Dear Sisters,
We are grateful that our Congregation celebrates this feast as its solemnity. Let us celebrate this feast with joy and love!
On the card we are sending you for this occasion, you will see the familiar figure of the "Merciful Trinity" as a wooden sculpture. We invite you to contemplate this image of the Merciful Trinity once again.
In the photograph taken in Florianópolis, many different hands have formed a heart around the wooden sculpture and are holding it tightly together. This powerfully expresses what characterizes our lives as Sisters of Divine Providence. It radiates love, closeness, unity and solidarity and recalls the words of Eduard Michelis: "Working together gives an invincible strength." Moreover, we feel the warmth, strength and energy that emanate from community. It reflects in particular the dynamic of the Triune God, “who revealed Himself in Jesus Christ as Providence made visible” (Const. no. 18).
Dear sisters, the wooden sculpture of the Merciful Trinity reminds us of the Year of Mercy in 2016, which was proclaimed by Pope Francis with a papal bull. In his bull announcing the feast day, Pope Francis wrote:
“When we look to Jesus and his merciful face, we see the love of the Most Holy Trinity. The mission Jesus received from the Father was to reveal the mystery of Divine love in its fullness. ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8, 16), the Evangelist John confirms for the first and only time in all of Scripture. This love has become visible and tangible throughout the life of Jesus. His person is nothing other than love, a self-giving love. His relationships with those around Him are unique and unrepeatable. His signs, especially towards sinners, the poor, the outcast, the sick and the suffering, are a lesson in mercy. Everything in Him speaks of mercy. Nothing in Him is without compassion.” (MISERICORDIAE VULTUS, The Face of Mercy, no. 8).
Dear sisters, on our solemnity, let us allow our hearts to be touched anew by the love of the Most Holy Trinity! May we daily turn our gaze anew to Jesus Christ and His merciful face, to continue His mission and, in solidarity with the poor and needy, to bear witness to God's love and Christian hope.
In this spirit, we wish you the blessing of the Most Holy Trinity, which unites us and encourages us as pilgrims of hope to dedicate ourselves today to life, trusting in the power of small acts.
We embrace each and every one of you and wish you a joyous feast day from the bottom of our hearts!
With loving, sisterly affection
Sr. Sandra, Sr. Christa, Sr. Prisca, Sr. Maria Beatriz, Sr. Marian