2021 A Blessed New Year!

 

Mary, Mother of God Pray For Us

Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny in the U.S.A. & Canada

Wish you and your Loved Ones,

A New Year full of Hope, Peace, Good Health

And New Life.

Join us in Reconciling our Yesterday

Peace Today

And Loving Openness to Tomorrow

         A
   New Year
      Prayer

Let us praise the Lord of days and seasons and years, saying:

Glory to God in the highest!

And peace to God’s people on earth!

Our lives are made of days and nights, of seasons and years,

for we are part of a universe of suns and moons and planets.

We mark ends and we make beginnings and, in all, we

praise God for the grace and mercy that fill our days.

Reader A reading for the book of Genesis 1:14-19

God said: “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years, and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth.” And so it happened: God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night; and he made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Response

May God have pity on us and bless us;

may he let his face shine upon us.

So may your way be known upon earth;

among all nations, your salvation.

May God bless us in mercy.

May the nations be glad and exult

because you rule the peoples in equity;

the nations on the earth you guide.

May God bless us in mercy.

May the peoples praise you, O God;

may all the peoples praise you!

May God bless us,

and may all the ends of the earth fear him!

R. May God bless us in mercy.

 Pause and  offer prayers of thanksgiving for the past year

(PAUSE)

 Pause and  offer prayers for the year to come

(PAUSE)

In Oneness with all of God’s People we pray the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.           

Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

May the Lord let his face shine upon

you, and be gracious to you!

May the Lord look upon you kindly and

give you peace!

  iPrayer adapted from Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers USCCB

Feliz Año Nuevo

Happy New Year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGXn_fovcGg

 

Blessed New Year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY0WUptsAx8

 

Cluny Sisters wish you and merry and blessed Christmas

 

As we enter into a most unusual Christmas

we pray for the gifts of

peace, hope and trust. 

In the memory of God who became man

we believe that this Christmas

will be filled with grace and many blessings.

With our thoughts and prayers,
the Cluny Sisters
of USA and Canada

Advent Week IV

 Jesus Shall Be Born

  

He is Coming!  He is Coming!

The Promised One of God,

Our heart's desire, our longing, and yearning.

During this last week of Advent we cry out for the birth of Jesus! We know that with Jesus our life is very different.  With his birth we are saved, healed and made whole once again.

Today we too offer our own flesh for the gifting to the world of

Emmanuel, God with us. And with Mary we say YES with her prayer.

“I, the servant of God;

let it be with me according to your word.”

  

Reading (Lectio)

Luke 1:26-38

Read the following Scripture two or three times.

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, 

“Hail, full of grace!
The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
Her will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and his kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel, 

“How can this be since I have not relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply, 

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
therefore the child to be born will be called holy,
the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, 

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
may it be done to me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her. 

Meditation (Meditatio)

After the reading, take some time to reflect in silence on one or more of the following questions:

• What word or words in this passage caught your attention?
• What in this passage comforted you?
• What in this passage challenged you?

Prayer (Oratio)

 

Read the Scripture Passage one more time. Offer a prayer of praise, petition or thanksgiving that this Advent Word inspires in you.

 

Contemplation (Contemplatio)

Read the Scripture again, followed by this reflection:

What conversion of mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking of me?

Do not be afraid. 

What fears keep you from living according to God’s Will? 

How can your faith help you to overcome those fears?

You have found favor with God. 

When have you felt God’s favor in your life? 

How have you responded to this favor?

Therefore the child to be born will be called holy.

How do you acknowledge God’s holiness?

How do you live your Christ call to holiness?

 

Closing Prayer

The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;

through all generations my mouth shall proclaim God’s faithfulness.

For God has said, “My kindness is established forever”;

in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to David my servant:

Forever will I confirm your posterity

and establish your throne for all generations.”

“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, my Savior.’

Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,

and my covenant with him stand firm.”                       

 (From Psalm 89)

 Listen To Mary’s Hymn of Praise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7RBIUDf2gU

Light the Candle of Love for the Fourth Week of Advent

The Promised Gift of God, Emmanuel, is coming!

 Yes, Lord Jesus, Come!

Be born in me,

Be born in us!

Guadete Sunday, Rejoice!

 

Rejoice  and  Be  Glad

He is coming!  He is coming! 

How will we know he is here?

The prophet Isaiah describes his coming as a time of justice.

Jesus “secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry,

sets captives free, gives sight to the blind; raises us those bowed down”.

Jesus “loves the just, protects strangers, sustains the fatherless and the widow, and thwarts the way of the wicked."

This kingdom of God is forever through every generation.

We rejoice that in the parched land of our world today,

those who thirst will be quenched through the Incarnation of God’s Loving Presence and glad tidings will once again be shared with the poor!

Reading (Lectio)

John 1: 6-8, 19-28

Read the following Scripture two or three times. 

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said,

‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,

“Make straight the way of the Lord” ’,

as the prophet Isaiah said.

