“Spiritual Exercises are Exercises of virtue, of practices of piety, of divine thoughts. [...] Having purified, therefore, the mind, the will, the heart, it is necessary to exercise the mind in those divine thoughts, in that piety, and virtues with which one wishes to continue life and enter eternity.”
(DF 9 – Blassed James Alberione)
We, the Pastorelle Sisters of the Province of Jesus the Good Shepherd, based in Caxias do Sul/RS, had the grace of once again experiencing the Annual Spiritual Exercises, with the theme: “Infused with the love of Jesus the Good Shepherd,” led by Sister Sandra M. Pascoalato, sjbp. The theme addressed the introductory phrase of the General Objective of the Congregation for the six-year period 2023-2029. They took place in three groups, on different dates: the first met from June 20 to 28 and the second from August 8 to 16, at the Pousada Bom Pastor – Terceira Légua, in Caxias do Sul; the third took place from August 19 to 23, at Casa Betânia, also in Caxias do Sul.
Spiritual exercises are very important for reordering our lives and for finding ourselves more deeply with the Lord and with ourselves. Sister Sandra, with great simplicity and depth, helped us to contemplatively delve into the subject, inviting us to experience the experience lived by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 18:1-5) in the potter's house: “Arise and go down to the potter's house; there I will let you hear my words” (Jer 18:2).
The contact with the Word, the attitude of observation before the potter's work, helped us to live the “As clay in the potter's hands, so you will be in my hands” (Jer 18:6b). There is a very significant relationship between the potter and the clay: a prior preparation to be able to shape it, a technique to handle it and the ability to transform it into an object or repair it when necessary.
Welcoming the Word of God and also living an ordinary life with faith, docility, listening and availability, makes us feel that the Divine Potter is working in each person, in Christian communities, forming a new man or woman in different circumstances.
Another important point is that everyone who allows themselves to be shaped by God also participates in this action and helps people to encounter the divine potter. This was the case with Jesus, who allowed himself to be shaped by the Father's Love and formed his disciples, as well as Mary, Peter and Paul, who gradually allowed Jesus' words to change their lives, helped and supported the first Christians, and their examples continue to this day.
The daily Eucharistic celebration and Eucharistic visit during the Spiritual Exercises were moments of intimacy with the Lord and of deep communion with humanity, the Church and all those with whom we interact in pastoral action.
Praise and thanks to Jesus the Good Shepherd, for this time of grace and resumption of the journey, may He guide the steps of each Sister of Jesus the Good Shepherd in this mission of caring for life.
Sr. Ana Paula Salton, sjbp
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