Community
“As the father has loved me, so I have loved you. Just as I have loved you, you also must love one another.” (John 15:9)
Community is a most mysterious entity, especially when it is community-in-the-Lord. In our Constitution we read: “Ours is a ministry of prayer within contemplative community life.”
A monastic community is first of all, a relationship with GOD. This relationship with God, for everyone in Community, is an indispensable foundation of the community. It is a relationship which grows, not only in prayer and worship, but also in and through right relationship with one another.
Community is a vocation. It is a response to a divine call. We do not choose those with whom we will live. This is God’s prerogative. He selects as he wills to build up the community of faith in love.
Though we share the same values regarding our life as Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood we approach our life together from our own background and life experiences. The differences of outlook are balanced by charity and one’s response to God’s will for the good of all. It is he who builds community with our response to his will and love. If we were to measure our community life together – if we could – we would need to measure the genuiness of our prayer life and our unselfishness in our interpersonal relationships in community.
As our Constitutions state;
“The heart of our life together is our love of Christ and faith in Him. This love and faith are sustained by prayer and above all, by the celebration of the Liturgy.”