Way of Life
Community of Love Crucified
The vocation of the Love Crucified Community is to live passionately His love revealed at the Cross. There we receive the gift of His thirst, His gaze, His tears, His radical love which holds nothing back. Now He calls us to respond.
The Lord has given our Community this standard:
“ Suffer all with Me, no longer two but ONE, in my sacrifice of love"
As brothers and sisters we enter into a covenant with Christ and with each other to live fully this love in the heart of the Church, according to our spirituality (The Simple Path to Union with God) and mission.
At first, commitments may seem to be a burden, but the Lord promised: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." -Matthew 11:30. "Sanctity does not consist first of all in doing extraordinary things, but in letting God act" -Pope Francis. God's grace makes this way of life liberating and joyful through love. It disposes us to receive a new life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our way of life embraces the following commitments:
1. Lives centered on the Eucharist
2. Marian Consecration
3. Docility to the Holy Spirit
4. Live The Simple Path to Union with God: Our Spiritual Formation Book
5. Victims of Love + Offering life for others; for priest
6. 5 Stones: Humility, Purity, Simplicity, Trust, Courage
7. Repentance and Conversion
8. Community Life
9. Obedience to Mother Church
10. Fidelity to our state in life
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", Ven. Concepción Cabrera de Armida, Aug 21, 1894
1. Lives Centered on the Eucharist
The Eucharist is Christ, our life, the source and summit of all we are and do.
We seek to participate in Holy Mass daily, if possible.
At Holy Mass we unite with Jesus as His victim souls in His sacrifice of love to the Father. We go to die to self and receive new life in Him. We become living hosts. We offer ourselves with Jesus to the Father after the consecration of the Precious Blood with this prayer.
We commit to a minimum of once a week of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament to listen, adore, praise, intercede, give thanks, and accompany and CONSOLE Jesus and Mary in their suffering for souls.
For their work, prayers and apostolic endeavours, their ordinary married and family life, their daily labour, their mental and physical relaxation, if carried out in the Spirit, and even the hardships of life if patiently borne-all of these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Pt 2:5). During the celebration of the Eucharist these sacrifices are most lovingly offered to the Father along with the Lord’s body. Thus as worshipers whose every deed is holy, the lay faithful consecrate the world itself to God. John Paul II
See teaching Fr Jordi Rivero>>
2. Marian Consecration
To come to the most perfect intimate union of love with Christ—victim united to Victim— we need to consecrate ourselves to Mary, Mother and Bride, with the understanding and abandonment that she will bring us to the foot of the Cross. We commit to be forever "Totus Tuus" (All yours).
See “Importance of Consecration” letter from Lourdes Pinto to community>>
33 Days to Morning Glory -Preparation to Marian Consecration. by Fr Michael E. Gaitley, MIC; Marian Press.
Renew our consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Daily Recitation of the Rosary
3. Docility to the Holy Spirit
We live in the Spirit attentive to God and submitting to Him everything we do. We ask of Him in every situation, “Lord what do you want of me?” We trust in the Holy Spirit and invoke Him constantly.
See “Importance of Consecration” letter from Lourdes Pinto to community>>
“Yet there is no greater freedom than that of allowing oneself to be guided by the Holy Spirit, renouncing the attempt to plan and control everything to the last detail, and instead, letting him enlighten, guide and direct us, leading us wherever he wills.” Pope Francis p. 13
We welcome the Holy Spirit as our teacher and guide through living the Simple Path. It is He who leads us through the passage -- from the feet of Jesus crucified to receive the gift of self-knowledge, into the Sacred Heart of Jesus and brings us into the unity of the Most Holy Trinity.
“God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Nevertheless, it is not enough to know the Spirit; we must welcome Him as the guide of our souls, as the “Teacher of the interior life” who introduces us to the Mystery of the Trinity, because He alone can open us up to faith and allow us to live it each day to the full.” Pope Benedict XVI, XXXIII World Youth Day, 2008
4. Live The Simple Path to Union with God: Our Spiritual Formation Book
Each Mother of the Cross (MOC) and Missionary of the Cross (MC) must be willing to allow The PATH to lead them through the painful purification and healing of their hearts into the depth of self- knowledge. Each person must persevere to:
Follow Christ daily to the Cross,
To die to self—to what we have become that we are not,
To make ourselves vulnerable and stripped of our masks and false identity
And suffer ALL with Christ, in order to be transformed into Love.
