Following the words of Jesus and the example of Saint Anthony the Great,
we, the Antonine Sisters, leave everything behind to follow God, our sole treasure.
The life that we received from God we give back to Him through service and devotion.
Like Mary, the first consecrated woman, we live joyfully to proclaim the greatness of the Lord
who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

12/20/10

Christmas Retreat

On Saturday December 18, we were happy to welcome for the first time Father Nadim Helou, pastor of Saint George Maronite Church in Uniontown, PA, as our retreat director. The theme for the day was "The Spirituality of Waiting". Based on the scripture passage from the Gospel of Mathew 1: 1-25, Father Nadim described how, in the Old Testament, people and prophets of all generations were in a state of waiting. Then he compared their waiting spirit with that of Mary. Waiting is not wishing, Father Nadim explained. A fulfilled wish is not satiating and almost always leads to a series of other wishes. Likewise, wishing could end in bitter disappointment if the object of desire is not obtained. Waiting, in contrast, is a state of infinite hope characterized by being open to possibilities and is not attached to an object or a specific end. Mary was distinguished by this genre of waiting. Her virginity was a distinct mark of her uniqueness, a symbol of her complete offering of self to God and her total surrender to his plan. Mary and Joseph both gave God an opportunity to accomplish his will in them and fulfill his promise of salvation. They both believed in God's Master plan in which they played only a supporting role, allowing the plan of God to be fulfilled. As consecrated people and in imitation of Mary and Joseph, Father Nadim concluded, we are called to place ourselves in a similar state of awaiting the coming of our Savior. Our waiting must not be static or passive. On the contrary, it must be a state in which we are completely aware of God's presence, are placing our trust in his wisdom and are fully prepared for his second coming.

12/15/10

Merry Christmas From Us

"TODAY the true sun is risen on the world, today a light has come forth in the midst of the darkened earth: God has become man, so that man may become God in his turn; the Master takes upon himself the form of a slave, so that the slave may be converted to his Master. He who founded and dwells in the heavens has made his abode on earth, so that man, the earth-bound, may find a new home in heaven.
0 day more brilliant than any sun! season for which all ages have longed! That which the angels were awaiting, that which the cherubim and seraphim and the ministering choirs of heaven knew not, has been revealed in our time. That which they viewed as a reflection in a mirror, we see face to face. He who spoke to the people of Israel through Isaias, Jeremias, and the other prophets, now speaks to us through his Son.
By thy favor, Lord, let the holy angel bring tidings of great joy to Christian people all over the world. Today in David's city Christ the Lord is born, the salvation of all, the eternal Savior; and in that city, which is the Church, he will reign for ever, guarding and guiding her until the end of time. Grant that his reign over her may be whole and entire, extending throughout the world, and causing her to partake of that eternity which belongs to the citizens of heaven."
                     (In praise of Christmas, Saint Ephrem the Syrian)

May all the love & joy of Christmas be yours this season. You are remembered in our prayers.
The Antonine Sisters