The Spiritual Practices and the Franciscan Spirituality of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother

Today I would like to share the witness of Sister M. Rosa Toccolini from our Italian Region. In her life as a Sister of the Sorrowful Mother, she believe and experiences “the Franciscan Spirituality…present in the aspects of simplicity and fraternal sharing that [she tries] to carry out in [her] relationships, both with the sisters and with other people that God allows [her] to meet.”  As she became acquainted with the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, she “was touched by their simple and spontaneous sharing of God’s gifts during meals, prayer, meetings, daily work in the community and with the laity and also by the mutual listening among each other, without creating distinctions between roles or life conditions.” In 2009, when she was a member of the community and still is, of course, she believes “that it is essential to continue this simple lifestyle [as it] doesn’t place obstacles in the way of meeting other people. It teaches us how to welcome and make other people feel loved in the name of Jesus Christ, as Francis did with his friars and all the people.”

Wow! Imagine striving to live in such a way so as not to  “place obstacles in the way of meeting other people”—that was St. Francis of Assisi. Picture yourself interacting with persons who do not have to flaunt their role in life or the “superior” conditions in their life as being above yours—that is St. Francis of Assisi.  Envision living in such a way that one-up-man-ship, competing to outdo the other, relating from the mindset of being better than, more educated than, wealthier than, more important than the other—that was St. Francis of Assisi.   St. Francis of Assisi lived the Gospel in such a way that he did empower those  he encountered.  Once anyone met St. Francis of Assisi, they knew that they were in the presence of a God-fearing, holy man, a lover of Christ, a child of the Most High and that they, in turn, were also special in God’s eyes. Without any of the pride-driven shenanigans of the ego that reveal a person’s insecurities, low self-esteem and vulnerabilities, St. Francis of Assisi was truly transformed into an alter Christus, another Christ. There was no greater follower of Jesus than St. Francis of Assisi.

If St. Francis touches your heart, as he touched the heart of Sister M. Rosa Toccolini and you feel called to become a Franciscan Sister of the Sorrowful Mother, don’t hesitate to fill out the self-quiz on this website.