5. Victims of Love
Our life is an offering of love. Our crosses, including the injustices we suffer, as well as the daily duties, are powerful when done with great love and united with Christ. God waits for the FIAT that signals our total surrender. We don’t just offer something; we offer ourselves without reserve, our entire being, our will, our heart, our body and soul, one with Him. This is to be with Christ victims of love.
It is a victim soul's 'yes' that 'stirs into flame' the power of the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit can lead a docile and willing soul to die with Me. It is this voluntary death that brings the soul to new life…I continue to thirst for love, but it is only the love of My victim souls that satisfies My thirst… Therefore, bring Me many victim souls. 2/1/11 Simple Path #124 p.331
See “Victim of Love” by Fr Jordi Rivero>>
6. 5 Stones: Humility, Purity, Simplicity, Trust and Courage
The MOC and MC must be committed to growing in these five virtues as we persevere in living the Simple Path and taking to heart the teachings of this community.
Virtues Needed as Warriors of Love
My little one, the time draws near. You hold the sword of the Spirit in the mission given to you. My family of LC are My warriors of love that will defeat the dragon in the decisive battle that draws near. Be ready to approach this evil in the same way that David approached Goliath. You will conquer the dragon in your littleness and purity because it is.
God who is with you. You must not fear and believe with the innocence and zeal of David… You each must also approach the battle with five stones.
1. First, the stone of humility, possessing the perfect knowledge of your nothingness and of My power and majesty.
2. Second, the stone of purity, purity of mind, heart, intention, word, desire…
3. Third, simplicity, detached from all, most especially from your ego.
4. Fourth, trust perfectly abandoned to My will.
5. Fifth, courage, courage rooted in love of Me to be perfectly obedient to My commands.
These stones are your weapons for battle, for the dragon will not be defeated according to the standards of the world but in the Light of Love… 1/18/12 Simple Path #148 p. 436
7. Repentance and Conversion
As Love Crucified, we are committed to go daily to the Cross to kiss the feet of Jesus crucified and beg the Spirit for the gift of self-knowledge, so that we can come in truth to know our sins, wounds and disordered tendencies. It is then, through this self-awareness, that we receive the gift of repentance.
Repentance is the gift of God that serves to pry open the hardened human heart so that My seeds of conversion can grow. Repentance is the Sword of the Spirit that opens the darkness within the human heart to be filled with God’s Light of truth, and the truth sets you free.
To live in repentance is to live clothed in the knowledge of who you are, which is misery, and the knowledge of who I Am, which is Love and Mercy.
To live in repentance is to live in the freedom of living in the embrace of Abba, Our Father.
Tell My souls to seek true repentance at the foot of My Cross and the power of My Love Crucified will set them free to live in My peace and the joy of My promise. 2/18/18
The soul that lives wrapped in the gift of knowledge grows in true humility and is then able to advance in My path on the wings of the Holy Spirit… It is here, at My feet, that you must persevere… 12/12/11 Simple Path #10 p.40. see full message >>
Confession: We are encouraged to go regularly to confession. There is no better way to make progress on our spiritual journey than by returning in humble repentance and love to God’s infinite mercy.
Formation for the Mission
Lourdes Pinto | February 1&3, 2019
Given at MC & MC cenacles
Lourdes received three messages based on the Gospels confirming our mission:
*The first message
Cf. Luke 10:1-12
Diary of a MOC 1/11/18, Mission of MC and MOC
My little one, you are preparing the way for My Second Coming. It is My hidden martyrs of love crucified through Me, with Me and in Me that will usher in the reign of My Kingdom on earth.
The Gospel says:
“No purse” that means be Poor in spirit;
“No sandals” that means -detached from the things of this world; a life of sacrifice, hardships, difficulties, uncomfortable, penance (I had the image of people walking up the mountain in Medjugorje barefoot)
“no walking stick” -because I will sustain you, strengthen you, support you. I will lead you on this journey.
