Spirituality
The spirituality of the MSP is alive and strongly missionary. The celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours for MSP has been, from the beginning, great source of spiritual nourishment as the daily meditation of an hour.
First Lauds, Vespers and Complines since 1982. Almost twenty years later, as a fruit of evangelization, and the necessity of praying liturgically, the complete edition of the Liturgy of the Hours in two volumes was completed using the Scripture as help for the biblical readings of the Office of Readings. Also, the sixth hour as part of the spirituality was included.
Christ Missionary of the Father is our model. The words Jesus used to send their disciples are our incentive: << As the Father sent me, so I send you >> (Jn 20:21). His obedience and service to die on the cross ( cf. Phil 2: 8 ) leads to the missionaries to proclaim the Gospel through all means , tenacious and decidedly wanting that many people enjoy the divine love.
Daily Mass in Campo Mision, reflection and assiduous reading of Sacred Scripture, the examples of the saints, particularly St. Paul , the apostle of the Gentiles , make our spirituality to be determined , jealous , tenacious and enterprising . The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament by short but frequent visits during the day as well as weekly community adoration made it up for a daily hour of personal adoration that later culminated in perpetual adoration , then after tasting it when it was proposed as support for the first Retreat of the 100 thousand youth at Azteca stadium . Then we saw how the Lord works when we fully trust Him.
Also the devotion to the adorable Heart of Jesus is unique among us, especially because we were granted the diocesan erection on his day. Hence we have chosen this day for the ordination of our priests.
The love for the Virgin Mary by the Holy Rosary, and particularly in community, and imitating her virtues are the result of experience of the maternal care of God in our missionary community and a spiritual legacy of the founder: <<The one who prays the Rosary shows willingness of not to leave the prayer and of seeking the help of the Virgin >> ( Czos. II, 69).
The Blessed Virgin as the first disciple and missionary open the doors of the homes and the hearts of men to Jesus Christ Missionary Father. Therefore, the Servants of the Word begin our missions by inviting the people to pray the Rosary in their homes or workplaces, in the streets and neighborhoods.
Thus, by meditating on the mysteries of Jesus with the Mother, arises the desire for the word of God. The Virgin of the Magnificat with her, firm and permanent “yes” until to the foot of the cross, projects us to a humble evangelizing service , free of estimates and means and rapidly for the needy.
Missionary Christ
The whole family Servants of the Word, religious and committed laity, celebrates with joy, on the last Sunday of October, the Feast of Jesus Christ, Missionary of the Father.
Understanding the icon of Christ Missionary
The community icon is representing the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Missionary of the Father who gives his gift of peace.
Surrounding the icon there are several phrases that mark the lines of our spirituality: we are called to serve the Word with love, generosity and sacrifice, he who has known God cannot be silent.
The mystery of the Holy Trinity is present in the icon. God the Father, who is represented by a hand peeking from heaven, sent forth his Son, who in turn sends the Church to preach to the whole world, giving the Holy Spirit. The head of the divine Missionary is surrounded by a halo representing his glory, and containing the alpha and the omega: He is the beginning and the end of the universe. The wounds of the nails have become glorious rays after the resurrection.
With his right hand, the risen Lord blesses those whom He sends to extend his saving mission by proclaiming the Gospel, and in his left hand he is holding the cross that the Servants of the Word bear on their chest.
The sending that Missionary Christ makes appears textually reported in the Gospel of John : << As the Father sent me, so I send you >> (Jn 20:21). It is the mandate that Jesus Christ gives to all his Church: no one is exempt from it.
Virgin of the Magnificat
On the Second Sunday of August, the Servants of the Word celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary in a particular invocation from which is admirably projected the fundamental lines of our missionary spirituality. It is the devotion that our founder called : << Virgin of the Magnificat >>, as inspired by the fragment Lk 1, 39 -55. This episode includes the fragment known as: <<The Visitation>> (vv. 39-45) and the Canticle of the Magnificat (vv. 46-56).
Perhaps the best summary of what Our Lady of the Magnificat is for the spiritual journey of the Servants of the Word is expressed in the sentence. << Virgin of Magnificat, our Lady and Mother, come with your servants to evangelize this world groaning in darkness and evil. >>The Virgin of the Magnificat is the best model of Christian and apostolic virtues that the Servant of the Word is called to cultivate: Promptness in service and trust in God, eminently missionary attitude, be sensitive to the suffering of others, humility and simplicity, joy and optimism.
Understanding the icon of the Virgin of the Magnificat
The Servants of the Word see in the Mother of the Lord Jesus our own Mother, and the best example to follow, so we honor her especially in the invocation of the Virgin of the Magnificat , and celebrate her on Second Saturday of August.
What symbolize the different parts that make up the icon of the Virgin of the Magnificat?
The Virgin exults joyfully, before the mystery of the Incarnation, discovered by Elizabeth. With arms outstretched, Mary magnifies the Lord, proclaiming the wonders that He made with the humble, for the benefit of humanity. His head is surrounded by the halo that symbolizes holiness, and from the top of it, to the ends of both hands, the Triangle of the Holy Trinity is drawn. Mary is involved in the divine mystery by becoming, by his obedience and total surrender, in daughter of the Father, the Mother of Son and the spouse of the Holy Spirit.
The pure womb of Mary appears in a circle and within this a flame. It is the symbol of the presence of the divine Word made flesh in her. From the window we can see the sky, a symbol of God's dwelling.