God's Love is Mirrored in The Life of Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo

God's love for humanity is seen most vividly in His sending His Son, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of all. This is the greatest gift for us, the God-Man who was born in all simplicity. No gold nor silk trappings wrapped Him. He was in strips of cloth and straw to keep Him warm as He lay a in an animal's feeding container. With these appearances He was not recognized at all as God's gift--the greatest gift, in fact. It is only by looking beyond appearances that the true identity of the Child in the manger can be recognized.

From His birth throughout His life on earth, Jesus Christ exemplified how to live in conformity with the Father's will--the salvation of the human race. He assumed human nature in fulfillment of the mission He received from the heavenly Father and this mission is motivated by the great love of the Creator for each and every person He created.

A woman in the seventeenth (17 th) century caught a glimpse of God's love which propelled her to live a life attuned to God's holy will. The spirit of this woman lives through the centuries in the members of the congregation she founded--the Congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary. In this contemporary time, the members of this congregation are popularly known as the RVM's. To them Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, their foundress, bequeathed a legacy of love. Such legacy appears in the RVM Rules and Constitution of 1726.

Chapter II of the 1726 Rules is replete with exhortations of love--love in action. Of the twenty-six numbers included in this chapter, there are fourteen numbers which explicitly dwell on the practice of love or charity. They come in positive consequences if charity is observed , or negative results if charity is violated.

Lifting up those with the active dimensions they are as follows:

• The peacemakers are called the children of God; they are those who live in union with genuine charity , mutually bearing with one another's shortcomings, striving to correct each other with meekness in order to avoid further wrongs rather than avenge them. (Rule #6)
• In the words of St. Paul : "Have peace and concord with all , without which no one may come face to face with God…" St. Lawrence Justinian says: " Discord is the oil to the fire of the devil which disrupts peace , foments quarrels, produces hatred, fans revenge, dims honesty, confounds reason, destroys wisdom, darkens the eyes of the spirit, repels the light of grace, breaks family love and kills divine love in oneself". (Rule #7)
• "One who has charity for his neighbors,"says St. Bonaventure, " does not advertise their faults, detract from their good, slander or belittle them, but on the contrary, praise the good in them." The perfection of this virtue is reached by one who is able to sympathize with the failures of others, and to rejoice in their strivings for virtue. (Rule #10)
• Those living in community should avoid all sorts of partiality and exclusive friendship, but should have an all-embracing love in Jesus Christ . Those in position of authority should observe this injunction with greater fidelity, manifesting to all an equal benevolence, assisting all those in need, bearing with their imperfections, and correcting them with motherly love. (Rule # 12)
• If these counsels are observed, God will live among the Sisters and the House will be a heavenly abode otherwise the House will be a little hell, and its government violent. (Rule #26)

The numbers that come out strongly with adverse results due to the infractions on charity or love bring to the fore disunity, envy, impatience, aimless chatter, non-forgiveness, arguments, quarrels, worldliness, angry words, upsetting tranquility of others, unmortified, tale-bearing, imprudence, revenge, self-centeredness, and the like.

Indeed Mother Ignacia's life exudes the fragrance of holiness borne of her great love for God who she served in her lifetime. One researcher uttered in great amazement in these words: "All along we have been looking for the proof of Mother Ignacia's holiness but we can find it in the Rules that she left behind." What a compliment! If only this legacy can be manifested in the lives of her followers--the RVM's--we will be able to attain a better world to live in which the Congregation envisions. #

FAVORS**GRACES**FAVORS**GRACES**FAVORS**GRACES

A SURGICAL OPERATION AVERTED

A testimony of Sonia Louise M. Oandasan mentioned her having stomach pains and vomiting when she was still in college. It was only after two and a half years working in a government office when she submitted for a physical check-up. The results were all right. Her doctor only prescribed vitamins for her to take. For some time everything was okay until she had another attack of severe pains and vomiting.

The two doctors who attended to her discovered something in her stomach so a thorough CT scan was administered to her. The diagnosis was a 19-inch mass which needed a surgical operation. She, however, felt that it would not help her as the mass already big and had also affected her liver.

Meanwhile she took multivitamins upon advice of the doctor. She was then back to Dipolog City . From time to time she would apprise her doctor in Cebu by telephone of her condition. She resumed her office work to keep hr busy. In her own words she said: "…I believe that FAITH, HOPE, TUST and PRAYERS have done much miracle than anything else."

When she went for a second check-up it was found out that "the mass was still here but it has reduced its size. All were amazed at the fast results." When she went for a third check-up after a month it yielded satisfying results. And she added: "My pancreas was negative and so with my spleen and liver." Results of her fourth check-up conflicted with the previous one. Her attending physician, however, "…still believed that I was alright and told me that twice a year check-up would be alright."

With all these procedures she entrusted herself to God as she said: "I pray to GOD and to MAMA MARY and to MOTHER IGNACIA DEL ESPIRITU SANTO that everything will be alright and that I will be completely healed. My devotion to MOTHER IGNACIA has grown deeper and deeper…"