My Missionaries of the Cross must preach repentance again, as did John the Baptist. They must preach My love crucified bringing souls to know intimately My love. They must be detached completely from their egos, knowing themselves as nothing and miserable. They must be willing to speak the truth about the darkness within My priesthood. They must be willing to live rejected, cast out and even stoned to death. (I conversed with Jesus saying that I do not know how this will be. I see again the image of the red carpet-the women covered in the precious blood of Jesus. My Lord, how do the lay missionaries of the cross live this mission? ) They are priests within their families and they live in the world. They will need great courage to be My light in the midst of the darkness.My daughter, tell my daughters to persevere suffering all with Me solely for love of Me.
*The second message
Cf. Mathew 10:1-24
Diary of a MOC, 30/18 “Mission of the 12”
My little one, I have chosen you to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God on earth. The mission is not easy, for the ways of God are never the ways of the world. All who are chosen by God to fulfill his plan on earth are hated by some, rejected by others, ill-treated, persecuted, for I came upon the earth to set one against another, for the ways of God will never be accepted nor appreciated by those who live for the things of this world. You have been asked by God to bring Him victim souls. A victim soul must fix his eyes on Christ, must desire with all his being to become one with his Master, must be willing to learn from Him and imitate Him. He must be willing to fight against all his disordered desires. This requires certain disciplines for my disciples:
1)”take no gold nor silver nor copper”- than means detached from the riches of this world, trusting that God will provide.
2)”no bag for your journey” that means that My disciples must allow My spirit to detach them from all disordered attachments. (my Lord how do we know what is a disordered attachment?) Anything that weakens your desire for Me, distracts you from loving Me, takes your gaze from Me.
3) ”nor two tunics”- My disciples must live simply as I did, poor, never in excess.
4) ”nor sandals”- a life dedicated to sacrificial love, penance, renunciation.
5) ”nor a staff”- My disciples lean on Me; I become their support; I lead the way.
My disciples wear My yoke-the wood of the Cross, united to Me. I am their All. My disciples are the men and women consumed in love and desire for Me. They choose to live this way of life for love of Me and the consuming desire to be made perfect-which is to become Love. Only in this way, will My disciples reflect the face and light of God in the world. These are my victim souls that possess the power of God on earth.
*The third message
Mark 6:7-13, which is the parallel Gospel of the other two.
The mission has been given. Are we seeking to be sent?
We need first to come under discipleship and that is a discipline that must rule our daily ordinary life.
We men are easily absorbed in projects to the point that they become the priority of our hearts and blind us to all else.
-we do not see how we loose sight of our relationship with God, our relationship with our wives….
- Projects and jobs must be the ones God wants for us and then must be subjected to HIM so that they do not overcome us.
Gospel of Mark: the need to stay with Jesus.
Fr. Jordi
In Mark Jesus exposes the mysteries of His heart only to those who remain with Him:
”With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything” (Mark 4:33-34).
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The parables were only the initial invitation but few stayed to beyond their initial interest to get something from Jesus.
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He came for all and loves all but did not reveal himself to all because each person must first be willing to enter a discipleship with Him. It is the only way to be transformed.
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He can only reveal himself to the few who are willing to stay and persevere when the flesh wants to give up under the trials of life.
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Only through a committed faith do we come to know Jesus.
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Without the walk in faith, without the process of formation and transformation at the feet of Jesus, we misunderstand the signs and wonders and make Jesus into our superstar, a wonder worker, someone who gets us what we think we want.
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This is why Jesus at first did not want his identity to be divulged.
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First it was necessary that they embrace the cross. Only after they saw him rejected in Nazareth and after teaching them about the demands of discipleship, does he send them the first time.
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But not even after 3 years did the disciples know the heart of Jesus.
Like them, we only come to know and understand Jesus at the Cross.
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At the Cross he reveals the depth of his being and strips away the lies about who we make Him to be.
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In Mark, only at the Cross is Jesus called “Son of God” (by the centurion).
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But for most the Cross is a scandal and they remain blind.
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At the Cross, if like Mary, we are one with Jesus, we also come to know ourselves.
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just as the cross is necessary for Jesus to fulfill his mission, and he can’t be understood rightly as Son of God apart from the cross, so too is the cross necessary for His disciples to be set free from the lies by which they live: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
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Only through the trials of the cross do we become real men.