see Jesus in everyone 

23 days until the convention!  To register go to www.prosanctity.org and click on the gold REGISTER NOW link

Love is Revolution Day 7

Love is Revolution Day 6

Quote of the Day

 This relationship that sanctity creates with others we

call the second dimension of holiness. Can we, however,

see people as isolated from the social, cultural, economic,

or political situations in which they live, and speak to them

of God’s love without taking into consideration their living

conditions?   

Recently, I had the opportunity to serve a community meal with the St. Vincent de Paul Society.  We as volunteers were told to be Christ for them, see Christ in them, and conduct ourselves in a way that they see Christ in us.  Those who had helped before radiated with a kind of confident grace.  They knew they were doing the work of the Father.  Those who had not were unsure of themselves and hoped they did not mess things up.  It was the community who set us newbies at ease, assuring us we were doing a good job, and thanking us for taking time out of our lives to help strangers.  Whether we went home to beautiful homes with well-manicured lawns or shelters nearby, we were all a part of a community in Christ.      Nancy Tefft, Pro Sanctity Central States 

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

Help me to do this today Lord by meeting a concrete need of my brothers and sisters

Love is Revolution Day 6

Love is Revolution Day 5

Quote of the Day

Adam knows that he is loved; he knows that he has been

created for love, and so he loves in return Him Who is the

source of love. In this response of love by man toward God,

it seems we can discern a marvelous and mysterious echo

of Trinitarian love. Rather, one may affirm that in this repetition,

this finite multiplication of the infinite Trinitarian

love, the primary reason for the creation of all the cosmos

and of man in particular is found

We are created out of love and for love. To be invited by God to participate in His perfect, infinite, Trinitarian love is quite astounding--His love for us is so great as to make this participation in His love possible. We have no power to do this ourselves; He is the only reason this is possible. From existing at all to having the ability to love and everything in between is all His gift. May we be open to receiving His gifts to us at each moment and then share these with our broken world.   (Monica Hejkal, Apostolic Oblate,  Pro Sanctity New York)

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

Help me to do this today Lord by sharing your gifts to me with everyone with whom I come into contact 

25 days to the convention!  To register go to the www.prosanctity.org website and click on the gold REGISTER NOW link

Love is Revolution Day 5

Revolution of Love Day 4

Quote of the Day

The saint is a man of God, for Whom he feels an ever-growing need; he is a man living among men, believing with his

whole heart that they are his own brothers. The saint is the masterpiece of God and of men; he is the one whom God

needs and, at the same time, he manifests what God asks

from all of us.   

 Bishop Giaquinta’s words express the fact that our faith is not something to give lip service to God, but is something we must carry out with our very lives to give witness for whom and in what we believe: Jesus Christ, whose martyrdom has brought forth the highest expression of faith and love. May we confirm witness in our lives and in our faith, that which we profess with our lips, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, so as to become God’s masterpiece: Saint!

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta) 

Help me to become your masterpiece today Lord. Show me what is beautiful in your eyes. 

Revolution of Love Day 4

Revolution of Love Day 3

Quote of the day

When one loves there is nothing one will not try or do.  We love the world and therefore our brothers, so we must be ready to do all for the revolution of love

St. Francis de Sales wrote about doing good "diligently, frequently, and readily."  It's a maximum response from the heart to Christ's love for us which is so complete, so intimate.  When I see others who are 'difficult,' let me see them as one of Christ's wounds, and let me reach out to love them as I would if I could tend to one of Christ's wounds.  (Theresa Gabriel, Pro Sanctity Central States)

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

Help me to do this today Lord by tending your wounds when I see them in my brothers and sisters.  

Revolution of Love Day 3

Love is Revolution Day 2

 Quote of the Day

The saint is the place where the divine and the human meet; he is the continuation, down through time, of redemptive love, that is, of the Word that became flesh to insert us in His process of love. For this reason, only Jesus, the God-man, is the true saint. However, after Jesus and through Jesus, all must journey towards the Father’s love; all are called to holiness. 

This passage astounds me “where the divine and the human meet”—that God the father and son and spirit, creator of everything and in need of nothing wants to use  me, personally, as flawed and selfish as I am to help carry out His plan of love.  How often I am too concerned with my own life to bother with the care of others.  How much I want to change to be more like Him.  (Reflection by Joan Kash Pro Sanctity Central States) 

 We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

Help me to do this today, Lord, by listening for Your voice and responding by telling others of your plan of love.  

Love is Revolution Day 2

Love is Revolution Day 1

Hello everyone, this is our first day of reflections in preparation for our national convention.  I am so excited by all the responses I have received from Pro Sanctity Members and friends from all of  our centers across the US.  For each day we will first have a quote from Love is Revolution followed by a short reflection and a plan of action 

We will conclude each day by praying a portion of the prayer         Builders of a New World from Bishop Giaquinta’s book Brotherhood

Quote of the day

The love God wants from us is not according

to the law of the least indispensable but according to the

principle of “the all.” 

As a weak human being, I am not capable of loving infinitely.  God loves me (and you) infinitely.  He expects us to love Him in return, with our "all". What does this mean in a concrete action?    It means that I love the people in my life that get on my nerves the most.  And not just enough love to keep the peace, but with a deep love that can only come from the 'grace that is sufficient for me', (2 Cor. 12:9).  (Margie Nelsen Pro Sanctity Central States) 

We wish to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us to speak of love and brotherhood to everyone.  Therefore, grant us, O Lord, the ability to speak and the courage to witness (from the prayer Builders of a New World, William Giaquinta)

Help me to do this today Lord by your showing me someone who needs Your love and letting You love them through me

Love is Revolution Day 1

Getting ready for our National Convention Love is Revolution

Pro sanctity will soon be celebrating its  national convention from July 31^st to August 2^nd.   Our theme for the convention is Love is Revolution.  In anticipation of our celebration, Pro Sanctity Members and friends from all over the country have been reflecting on Bishop Giaquinta’s book of the same name, and we will be posting quotes from the book and their reflections each day from July 1- July 30 on our blog and facebook page.  We would like you to join us on this adventure.  Please read, pray, and post your comments along with ours.  

 When I first heard the theme I began to ponder the word revolution.  As I sought definitions I was intrigued by  2 different definitions I found on merriamwebster.com.  The first was by far the most common:  The usually violent attempt by many people to end the rule of one government and start a new one. 

 The second definition did even more to capture my attention:  A sudden, extreme or complete change in the way people live, work, etc.  I think this second definition is what Bishop Giaquinta had in mind.  It only takes a moment of reading the paper or watching the news to see how pervasive pain and violence and loneliness are in our society.  We need a revolution, so let’s get started!!!

Getting ready for our National Convention Love is Revolution