CATHOLIC WOMEN'S LEAGUE IN HAMILTON

Dear League Sisters,

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

In an effort to stay connected, hopeful and supportive during these difficult days, we turn to each other and remember that we are sisters through Christ.

The meaning of a sisterhood is a safe place where you can go and not be afraid to get judged. It's a home away from home; knowing that you'll always have someone there for you with open arms.

We, your Hamilton Diocesan Executive are here for you and our arms are open!

Starting this Wednesday, April 1, 2020, at 7pm, and every Wednesday evening thereafter, during this COVID-19 pandemic crisis, we invite you to join us for a Candlelight Prayer Vigil.

A prayer vigil is an opportunity to unite and bring the light of Christ to brokenness in society through prayer and solidarity as daughters of God. As an act of public witness, a prayer vigil offers our sisterhood a space to connect with God so that God's vision for love, compassion, justice and hope, can be carried out through us in our service and support to each other and to all those around us.

Proverbs 31:25 “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and laughs at the days to come.” Laughs at the days to come: anticipates a future with joy and freedom of fear and anxiety. May you always know your worth of God’s grace, love and pray for others, have the strength and courage in God’s love to stand up to injustice and seek truth. May you find comfort in God’s love, especially in moments of weakness, brokenness, loneliness, or fear.

Personal prayer is so important, especially during troubling times like these. It is not only beneficial to us spiritually, it is also beneficial to us physically, as prayer regulates your heartbeat, making it stronger and less stressed.

Prayer draws us closer to our faith and deepens our relationship with God Our Father who has promised to never abandon or forsaken us. Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Prayer comes in many forms, including through song. Songs lift the spirit, so I encourage you to also sing sacred music as part of your prayers. One of my favourite hymns is Shelter Me, O God, which I have included as part of our weekly Prayer Vigils. The text is taken from Psalms 16 & 61 and Luke 13:34. I gravitate to the lyrics in times of sadness, loneliness, abandonment, weakness and fear, and I find God’s comfort and strength. It is my hope that you can find comfort and strength in these lyrics too.

God is always listening and although we can’t physically visit His House and receive our Lord sacramentally in the physical sense, we can always receive and welcome Him spiritually. His presence and love enters deep within us through prayer. As we pray, we are entering into the “temple” of our soul. Jesus states that “the Kingdom of God is within you” and “the Father and I will make our home with you”. Prayer is a means of releasing the power of the Holy Spirit of the Risen Christ within us so that we experience the Way, the Truth and the Life.

I invite you to light a candle on Wednesday evenings at 7pm and join your sisters in prayer. Remembering that Christ is our light and through His light We Will Find A Way, which by the way is the title of a heartfelt song my husband Cal wrote about our current world crisis. Cal recorded the song this past week and asked me to sing it. I have decided to include it as our closing song for our weekly Prayer Vigils. The song speaks of our current state, prayer, love, hope and how “We’ll Find A Way” and overcome this COVID-19 pandemic through our faith in the Light of Christ.

With God’s Blessings,

Teresa DiFalco
Hamilton Diocesan First Vice President & Spiritual Development Chair and the Diocesan Spiritual Development Committee