Are Your Goals Set for the Future?
*Set aside time to be alone with the Lord. God honors obedience, and
when He sees that you are committed to seeking His wisdom in every area,
He responds with a blessing.
*Before you begin to set goals, ask the Lord to reveal any area of your
life that needs an application of his forgiveness. Make sure your heart
is right before the Lord as you begin to seek Him.
*Have paper and a pencil or pen with you. List the areas of your life
in which you want to set goals. God is concerned about your total life
so include ALL areas in which you want to see growth and change.
*Set goals with the purpose of glorifying God and not yourself. He wants
you to follow His plan for your life. “Trust in the Lord with all your
heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Pv 3:5)
*Be patient and diligent in your faith. God’s timetable for your life
won’t be yours. You need to be patient and wait for His timing. You
can set goals for your life and live by faith.
Fr. Paul Juniet, OFM-
Spiritual Assistant
Beginnings, beginnings, each new year calls us to
new beginnings. This year 1999 calls us to prepare for the new beginning
of the twenty-first century. We have an entire year to reflect and enter
into a new journey. St. Francis at the end of his life saw these new beginnings
as he exhorted his friars, “Let us begin and proceed anew since up to now
we have done very little.”
In the Early Rule of 1221 Francis exhorts his friars to begin
with their foundation in God saying:
“Let us desire nothing else
Let us wish for nothing else
Let nothing else please us and cause us delight except our Creator
and Redeemer and Saviour, the one true God.
Who is the Fullness of Good, al good, every good, the true and supreme
good
Who alone is Good, merciful and gentle, delectable and sweet,
Who alone is holy, just and true, holy and right,
Who alone is kind, innocent, pure,
From Whom and through Whom and in Whom is all pardon, all grace, all
glory of all the penitent and just of all the blessed who rejoice together
in heaven.”
Searching out our true relationship with God, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit is truly the beginning of our deepest call to life. When we
find this relationship our journey of life takes on a new beginning and
entry into a new journey of life. Francis found his new beginning when
he stripped and gave his earthly clothing back to his father and he could
proclaim, “I now have my Father in heaven.” The rest of his life became
an exciting journey into a beautiful union with God.
At the beginning of this New Year let us enter into our own
personal new beginnings. Let us reflect on our personal relationship with
God. Let us take an inventory of how we are living out the gift of our
Faith. Let us, like Francis, strip the clothing of the world from our backs.
And let us begin anew our own exciting journey into a beartiful union with
God.
We have made our profession to live the life of the Gospels.
May our New Year bring us to our own new beginnings. May God be with you
in all you are and do.
Peace and All Good. Have a blessed New Year!
Love,
Fr. Paul
"Paz y Bien" From the Infirmarian:
SFO INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL Weekly
News
FROM: CIOFS BULLETIN, 1999, VOL 5 N.1(January)
Calendar of Saints/Feast Days: January
1. Solemnity of the Mother of God
2. Holy Name of Jesus. (Memorial)
4. Epiphany of the Lord
7. Bl. Angela of Foligno (Opt Mem. III Ord.)
12. Bl. Bernard of Corleone (Opt. Mem.I Ord.)
14. Bl. Odoric of Pordenone (Opt. Mem.I Ord.)
16. Sts. Berard and Comp.,Protomartyrs of I Ord. (Mem.)
24. St. Francis de Sales, bishop, doct.,Cordbearer of St.
Francis (Mem.)
30. St. Hyacinth of Mariscotti, Rel.(Opt.Mem. III Ord.)
31. St. John Bosco,priest of III Ord. (Mem.)
Bl. Angela Foligno- Third Order
Blessed Angela of Foligno was born in Umbria in the year 1248.
Putting aside the allurements of the world which attracted her for a time
she joined the Third Order of Penance of St. Francis and drew many
women to follow her example. She was conspicuous for her fervent love of
God and fellow men, especially the poor, and for her humility, patience
and poverty. Blessed by God with heavenly favors she had a special devotion
to the mysteries of the life of Christ and left remarkable writings on
spiritual topics which gained for her the title “Teacher of Theologians.”
She died at Foligno in the year 1309.
Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day, February 11
In 1862, the Bishop of Lourdes, France, decreed that the faithful
were justified in believing that Mary had truly appeared to a young peasant
girl named Bernadette. Soon millions of pilgrims, many of them sick, were
flocking to Lourdes each year. Thousands have claimed healing. Millions
have drawn closer to God. Skeptics have become believers because they saw
undeniable proof of miracles at Lourdes. The faithful have grown in their
love for Jesus and the sacraments. At Lourdes, Mary has “translated” God’s
love into language we can understand.
Rev. Oscar Lukefahr,CM
MILLENNIUM MOMENT: Messenger of Peace
A new sculpture of Francis of Assisi, a saint singled out by Time magazine
several years ago as one of the 10 greatest people of the second millennium,
now stands in the Peace Park of the University for Peace in Cost Rica.
The sculpture honoring Francis stands as a symbol to the world of the
possibilities for peace and human dignity in the new millennium. Dedication
of the new bust was held on December 10, 1998, the 50th anniversary of
the U.N.’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
University officials invited Franciscans International at the
U.N. to commission the sculpture in light of Francis’ vision of peace for
all of creation. In turn, Anneta Duveen, long-time Secular Franciscan,
was invited to sculpt the new work. Mrs. Duveen sees her opportunity to
depict St. Francis as her “millennium gift.” For her, Francis is “an exciting
adventurous saint” who “simplifies things for us” and yet “keeps us on
the cutting edge.”
The University for Peace, created by the U.N. General Assembly
in 1980, promotes non-violent solutions to conflicts and seeks to help
create a true culture of peace in the world. Meanwhile, the sculpture of
St. Francis will help reinforce this message well into the next millennium.
INQUIRER'S CLASSES:
Jan 9 at 1:00 pm and Jan 24 at 1:00 pm at Queen of Angels. Instructor:
Joanne Elfers
CANDIDATE CLASSES:
Jan 16 and 24 at 1:00 pm at Queen of Angels. Instructor: Rena
Xuereb.
ONGOING FORMATION:
Jan 24 at 1:30-2:30 pm at Queen of Angels. Topic: Series- God the Father.
The third and final year of preparation for the Great Jubilee. ALL PROFESSED
ARE WELCOME. Instr.: Louise Baca
"We are mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ when we carry him in our
hearts and in our bodies... and give birth to him through the working of
his grace in us which should shine forth as an example to others.”
-Letter to the Faithful |
COUNCIL MEETING:
Jan. 30 at 1:30 pm at Queen of Angels. PROFESSED MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED
TO ATTEND.
SPECIAL WORKSHOPS/ ACTIVITIES:
Profession Retreat
Feb. 27 Retreat for candidates making profession.
Location: Felician Sisters House, 4210 Meadowlark Ln.,SE, Rio Rancho
Time: 9am-3pm. Contact Rena if
attending.