CHARACTERISTIC VIRTUES
Our Mother Foundress, speaking of the virtues that should characterize us, says: “The Loving Heart of Jesus wants that the only and only interior occupation of each and every one of the souls called to this Work, is to love Him. This must be the soul and motive of all your actions and works. The virtues will be love, zeal, self-denial, sacrifice, immolation, mutual charity, obedience, simplicity and humility”.
Only by practicing these virtues will we be Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Mary of Guadalupe and apostles of his Reign. This is what you want us to learn from your loving Heart.
Charity -
"God is love and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him" (1Jn.4, 16b). This virtue must make us live in such a way united in love to the Lord and to others, that we form one heart and one soul (cf. Acts 4:32). “Never the slightest lack of charity among you, if we do this, we do what the Heart of Jesus wants; if we don't see each other again, that's the will ”.
As consecrated that we are, we will put into practice "the evangelical condition of disciples", committing ourselves to live the new commandment of the Lord, loving ourselves as He has loved us. (cf. Jn. 13, 34)
Apostolic zeal -
As Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Saint Mary of Guadalupe, we feel urged by the "Heart of Jesus that he desires ... let us truly work to love him and make him love, in him reigning in us for our total dedication to him and so that he reigns in the hearts of all men for the love of his Divine Heart ”.
"Given this urgent and clear demand", we cannot remain inactive; moved by the interests of the Heart of Jesus and lit in the fire of his love, we must communicate it to our brothers; and "like burning fire" we must burn in the fire of his love, with great apostolic zeal. "Nothing to do other than for your Divine Heart to reign."
Humility and simplicity -
From his birth to the death on the Cross, the Lord showed and taught his disciples the way of humility and simplicity: "Learn from me, that I am simple and humble of heart" (Mt.11, 29)
Our Founding Mother strongly recommends the practice of humility and the virtues that flow from it, especially simplicity: "For us it is a warning from heaven that we give ourselves to the practice of humility of heart." "The closer the soul comes to God, the easier it is". We will strive to reflect these virtues by leading a simple lifestyle.
Obedience -
"I have come down from heaven, not to do my will, but the will of the one who sent me" (Jn.6, 38). "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home in him" (Jn.14, 23). Obedience is born of love and we must express love in the fulfillment of the divine will, in its various manifestations.
As Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Mary of Guadalupe, we must promote with practice the practice of obedience, following the example of Christ and the urgent exhortations of our Mother Foundress who tells us: “Let us have a spirit of faith, let us have true desires to imitate Christ who was obedient until death, and the death of the Cross ”. She considered obedience in our Congregation of great importance for it to reach its objective.
Self-denial and sacrifice -
Christ "loved us and gave himself for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph. 5, 2). The life of each sister will be a reflection of the consecration of Christ to the work of the Redemption, if it carries with it the practice of self-denial; which consists in abandoning all things to follow Christ and accept joyful participation in the mystery of his passable self-sacrifice and exaltation, in union with the Father and prompted by the Holy Spirit.
"Let us live in self-denial, denying ourselves, for love of Him who lived in denial and sacrifice, and has been an immolated victim who has remained in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar." Let us accept as our own the Lord's cross that tells us: "If anyone wants to come after me, let him renounce himself, carry his cross, and follow me" (Mt. 16, 24).
Immolation -
To live in the disposition and attitude of constant and total surrender to God, is to sacrifice ourselves to the example of Christ and together with Him, who offered himself to the heavenly Father on the Cross and continues to offer himself continuously on the Altar for the salvation of the world.
Our Founding Mother insistently invites us to make our lives a "constant immolation, so that the Heart of Jesus may reign" in us and in the whole world; and to offer him "continual reparation for the offenses He receives."
We will live the spirit of immolation in the joyful acceptance of the crosses inherent in our human frailty, and those that involve the faithful fulfillment of our duties, fraternal relationships and apostolic service to our brothers.