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

Meditation (Meditatio)

After the reading, take some time to reflect in silence on one or more of the following questions:

• What word or words in this passage caught your attention?

• What in this passage comforted you?

• What in this passage challenged you? 

Prayer (Oratio)

Reading the Scripture Passage one more time.  Offer a prayer of praise, petition or thanksgiving that this Advent Word inspires in you.

Contemplation (Contemplatio)

Read the Scripture again, followed by this reflection:

What conversion of mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking of me? 

He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

How do I share my faith with the people around me?

What things keep me from sharing my faith?

I am “the voice of one crying out in the desert.”

When have my efforts to share my faith felt futile?

How does God support me when I am discouraged?

There is one among you whom you do not recognize.

When have I encountered Jesus in disguise?

When have I failed to recognize Jesus in my life?

Closing Prayer

With Mary this week, we pray:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked upon his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

The Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

Listen To the Advent Hymn

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01BcaggibDw

Light the third candle of your Advent Wreathe and sing out! 

Rejoice, Rejoice, O Israel,

To you shall come, Emmanuel

Advent Week II – Cry Out!

 Cry Out In The Wilderness

A Voice in the Wilderness

John the Baptist, the Herald of Jesus’ Coming appears this week as “A voice of one crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” During this Second Week of Advent we ask ourselves: What are our desert places, the place of solitude where God speaks to our heart? What is the pathway, the ‘going away from and going towards’ we are being called to?  Advent is a time of pregnant new life waiting to be born in and through us.  The rough places in our lives need to be soften so that Jesus takes on flesh in us and in our world.

Reading (Lectio)

Read the following Scripture two or three times. Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 

Meditation (Meditatio)

After the reading, take some time to reflect in silence on one or more of the following questions:

• What word or words in this passage caught your attention?

• What in this passage comforted you?

• What in this passage challenged you? 

Contemplation (Contemplatio)

Read the Scripture again, followed by this reflection

What conversion of mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking of me? 

Prepare the way of the Lord.

How am I preparing my heart for the coming of Christ at Christmas? 

How can I help bring the Lord to the people that I meet? 

Make straight his paths. What things block my path for following Christ? 

How have I been an obstacle in others’ paths? 

[People] were being baptized by him in the Jordan River 

as they acknowledged their sins.

What sins go unacknowledged in my life? 

How can I avoid the sins that take me away from God? 

Closing Prayer

I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD—for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and prepare the way of his steps. (From Psalm 85)

Listen To the Advent Hymn

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01BcaggibDw

Light the second candle of your Advent Wreathe and ‘cry out’

in prayer to our God… Send us the Promised One… 

Prince of Peace and Son of Justice and Truth

 

Click here to download the December 2020 newsletter.

Haga clic aquí para descargar el boletín de Diciembre de 2020

Human Trafficking In Supply Chains

Forced labor and trafficking are rooted in the social and economic vulnerability of individuals, workers and their families. The use of forced labor can occur at any level of a company's supply chain but is more common at lower levels such as resource extraction or basic manufacturing. Many businesses, including major global brands, may unknowingly be involved in human trafficking and forced-labor practices, which is primarily driven by competitive global economic markets and the demand for cheap labor.

 

                                                                        Child Labor

The complexity of supply chains and the lack of transparency make it hard to know who made our products and under what conditions. With an estimated 152 million children in child labor around the world, chances are that at least one thing you own or consume was made by the hands of a child.

Seven in 10 child laborers around the word work in agriculture, which includes fishing, forestry, livestock herding and aquaculture, and farming. An estimated 2 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'lvoire and Ghana,which produce nearly 70 percent of the world's cocoa. Child tobacco workers often labor in extreme heat, are exposed to dangerous pesticides, and risk the nicotine poisoning from handling tobacco plants.

                                                                 Sweatshops

People in developing countries living in poverty are drawn to work in sweatshops as they pay more than their alternative, subsistence agriculture which pays far less than $1 a day. Higher wages draw workers from rural areas to urban slums in search of factory work. However, most workers in these factories are paid less than a living wage in their respective countries.

In the United States, sweatshops still exist in predominately major metropolitan areas such as New York and Los Angeles. These major cities have easy access to a large group of undocumented immigrants who may take any kind of work to make money for their families. The wages these workers make in any country account for as little as 0.5% of the retail cost of a garment - just $1.00 of the price of your $20 shirt.

Choosing Fair Trade to End Human Trafficking

Based on the idea that products bought and sold every day are connected to the livelihoods of others, fair trade is one way to impact the lives of people who otherwise would be vulnerable to human trafficking. Poverty and joblessness contribute to making people vulnerable to human trafficking. Fair trade workers are paid a living wage that serves to empower workers and enables children to attend school rather than work to help support the family. Fair Trade standards prohibit forced and child labor. Children helping on family farms have tasks and work schedules that protect their mental and physical health and development.