Franciscan Handmaids of the Immaculate
Follow us:
  • Home
  • About us
  • Apostolate
  • Blog
  • Gallery
  • Contact us
  • FHI Store
  • Fr. Kolbe in Nagasaki

        TO ADORE OUR LORD!

The Franciscan Handmaids of the Immaculate seek daily to draw closer to Our Lord.  Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament is fundamental to Our spiritual life as we seek to conform our hearts unto His.  Additionally, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, the rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Sorrows, we place ourselves in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, asking Her to bring us closer to Her Son.

Read more

MARIAN DEVOTION -- Why?

5/28/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
     Marian Devotion - the essence is love.  ~~ There are so many important reasons to be devoted to Our Lady ~ and they all boil down to love.  It can be likened to the honey bee!   A hive of bees has to fly 55,000 miles and visit TWO MILLION flowers in order to make ONE POUND of honey.  The nectar from all those different flowers are vital to make up the pound of honey.  Imagine!  All the nectar gathered boils down to one pound ~ similarly - all the reasons for being devoted to Mary boils down to just one - LOVE!
The more we love God, the more we love our neighbor.  If our love of neighbor grows, how much more will our love for the Holy Mother of God grow.  No one can love Her more than Her Divine Son, and no one wants her loved and honored more than He does.  Bl. William J. Chaminade said:  “The honor of Mary is so intimately connected with the honor and glory of Jesus that to deny the one is at the same time a denial of the other.”   After all, without Mary, there would be no Jesus, Savior.  As she is our spiritual mother, she is more our mother than our earthly mother.  All good earthly mothers nurture,  teach and love their children as they attend to all the details ~ helping them to grow in holiness and setting them on the path to heaven.  Children love and trust their mother.  As Our Lady is the most perfect, holy, tender and loving Mother, She leads us to closer union with Her Divine Son and ultimately to heaven.  She wants the best for us and gives us the best care and she will give us an over-abundance of graces.  When we trust Her and we turn to her, She will take us by the hand and help us through this valley of travails.  Trusting in this maternal cooperation, let us turn to Mary, imploring her help in all our needs.  Blessed be the moment when we shall meet Her in Heaven!

Picture
0 Comments

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

5/25/2018

0 Comments

 
BLESSED BE GOD!  BLESSED BE JESUS CHRIST IN THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR!
We are truly blessed to be able to adore Our Lord exposed in the Blessed Sacrament every morning.  He is our Love, our Life, our Hope, our joy, our peace, our ALL!  We could not live without Him, our Most Holy Spouse.  Following Adoration, we proceed to Holy Mass, where we worship Him and receive Him into our lowly hearts.  He embraces us and reaches out to us as we receive Him ~ and we, in turn, reach out to Him, enfolding Him as He comes to our hearts, souls, mind - our whole being.  There is absolutely NOTHING on earth that is more wonderful, greater, more important, more necessary than this infinite Gift ~ God Himself.  Who else could devise such an ingenuous plan to keep close to His creatures?  WHAT GOD IS  GREAT LIKE OUR GOD?

"I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD; yea, I will remember thy wonders of old.
I will meditate on all thy work, and muse on thy mighty deeds.
Thy way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?
Thou art the God who works wonders, who hast manifested thy might among the peoples.
Thou didst with thy arm redeem thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
"
-  Psalm 77:11-15
0 Comments

The Magnificent Orchid

5/23/2018

0 Comments

 
The beauty of the flowering orchid can be likened to the spiritual life.  The care of this tropical flower is particular - it needs the right soil, the right pot, the right light and the right moisture.   With continuous watchfulness, it flowers and its beauty inspires the beholder.  Our Lady is the Mother of our spiritual life and when we turn to Her, She showers an abundance of graces upon us, nurturing us on the road to holiness ~ She will tend to us and  become a gardener to our souls. As many saints have said ‘No grace comes from heaven to earth but what passes through Mary’s hand".  We turn to Her in confidence, knowing that She will help us to grow in faith, hope and love and all the virtues.  She is our Sweet Mother who will draw us close to Her so that She can bring us closer to Her Divine Son, Jesus.  She loves us and bids us to call upon her.
Under her maternal guidance, may we blossom into the beautiful flowers that Our Heavenly Father has ordained us to be.  
‘We love you, Mother Mary.  Please help us to love God in the same way You loved Him.'

0 Comments

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd - Liturgy of the Light

5/21/2018

0 Comments

 
CATECHESIS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD - HELPING THE CHILDREN TO EXPERIENCE THE LOVE OF JESUS
We have an infinitely magnificent gift - The Infinite Love of Jesus.  We have been so blessed to be part of this program founded by Maria Montessori in Italy.  Her teaching method is unique in that she strove to help children learn through "hands on experience" ~ not using a lot of words.  After years of research and teaching, she devised a catechetical program wherein the  "teachers" are "helpers" - learning and experiencing with the children.   On each day, we begin with a gathering, followed by a few songs around the piano, then a small catechetical presentation which demonstrates one of the biblical prophesies,  parables, infancy narratives or Easter stories, followed with the children  working on "practical life" activities and we close the grace-filled day with a prayer.  Blessed be God!
0 Comments

Baltimore Oriole sighting!  ~~ The Care of our Heavenly Father

5/21/2018

0 Comments

 
How glorious is Our Heavenly Father's creation!   We had a surprise visitor - never seen at our feeder before ~ it was so exciting!  The Baltimore Oriole.  The orange is so brilliant ~ it is almost florescent!   This morning a catbird flew to the feeder.  We have seen him before, but not at the feeder.   Bird activity has been quite busy so there must be lots of babies to be fed.  It is marvelous to see how The Creator tends to His creatures.  Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew:
"Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are not you of much more value than they?  And which of you by taking thought, can add to his stature by one cubit?  And for raiment why are you solicitous? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they labor not, neither do they spin.   But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these.   And if the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, God doth so clothe:  how much more you, O ye of little faith?"   Mt 6:26-30
Oh Father in Heaven, increase our faith.  Let us acknowledge deeply in our hearts your profound love for us and that you are always watching over us and caring for us.  May You be praised, Most Holy Trinity forever and ever!


0 Comments
    HOME
    ABOUT US
    APOSTOLATE
    BLOG
    GALLERY
    CALENDAR
    CONTACT US

    About Blog

    We post events, news and reflections in this section of our site and be sure to come back regularly for updates.


    Archives

    May 2022
    June 2021
    April 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012


    Categories

    All
    Events
    Reflection

    RSS Feed


    Picture

    VATICAN NEWS

Proudly powered by Weebly