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EUCHARISTIC The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. In the celebration of Mass the one and eternal saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ is made present. By the action of the Holy Spirit, bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We are given the most intimate and real communion with the Lord when we receive Him in the meal of eternal life. Seeking our complete transformation in a life of holiness and our share in the fullness of divine nature, we center our lives in the Eucharist. Jesus is our food for the journey. We are sustained and strengthened by the Body and Blood of Christ. We are healed and made whole by the One whom we consume. As members of Marian Community we seek to participate frequently in daily Mass. We dedicate ourselves to Eucharistic Adoration and maintain a chapel for Eucharistic Adoration. All are welcome to this chapel a place of worshipping of Jesus, a place of intercession for individuals, the world and the Church, a place of peace for all. MARIAN In the fullness of time,when the Father's plan for the salvation of the world was to be fulfilled, the Eternal Word became flesh in the womb of Mary. Her "Fiat," her obedience to the Father's will, her openness to welcome the Living Word, her being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, brought to the world its Savior and Lord. The members of Marian Community look to Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, as our model as we seek to grow in holiness. Her continual "Yes" to God and her faithfulness to God's call show us what it means to live fully as a child of the Father, as a disciple of Jesus, as person docile to the Holy Spirit. The tradition of Marian spiritual practice has been for us a special channel of the abundant graces of God. Our lives have been nurtured and sustained by the graces of God poured out in answer to Mary's intercession. CHARISMATIC Especially since Vatican II the Catholic Church has re-discovered the charismatic dimension of the Church's life. The Church has witnessed a renewed Pentecost and the outpouring of the charisms of the Holy Spirit on the faithful of every state and rank. The members of The Marian Community can give personal witness to the experience of the Holy Spirit's power and the reception of charisms. We eagerly seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit because they empower us to live more fully the call to holiness that comes to us in our baptism. By opening our lives to the gifts of the Holy Spirit we seek to be transformed from glory to glory until completely remade into the image of the Lord. We eagerly seek the Holy Spirit's outpouring of charisms so that we can be equipped for service to others. With the gifts of the Holy Spirit we are empowered to build up the Kingdom of God by serving in the Church and the world. EVANGELISTIC Pope Paul VI reminded the Church that its deepest vocation,
the reason for its existence, is evangelization. Pope John Paul II has repeatedly summoned the whole Church to the new evangelization, an evangelization that is new in its zeal, in its methods and in its expression. We see our primary mission as responding to the calls of Paul VI and John Paul II. We seek to proclaim the Good News of salvation: Jesus Christ has died and is risen; He is the Savior of the world; Jesus is alive today to save all people and to set free all who are captive to anything other than the infinite love of God. Through hospitality to visitors to Betania II, programs at the Spiritual Life Center, evangelistic preaching and outreach, intercessory prayer and witness of life we seek to help others experience God's mercy and love and to invite them to commit their lives to God. |
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