Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville

A Simple Christmas, Second Week of Advent THE GOSPEL: MK 1:1-8 Let us ponder the figure in this week's Gospel: St. John the Baptist. What words come to mind when you imagine John? EXTREME POVERTY? NOMAD? PROPHET?... _____________________? John is a STRIKING character who lived SIMPLY AND POORLY as a preacher. -He relied on God for his meals: He ate what the desert provided. -He did not have a large wardrobe: a shirt of camel's hair with a leather belt. -He lived in God's nature, meditating on the beauty of creation. John's prayerful life paired with poverty lead John to the truth of his life: FORGIVENESS AND GOD'S MERCY TO ALL. This Advent, let us walk into the desert, away from more clutter. 1) Mother Teresa said: Live Simply so Others May Simply Live,. In what ways have we cluttered Christmas. How can we simplify Christmas to reflect the poverty of the coming Christ? 2) Regarding diet, clothes and creation, how can we live like John the Baptist? How will this help yourself and others? 3) John preached forgiveness -- Who is waiting to hear God's message of mercy and forgiveness? Who have we been waiting to forgive?

Several times I have decided to leave El Salvador. I almost could except for the children, the poor bruised victims of this insanity. Who would care for them? Whose heart could be so staunch as to favor the reasonable thing in a sea of their tears and loneliness? Not mine, dear friend, not mine. Jean Donovan Forty years ago, on December 2, 1980, Jean Donovan, Maura Clarke, MM, Ita Ford, MM, and Dorothy Kazel, OSU, were brutally murdered by the U.S. supported Salvadoran military for their love of refugees and those living in poverty. #RosesInDecember #inspiringwomen

In Memory of Ita Ford who was murdered 40years ago in El Salvador: Here is a message she wrote to her God Daughter. "I hope you come to find that which gives life a deep meaning for you...something worth living for, maybe even worth dying for... something that energizes you, enthuses you, enables you to keep moving ahead. I can't tell you what it might be -- that's for you to find, to choose, to love. I can just encourage you to start looking, and support you in the search."... 40 years ago, on December 2, 1980, Dorothy Kazel, OSU, Maura Clarke, MM, Ita Ford, MM, and Jean Donovan were brutally murdered by the U.S. supported Salvadoran military for their love of refugees and those living in poverty. #RosesInDecember #inspiringwomen

Today we mark the 40th anniversary of the "Roses In December, The American Martyrs of El Salvador." Four women -- three Sisters and one lay woman -- were murdered on December 2, 1980 for their choice to accompany refugee families suffering from violence and oppression in El Salvador. Let us pray their names: Dorothy Kazel, OSU, Jean Donovan, Ita Ford, MM, and Maura Clarke.... They lived their GOSPEL callings to reach out to those in need. LET US PRAY IN THIS SEASON OF ADVENT: In this week's coming Gospel reading, we will meditate upon St. John the Baptist who cried out in the wilderness and made straight paths for others. May we, in our own way, risk ourselves for others. Beautiful roses of El Salvador - Dorothy, Jean, Ita and Maura - pray for us! Please find more about their stories in this article. https://www.thetablet.co.uk//roses-in-december-the-four-wo