Way of life
Community of Love Crucified
The commitments of our way of life have one foundation and one objective: To respond with all our being to God's love revealed in Jesus Christ Crucified. In Him we are born to a new life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
To live to the gift of divine filiation.
"The fundamental gift... is that of divine filiation; in other words, the fact that everyone participates in Trinitarian communion. Baptism, which makes men and women "children in the Son" and members of the Church, is the root and source of all other charismatic gifts... (Thus we) participate with increasing intensity in the priestly, prophetic and regal office of Christ... to build the Church, actively and responsibly, according to the gifts... received from God." -Benedict XVI
To Seek constant conversion.
Benedict XVI:
"Conversion means... going against the current when the "current" is a superficial, incoherent, and illusory way of life that often drags us down, making us slaves of evil or prisoners of moral mediocrity. Nevertheless, through conversion we tend to the highest measure of Christian life, we trust in the living and personal Gospel who is Jesus Christ. He is the final goal and the profound path of conversion, the path that we are all called to travel in our lives, allowing ourselves to be illuminated with his light and sustained by his strength, which moves our steps". "'Convert and believe in the Gospel' is not just the beginning of the Christian life, but the accompaniment of all our steps, renewing and penetrating all aspects of our lives" -Ash Wed, 2010.
Ven. Concepción Cabrera de Armida.
"I propose to do ever what is most perfect. I propose to seek in all things Jesus and His Cross, in conformity with His holy will. I propose in my actions to pursue the interests of Christ and not my own.
...I will never be disquieted should circumstances prevent me from observing my 'Rule of life.' I will go on tranquilly. I will be flexible in the face of difficulties, humbly... then onward, ever onward!" -Extract from her "Rule of life", Aug 21. 1894.
Our way of life embraces the following commitments:
1-Victims with the Victim of love
2-Docility to the Holy Spirit
3-Eucharist
6-Prayer + Fasting + Sacrifice
7-Holy Poverty
8-Fidelity to our state in life
9-Offering for priests
10-Obedient to Mother Church
11-Humility
12-Forgive and seek forgiveness
13-Study
14-Evangelization
15-Spiritual
16-Community
Victims with the Victim of love
Rom 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.A Victim of love is one with Jesus
-In baptism we became ONE with Christ, ONE in his royal priesthood, ONE as victims of love, partaking in His sacrificial offering of Himself.
-Our body, soul, will, thoughts, opinions, words, time, work... ALL that we are is to be for, with and in Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, an offering of loving obedience to the Father.
-As members of His body we say with St. Paul: "I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me" Gal 2,19-20.
See more>>Docility to the Holy Spirit
-All Jesus did and say was in the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave His life on the Cross so that we may receive the same Holy Spirit. He is the life of Mary and of all the saints.
-Having received the the Holy Spirit in baptism, we desire to yield fully to His presence and action in us. We invoke the Holy Spirit the baptism in the Holy Spirit and continue to seek Him with expectant faith being docile to all His actions and inspirations.
-We pray for the H.S. to transform us poor sinners into saints, giving us the virtues and charisms to glorify God and serve the Church.
-The Holy Spirit shall direct our whole being:
-MIND: The Spirit renews our minds and enables us to know Christ.
-BODY: Our bodies are His temple. We honor God offering our bodies as a living sacrifice (Cf. Rom 12). Our way of looking, speaking, listening. Our faces and all in us shall reflect the presence of the Lord.
-SOUL: Our souls are the temple of the Holy Spirit, where Christ reigns.
-Our JOY shall be a sign of the Spirit. "Rejoice in the Lord always" Cf. Rev 19,7.
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-The Eucharist is our life. The source and summit of all we are and do.
-At Holy Mass we unite with Jesus in His total love sacrifice to the Father. We go to die and receive new life in Him.
-We shall desire to go to daily mass and holy hour if possible. Those who cannot go to mass each day make a spiritual communion.
-We offer ourselves with Jesus to the Father after the consecration of the Precious Blood with this prayer>>
-"Eucharist takes us away from our individualism, our particularities that exclude others, to form of us one body">
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-Mary gave herself to God completely in union with her Son, sharing His passion as a victim with the Victim.
-We make our total consecration to Jesus through Mary, according to Montfort. We commit to be forever "Totus Tuus" (All yours). Our consecration is a renewal of our baptismal promises. We place ourselves as children under the maternal care of Mother Mary.
-We are a living chain forming a family, a rosary permanently offered to the Father with Our Lady.
-Pray daily the rosary
-We consecrate each day to her.
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Service is an indispensable expression of Love.
Love
-The love of Christ should be our motivation for everything.
-His is a crucified love that puts to death selfishness and gives life.
-Love guides the way we speak of others.
-Our tongues are consecrated to the Lord. Gossip is a sin that destroys community. Even the jokes should be pleasing to the Lord.
"It is by your Love for one another, that everyone will recognize you as my disciples" (John 13:35).
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13).
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Serve
-Serve in imitation of Jesus who came to serve, not to be served.
-Solidarity with those who suffer.
-Works of mercy
We offer the daily opportunities to sacrifice to overcome the flesh and to serve with love.
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-Pray always. Be aware that God is with us always. As we do our duties, apostolates, etc. imitate Mary who pondered the Word in her heart.
-Have time dedicated just to pray and ponder the Scriptures.
-Listen, adore, praise, intercede, give thanks to the Lord.
-Community cenacles enable us to pray united every week. See #16
-Pray the rosary every day.
