V.J.E.
Praised be Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!
On this Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Religious family, we wanted to share how we as Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament share in the gift from God given to St. Francis.
This reflection was written by Sr. Joseph Marie Allensworth, HMSS on October 4, 2024.
For those who know our Sisters well, you might think, “It’s obvious they have the spirit of St. Francis… just look at their pets!”
It’s true that our love for God’s creation is evident in our pets and reveals something of the spirit of St. Francis. That same love of creation reminds me why many of our sisters love to care for the gardens and plants around our convents!
But really, the spiritual legacy of St. Francis runs deep in our spirituality as Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Mother Foundress, Venerable Maria del Refugio, was herself a Third Order Franciscan before founding our Religious Institute. This experience of Ven. Maria del Refugio imbued in our community a sense of family, friendship, simplicity, joy, love for God’s creation, and love for Jesus!
I believe the greatest thing we as Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament share with St. Francis and our Franciscan brothers and sisters though is the desire to adore Jesus with all that we have. St. Francis was completely devoted to loving Jesus with all he had, giving up everything for love of Him. The life of St. Francis reveals that when we love Jesus, adore Him, and give ourselves entirely to following Him, God can transform not only us but the Church.
As Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, we strive with Mary, our Mother of Mercy, to give all we have to building the Eucharistic Kingdom on earth. To adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to bring Him to all we meet is part of our mission. We desire to be like St. Francis, to go out and bring the great Love of our life to all we encounter so that they may know and love Him as well. Through the intercession of St. Francis, may we all grow in greater desire to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and see His Eucharistic Kingdom grow. May the words of St. Francis from the Second Reading of the Office of Readings today call us all into deeper love of adoring our Eucharistic Jesus!
“O how happy and blessed are those who love the Lord and do as the Lord himself said in the gospel: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul, and your neighbor as yourself. Therefore, let us love God and adore him with pure heart and mind. This is his particular desire when he says: True worshipers adore the Father in spirit and truth. For all who adore him must do so in the spirit of truth. Let us also direct to him our praises and prayers saying: Our Father, who art in heaven, since we must always pray and never grow slack.”
St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us. Venerable Maria del Refugio, intercede for us.
To Evangelize with Mary in the Light of the Eucharist