What Nuns Do on the Annunciation Feast

Our friends, the Dominican Nuns of Summit, NJ have a lovely tradition on the vigil of the Feast of the Annunciation: they process together to the Solemn Chapter for the Solemnity of the Annunciation, and then have the youngest sister-in-religion give a homily, addressing the community for the feast.

This year, the honor went to a very-young-in-religion postulant:

Mary is the great contemplative, the model for all contemplatives. What God asks of us is also beyond any ability we have, and can only come about as a result of His action. Let us ask Mary to help us live as her true children, ever more surrendered to God, ever more focused on God even in the practical daily things of life that God asks of us in the moment.

Let us ask her to help us pray those words, “be it done unto me according to thy word,” and to truly allow God to do with us what He likes. We know that what He, in His great love, wants to do with us is better than anything we can imagine or achieve: He wants to conform us to Himself, remaking us after the pattern of Christ, the Divine Word, so that through us He might draw others to Himself, and that together we might be united to Him forever!

Amen. Read the whole thing.

I love this feast — the first great feast of the Spring, and so fitting as it is all about new life. On this feast, join me (in my podcasts) in praying the Angelus, and the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.

And if you’re are looking to make a donation somewhere, for Easter, note the sisters seem a bit stalled on their capital campaign, and they really need the room, because the postulants just keep on coming!.

It’s a good problem to have, for them; a great end-of-Lent bit of almsgiving, for us.

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