Recollection Day
P. David Kinnear Glenday MCCJ
June 24th, 2016
Gospel: Luke 24: 36ff
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Chapters are a time for essentials and to consider what is most important and what is life giving.
Let us celebrate and rediscover what is vital for our family. Let us rediscover—discover anew—the grace that is our family.
Pallottine Missionary Sisters came into existence because of grace. We are a grace to many. This is a beautiful and demanding journey into grace—growing out of grace into grace.
What is the grace made present by us – by our existence?
I (Fr. David), looked at Our Way of Life, and discovered the answer on the cover of your constitutions: MISSIONARY Sisters and the title Catholic Apostolate. Take this time to celebrate being Sisters in mission. And in your circumstance, your mission is the Catholic Apostolate—an apostolate without limits.
According to Luke, the grace of mission is joy. His Gospel communicates, brings, and gives joy. “The disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Not just joy but GREAT joy.
Luke speaks of great joy only twice in his Gospel—in the beginning and the end: The first is when Jesus is born: “I bring you tidings of great joy.” And the second time is when Jesus has left the disciples and they are surprised by joy. Mission is a surprising joy.
When have I been surprised by joy in mission?
This type of joy in mission cannot be fabricated. What is the joy of mission?
The joy of the disciples is joy for the beloved. They rejoice for the mission of Jesus. They can rejoice because Jesus has completed His mission. They are happy that the plan of the Father has been accomplished in the Son. The Holy Trinity has brought their plan to completion.
When have I experienced this joy? How has it brought me to marvel at God’s work?
This joy is joy FOR the other.
Do I grow in the ability to rejoice for the other?
The disciples rejoice for the Beloved. They have joy because of the Lord’s presence. The Apostles understood that the Lord will be with them as only God can be with us—always.
How has it helped me to rediscover the Lord’s presence? How have we met the Lord? How we have been a present to the Lord?
Now we can understand that the Lord’s presence to us cannot be taken away from us in mission.
There are five joys:
>Joy for the Beloved.
>Joy for presence in the Mission.
>Joy of the world—the joy of our humanity.
At the right hand of the Father is one of US. We can celebrate that to be human is wonderful.
How has missionary life led us to be more human?
- Joy of being trusted.
“You will be my witnesses.” We can celebrate the trust that God has in me. He says to the disciples: “You will be my witnesses.” He says this to the same men who has denied, abandoned and betrayed him.
This says that the Lord has a high opinion of us. He has ENORMOUS trust: making us a daughter of the Father and a sister to Him.
Take time to enjoy this trust. This confidence gives us energy, courage and hope. Never lose sight that the Lord knows our limitations and despite that still trusts us. We are STILL trusted. And St. Vincent Pallotti trusts you.
- Joy of the Word: 44: “These are my words while I was still with you.”
Mission is where you can really hear the Lord and requires real listening. Take time to really appreciate the Word.
What is my experience of the Word? What is Mission? How has the experience of mission led me to hear?
Our spiritual journey is not so much hills and valleys but more a deepening spiral.
Where is the Lord leading me to deeper hearing of the Word? In the experience of Mission: how is it leading me to deeper joy in the world?
One of the purposes of Chapter is to listen and to hear together.
