SPRING 2012
My dear friends,
We have just celebrated the Easter Triduum and on Easter Sunday
experienced the risen Lord. The stone was rolled back and revealed
an empty tomb – the tomb where Our Lord was placed after his
crucifixion. As we reflect on what this means in our spiritual and
faith life, we understand the rolling back of the “stone” can also be
lived in our own lives.
How? We all have “stones” that prohibit us from living the life of
the risen Christ. When someone looks at you, do they see Christ or
do they see you? If they only see you, then there is work to be done.
Work to remove the “stones” that keeps Christ from pouring forth
through you and your actions.
Perhaps, you are harboring ill fillings toward someone. Perhaps you
have not forgiven someone who has wronged you. Or, maybe it could
be having distractions in your life that are keeping you from putting
Our Lord first. You get the idea. Imagine these as the “stones” that
need to be rolled away.
The best way to roll these “stones” out of the way so that you may
experience a better, more complete relationship with our Lord is by
confessing these sins. Through the sacrament of reconciliation you
may start anew, start with an empty tomb, one that is not blocked by
“
stones”. Through this sacrament, you say “I’m sorry Lord. I’m sorry
for hurting You through my actions. I need Your mercy and want You
first in my life.”
Can you imagine what a life with Christ, as your center, would look
like? Can you image the peace and the light-heartedness that would
come with removing these “stones?”
So, how do you remove your “stones?” Do you understand what
living the Ten Commandments really mean? I’m including in this
newsletter a reflection on the 10 Commandments. Did you ever
think that the Sixth Commandment of “Thou shall not kill” means
much more than physically killing someone? Did you think that this
Commandment also means killing someone through gossip, through
mistreatment, through bullying.
I hope that this reflection of the 10 Commandments will help you
examine your conscience more fully so that you can begin to recognize
and eliminate these “stones” from blocking your heart and love for
Christ and one another.
One of the greatest gifts of Our Lord is the mercy He has for His
people. Please accept this gift of Mercy by confessing your sins so that
with an “unblocked” heart, mind and soul
you can fully receive the gift of His love.
In the Service of the Lord,
Sister Dulce Maria
17560
George O’Neal Road • Baton Rouge, LA 70817 • (225) 752-8480
E-mail:
•
The Sister Dulce Foundation, Inc.
Supporting the Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center
A Passionate Walk with Jesus
As the rains threatened and the wind whirled, over 600+ people
gathered at Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center on Friday,
March 2, 2012 to witness and experience the Living Way of the Cross
–
a Passionate Walk with Jesus. As always, the Lord blessed us by
holding off the rain until the next day. He wanted His people to
understand how we live His walk to Calvary throughout our lives and
in understanding our crosses, we better understand His mercy and
love for each of us.
We, at Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center are truly blest to
have witnesses for Christ, people who are undeterred in telling the
story of their “cross”. We heard stories of triumph, stories of struggle
and stories of hope. Too view the individual stories: you may visit our
website at
choose theTestimonies
tab on the Home page and there you can select the station you would
like to see or you may view the event in its’ entirety.
The music for this event was provided by David Aguillard. He began
the evening by singing, Thy Will Be Done which was very appropriate
since all of the participants have come to the realization that the Lord’s
will is what they pray for in their lives.
Here are the testimonies of the 14 Stations:
1.
Jesus is Condemned to Death
–
Jimmy Gary shared the story of
his 8 year old daughter, Grace’s death at the hands of a drunk driver
and how he felt, after being led by the Lord to do something about her
death – to change the drunk driving laws in our state, he felt abandoned
when trying to move this process along on his own. It was in waiting
for the Lord, waiting for the Lord’s direction that Jimmy began to see
progress in his efforts. Today, we all witness the outcome of that effort,
when we see the guardrails along I-10 on the way to New Orleans.
2.
Jesus Takes Up His Cross
–
Frank Caruso told those present
about receiving his diagnosis of Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a form of
cancer. As a police officer, who had never really stopped to think about
or even fully participate in his faith life, he was suddenly faced with
his untimely diagnosis and the realization of his mortality. During the
course of his treatment, he visited Sister Dulce who taught him about
trusting in the Lord. Frank now looks at his diagnosis as a gift, a gift
that allowed him to take an inventory of his life and allowed him the
privilege of a “do – over.” A chance to begin again, to live his life with
Christ as its’ center.
