60th anniversary of religious profession
It has been a while since we celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of our Sister Augustina here in Cochem on the Klosterberg....but I think 60 years of being a Sister of Mary - is worth sharing the memories even now. Because of the Corona time our way of celebrating has changed - nevertheless we did it on the last Feast of Christ the King and it was a beautiful celebration with many surprises. The Provincial Superior came from Berlin and brought Sister Carla and Sister Ursula with her - because they were on retreat. The Benedictines from Maria Laach are very close to us and because Father Basil is our special friend - he also celebrated a wonderful festive service with us. Sister Augustina had secretly wished it, but she did not expect him to come and it remained a secret until he entered the chapel for Holy Mass. Also the organist, who is seriously ill, did not miss the opportunity to embellish the service with his special way of playing the organ. Jana, a young woman from Sister Augustina's circle of acquaintances, also arrived and delighted everyone with her wonderful voice. Sister Augustina could not believe what was possible that day. Even today she is full of gratitude and always talks about her jubilee. She told me.... the memory of this beautiful day give her strength in her old age - for her everyday life Sr. FelicitasTogether we are strong
Such a greeting is now often heard in Ukraine. But even those who were forced to leave their country need a sense of belonging, of mutual support and help. This is also the case with those who came to Berlin as refugees soon after the war against Ukraine began in the spring of 2022, and who have found refuge, among other places, on the grounds of the Marienkrankenhaus in Berlin-Lankwitz, which is under the sponsorship of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary v.d.U.E.. These are mainly women with their children. They also try to be together and share their pain, but also their joy. The Orthodox Christmas, for example, was such an occasion. This time our guests wanted to express their gratitude for the help received and not only spent this special day together with the Sisters of Mary, but also prepared a wonderful feast of traditional Ukrainian dishes. In order for the benefit received to continue to bear fruit, they do not leave it at gratitude, but organize further help to the best of their ability. As they say, it is also a kind of therapy for them. May peace reign in our hearts and in the world! Sr. Natanaela
Sunday 29 January
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time First reading - Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13 70ᵗʰ World Leprosy Day “In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord”. In these words of the Prophet, Lord associates Himself with a group of people who are humble and lowly. He identifies Himself with that people. Because they seek refuse in the name of the Lord. They have only Lord as their refuge. They have nothing else other than the Lord. Those who have nothing else other than the Lord, they are special before the Lord. The Lord assumes them as His own. Our challenge is to be part of that group which the Lord assumes as His own. For that what we should do? The prophet answers: “seek integrity, seek humility”. Seeking the integrity is seeking the truth of the love of God. The truth of the love of God is that it’s all encompassing, it’s integral. And to assimilate that love of God, I must seek humility. In order to get the love of God, I must be humble. I must take out my pride so that the love of God can be take the place of my ego. Let’s reflect: Do I belong to those who seek refuge in the name of the Lord or not?