The Consecrated Life “a light for revelation to the Gentiles”

  “A light for revelation to the Gentiles,” are the words that resound today in the Church which remembers the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. The entrance procession, with lighted candles and the words of the Gospel, introduce the mystery of that Child who is the true light that illuminates […]

the holy door, symbol of the jubilee

The Holy Door is the emblematic symbol of each Jubilee. Normally closed for a quarter of a century, it is finally opened on Christmas Eve to inaugurate the Year of Mercy. Like any sign, that of the door is full of meaning. Its roots go back to the Old Testament. Many important events took place […]

the biblical origin of the jubilee

  Pope Francis inrguated the Holy Year saying, “The time has come for a new Jubilee, when once more the Holy Door will be flung open to invite everyone to an intense experience of the love of God that awakens in hearts the sure hope of salvation in Christ.” (Spes non confundit, n. 6). Now […]

The Star, the Sign of Hope

The wise men who went to Bethlehem to adore the Lord were the first “Pilgrims of Hope” in the New Testament! Let us follow their journey to Bethlehem to see how they can inspire us to live this Jubilee year with their sense of love and hope in the Lord. The Gospel of Matthew tells […]

Mary, Mother of God, awaits us at the doorway to a New Year

In the transition between one year and the next, Mary, the Mother of God, helps us not to dwell on time that passes, but rather, on time that brings us towards an encounter with God. He who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). On the first day of the new year 2025, […]

Holy Christmas 2024

The Adoration of the Shepherds, a work completed in 1571 by Francesco Mancini, is in the apse of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. This work helps us to contemplate the wonders of that first Christmas night.  We can imagine entering the Grotto of Bethlehem, just like the shepherd standing on the left and the […]

Christmas Traditions: Las Posadas

One of the most beautiful Christmas traditions brought to our Community by our sisters from Latin America is ‘Las Posadas’. This tradition emulates the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. As we know from the Scriptures, “there was no room for them in the inn.” (Lk 2:7) After searching everywhere for a […]

Novena to the Immaculate Conception. Day 6 You are the advocate of sinners

Tota Pulchra Tota pulchra es Maria, et macula originalis non es in te. Tu gloria Ierusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri, tu advocata peccatorum. O Maria! O Maria! Virgo prudentissima, Mater clementissima, ora pro nobis, intercede pro nobis, ad Dominum Iesum Christum. You are all beautiful, Mary, and the stain of original sin […]

Novena to the Immaculate Conception. Day 4 You are the joy of Israel

Tota Pulchra Tota pulchra es Maria, et macula originalis non es in te. Tu gloria Ierusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri, tu advocata peccatorum. O Maria! O Maria! Virgo prudentissima, Mater clementissima, ora pro nobis, intercede pro nobis, ad Dominum Iesum Christum. You are all beautiful, Mary, and the stain of original sin […]

Novena to the Immaculate Conception. Day 3 You are the glory of Jerusalem

Tota Pulchra Tota pulchra es Maria, et macula originalis non es in te. Tu gloria Ierusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri, tu advocata peccatorum. O Maria! O Maria! Virgo prudentissima, Mater clementissima, ora pro nobis, intercede pro nobis, ad Dominum Iesum Christum. You are all beautiful, Mary, and the stain of original sin […]