-Fasting on Fridays in union with Our Lord's Passion. Each person decides in prayer how they can fast. If possible we observe the Church's recommendation to abstain from meat on Friday.-
We have a special intention for each day of the week:
Mondays: Children born and unborn
Tuesdays: Elderly, dying and souls in purgatory
Wednesday: In union with St. Joseph, for fathers and all men
Thursday: for priests, bishops and the pope
Friday: reparation and fasting. We pray for the conversion of sinners and for all who suffer. That all suffering may be united to the Lord´s.
Saturday: In union with the Blessed Virgin Mary, for religious, mothers and all women.
Sunday: For an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
See more>>Holy Poverty
-We follow Christ who for us became poor.
-Christ is the Lord of our lives. Therefore He is Lord of all that is ours. We are only administrators of what belongs to God.
-Those who are married consult with their spouses and both seek prayerfully the counsel of the Holy Spirit on how to administer what God has given them, thinking of Christ and the needs of others.
-Holy poverty calls for an emptying of self interiorly and exteriorly to dedicate ourselves and our resources to the Lord who is present in our brothers and sisters.
-Mary and the saints show us true poverty. We learn from them.
See more>>Fidelity to our state in life
-We embrace our state in life (single, married, widowed, priest...) as gift from God, our way to union with Him.
-We unite our daily shores, sufferings and joys to Christ, doing all things from the heart for love of Him.
-Married members seek to sanctify their families through their love and example.
-Community commitments should not conflict with those of the family.
See more>>Offering life for priests
-We offer our lives for all but specially for the Pope, bishops and priests.
-In union with Jesus the Eternal Priest and with Mary, we offer our prayer, fasting, sacrifices and reparation daily for them.
-That through the renewal of the priests the new Pentecost is hastened. (cf. Conchita)
see more>>Obedient to Mother Church
-Obedience to God's will ("Thy will be done")
-Obedience to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
-Obedience to the Pope and the bishops united with him.
-We vow to be humble, obedient sons and daughters of the Church.
See more>>Humility
-God lowered Himself to become man. He gave us example by washing feet.
-Humility enables us to see that our life and all we have is from God. Thus we are grateful for all, including trials and sufferings.
-Humility liberates us from the burden of vanity (attention to self) so that we give glory to God (Cf. Gal 6,14).
See More>>Confession and forgiveness
-We are sinners who trust in God's mercy.
-As a grateful response we go regularly to confession. "Confession periodically renewed, the so-called confessions "of devotion", has always accompanied the ascent to holiness in the Church" -John Paul II, Address to the Sacred Apostolic Penitenciary, Rome, January 30, 1981. See also Catequism #1458
-Repentance and conversion should follow.
-Having received forgiveness from God we shall forgive others.
See more>>Study
-Love desires to know the beloved. Love seeks understanding. We desire to know Christ and all that he teaches through His bride the Catholic Church. We study The Bible, the Catechism, the magisterium, the life of the saints.
-We should be constantly growing in our knowledge of the faith and our ability to guide others to Christ and the Church.
See more>>Evangelization
-We shall fulfill our baptismal vocation to witness our faith in Christ. We do this by example and by sharing our faith at every opportunity. What we have received we must give. See more>>Spiritual
Each member has a companion for the journey, to help him/her listen to the Lord and grow in our faith and spirituality.
A companion is chosen from among those designated by the council for this ministry. Must be of the same sex. Members are expected to seek guidance and advise but must be responsible to make their own decisions before God in prayer. Accompaniment of married members respects and supports the spousal relationship which is primary. In addition to accompaniment members may have a spiritual director.
-Keeping a spiritual journal helps us to focus on the Lord´s guidance. We journal what He tells us, our concerns, responses and resolutions. Then we can return to our journal to see how we have followed through and to renew our vision. The journal is private but we are free to share it.Community
-Even if our homes are far from each other, our hearts are united by the Holy Spirit to form one family in the heart of the Church(see #10).
-We are covenanted to Christ and through Him to each other, to be one in love, through the trials and challenges of seeking to grow in faith.
-We embrace this way of life and the spirituality of the community and seek to help each other live our covenant.
-As one body, we are attentive to the needs of others and show this in prayer and service.
-We participate in the weekly cenacles and other gatherings of the community. We take to heart the teachings and the guidance of the Lord.
-Cenacles are broadcasted live so that all can join, but those who are able should cluster to participate in the cenacles together.
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We are committed to live this way of life faithful to Christ, to His Church, to our domestic family and to our family of Love Crucified.
Cf. Catechism #953
"(the Christian way of life) demands a personal knowledge of Jesus, a personal, daily, loving contact with him in prayer, in meditation on God's Word, in fidelity to the sacraments, to the Eucharist, to confession; it demands communicating the joy of being in the Church, of having friends to share not only problems but also the beautiful things and surprises of the life of faith" -Pope Benedict XVI, October 30, 2010
The hidden life is the hidden force
when lived in union with Jesus hidden in the Eucharist. In the hidden life is found the power of God that transforms the world. Then, when we give ourselves we are giving Christ.
Interior Cross
Ven. Conchita: "The interior cross of our Lord began with His Incarnation and was consummated when He delivered His Spirit into His Father's hands". -Spiritual Diary, pg. 187
"Through the external cross which all can see, I was a victim acceptable to the Father by shedding My blood, but is was above all through the interior cross that Redemption was accomplished" -S. Diary, September 7, 1896
Jesus calls each of us to unite our interior cross to His and thus love Him and share in redemption.
Let us give away the roses and keep the thorns.
