Sr. Margarita Bareikaitė

R e f l e c t i o n s

Sr. Margarita Bareikaitė belongs to the order of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Lithuanian order in Putnam, Connecticut. She is also the Chairperson of the Religious Affairs Council for the Lithuanian American Community, Inc.

 

Renewal Through the Mass

The Church is calling all of us to RENEW. The first step for renewal is getting the most out of the Holy Mass. That is why it is so important to attend mass every Sunday.

The first part of the Mass is reading and preaching the Word of God. The second part is the Eucharist -- a time of healing sin fragments in all of us. Sin separates us from one another and from all we are called to be. The remnants of sin cling to us in the petty bickering, meanness of spirit, and insecure prejudices that pepper our daily lives.

Wholeness requires a basic healing, an act that realigns our spirit with the purpose of our existence. Jesus claimed this to be His mission: " I have come that all may be made one." In the Eucharistic prayer, and this is especially clear in Eucharistic prayer 1V, we hear that forgiveness has been won by the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate this belief when we gather with one another at Christ's Church and offer the sacrifice that makes us one.

Our unity is the result of participating in the Eucharistic prayer, in sharing a greeting of peace, and in receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. At the same time it heals and strengthens us to work together towards bringing the gift of forgiveness to a broken world.

A Joyful Choice

Joy is a major theme of Jesus’ parables, and God has entrusted to each person a particular joyful talent; a task that has not been entrusted to anyone else.

God calls within our own hearts. For most people this talent or vocation is expressed through marriage and family life, while for others as a priest or as a religious vocation. Those who consider a religious vocation may wonder how to know if this is right for him or her. The first thing to do is pray and open the subject up to God. Then look to see what brings joy.

As prayer with the Lord continues, one may ask questions such as, "Lord, what do you want of me?" or "Am I willing to be a temple of the Holy Spirit — that God would dwell in my body?" The Lord invites us to open our hearts to experience the outpouring of God’s compassionate love: love that affirms, heals, and gives purpose to our lives. It is also the love that calls us to heroic service after the example of the Lord Jesus and to be at the service of others.

If you have asked such questions and dreamt of being sent by Jesus to share Jesus’ love with children, youth at camp, through catechetical and social service work with the community, or nursing the sick, then make your dream a reality by coming to join the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception at 600 Liberty Hwy., Putnam, CT 06260.

Thus your ministry can become the roadmap for your journey to become who God created you to be.