Message from Msgr. David Toups

Magnificat CST Spiritual Advisor

My dear Magnificat sisters, can you believe that we are half way through Lent already! It seems like yesterday we were laying the Christ Child in the wooden manger and now we are preparing to move to the wood of the Cross. The season of Lent is one of prayer and penance as we heard on Ash Wednesday: “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God” (Joel 2:12). Lent is about the body and the soul.

We live in a society which does not understand the Christian tradition of self-denial (i.e. penance and fasting). Rather we are to reward ourselves at all times! “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me” (Mt. 16:24) is antithetical to “if it feels good, go for it!” The closest we get to the concept of penance and fasting is trying the latest diet fad. However, are we doing it with a desire to grow in relationship with Christ and identify with the poor, or is it just about losing weight and fitting into a smaller size? As good as dieting is and as good as it feels when we get results, if the spiritual component is not engaged, it is not penance! Guilty as charged - we all are!

Let’s be honest and admit that many of us are not living penitential lives throughout the year, but every Lent is meant to help us reconnect with this great ascetical practice that has been a part of our Judeo-Christian tradition from the beginning. Much could be said about the Old Testament references: from abstaining from the “fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil”, to ritual fasting before particular feasts, to an expression of contrition and humbling oneself in the sight of God. Suffice it to say, it is clearly part of our common heritage. Not to mention the heritage of most world religions - fasting plays a role in the spiritual life. In fact, I am embarrassed at how casually we embark on Lenten fasting and how seriously our Muslim brothers and sisters embrace the fasting of Ramadan. We certainly can do better!

Really the bottom line for us is that Christ fasted and encouraged His disciples to do the same. During His 40 days in the desert He was “strengthened by fasting and armed with the Word of God” thus resisting the evil one. As the Preface of the First Sunday of Lent states: “By abstaining forty days from earthly food, he consecrated through his fast the pattern of our Lenten observance...” He is our exemplar par excellence. If He chose fasting as a way of growing in relationship with the Father, shouldn’t we do the same? It is important to note that we practice penance, mortification, and abstinence not because we are some masochistic sect, but in view of our new life in Christ, in view of our desire to be free from even our own disordered inclinations, desires, and attractions. All of our ascetical exercises need to be seen in the light of our truest desire to grow in relationship with Christ. He is our end and penance is just a means and not an end in itself.

It may be helpful to be reminded about the deeper “why” of fasting. 1) Fasting or any penitential act reminds us to invite God into our emptiness – It is He alone who can fill our hearts.

If you are saying “no” to an extra helping, or skipping a meal or dessert, or purposefully sitting next to someone you don’t like it is an immediate reminder to make an interior “yes” to God. The spiritual life is always about a deeper relationship with God, so fasting must be about the same (as are all of the works of mercy of which we have previously spoken).

2) We grow in charity and virtue by penance and fasting and “acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart” (CCC 2043). While the first reason was about self-denial, the second is about saying no to sin. Our will is strengthened and we are more easily able to say “no” to evil, and “yes” to good. Lent is a journey which invites us to have a deeper look at our lives in light of the Word of God so as to be able to re-commit ourselves more fully to the Lord at the Easter Vigil. The bottom line is that it is all about Love! The purpose is always to grow in relationship with God.

3) The Church has always encouraged the uniting of one’s heart with the poor around us who have so much less than we do, whether that is food, luxury, comfort, etc. The reason behind our self-denial is to move our center from ourselves over to God and others; from being self-centered and self-reliant to centering all our life on God and thus serve him in the poorest of the poor. This is not simply an option in the Christian spiritual life, a kind of one spirituality among many, rather this is the fruit of all Christian spirituality. A little sacrifice and penance grounds us, even if in the smallest of ways, in the profound truth of how “rich” we are and how great our need is to identify in some way with the less fortunate. 

4) Our deliberate and conscious self-emptying leads us into closer communion with God, being more God-like. Penance and fasting are meant to lead us away from sin by learning to say “no” to our every wont and desire so as to learn to say “no” to temptation when it comes our way. Remember that it is not of our own power that we conquer sin in our lives and earn God’s love, rather God is the one who, in Christ, draws us to Himself, and in fasting we open ourselves to His merciful love.

So I invite each of us to reflect on some practical ways we can fast and do penance during Lent? But remember, first and foremost, penance needs to be done with love and for Love Himself. May our Lenten sacrifices not just be for a season, but lead us closer to Christ throughout the year. As Pope St. Leo the Great once wrote: “That which the Christian should be doing at all times should be done now with greater care and devotion, so that the Lenten fast enjoined by the apostles may be fulfilled, not simply by abstinence from food but above all by the renunciation of sin.”

The seed that was planted 37 years ago continues to flower everywhere. Our Lady continues to spread the perfume of Magnificat far and wide.

On January 21, 2018, the CST, along with many past members of the CST, Advisors, Chapter Coordinators, and Magnificat friends including office personnel enjoyed a very special reunion.

We viewed the remodeled office with Fr. Beau Charbonnet, Spiritual Advisor for the Metairie Mother Chapter, who blessed each of the redecorated rooms.

The historic event was celebrated with a lovely luncheon and special words given by Marilyn Quirk and Marilyn Heap, who were present for the beginning of the ministry. They recalled with gratitude how this special ministry is dedicated to the Blessed Mother. They also shared some of the earlier moments in the ministry.

We were also blessed with a short video from our new International Spiritual Advisor, Msgr. David Toups. He welcomed us and gave us a very inspirational talk on the San Damiano cross.

Our new Coordinator, Donna Ross, also gave a warm welcome to all of us and updated us on the ministry. Sara Ford informed us about the Chapters in Formation.

Kim Rodriguez-Torres explained the 5-Star Campaign and the importance of financially supporting the ministry. Mary Wilson highlighted the new books;

( Magnificat Proclaims-Holy Orders, A Guide for Presenting Life in the Spirit for Youth ) and led the prayer at the end of the celebration.

Kathy MacInnis was not able to attend but we congratulated her for a well deserved retirement after 25+ years of faithful servant leadership and expressed our gratitude for her Fiat. We also thanked Diane Bates for her service to the CST especially in her role as Conference Coordinator for the last two conferences. She announced her retirement from CST but will remain on the Advisory Team.

The items in the book store were on display for everyone to see. Each Chapter represented was introduced and a time of Praise and Worship followed.

The CST selects one area of the country each year to do a Visitation with the local Chapters in conjunction with their annual planning meeting. This year, New Orleans was selected since the 2019 International Conference will be celebrated in New Orleans July 18-21, 2019. We will be coming home to our roots. They also showcased in a video our past Conference 2017 in Orange, CA.

We closed the Visitation meeting with a time of prayer over each Chapter. On the way home, past CST Member Joan Lococo commented “I feel like the ministry is in good hands.” Thank you, Michelle Seghers, our Office Manager, who planned the beautiful day which was so enjoyable for all of us.

Marilyn Heap and Marilyn Quirk

CST & Archbishop Aymond of

New Orleans, LA

St. Louis Cathedral -1718

Our Lady of Prompt Succor

Henriette Delille - 1815

Ursuline Nuns - 1727