Hallmarks of St. Mary Euphrasia's & Good Shepherd Spirituality   Encouragement: Console and strengthen those in your care. Make them by God's grace happy,very happy. This is your duty. Don't forget that you will win hearts only by charity. Look for the good and positive in each person. Emphasize the good of people in private and in public. Raise a person's self image whenever possible. Make use in the first place of kindness. If someone speaks rudely to you, be calm. We must love and have compassion for the people confided to us. Love, console, and encourage these suffering ones. Do everything as far as possible through love and you will see what great things you will be able to effect. We need the true freedom of the children of God. Let gentleness and charity always be on your lips. Let persons in need find in you comfort in trials and help in troubles. You must never be discouraged by obstacles in your mission to help each person know God's saving love. Zeal: An ardent, daring, vigilant love and energy for self and others. Be zealous! God has great plans for each of you. Let zeal be the vessel which bears you on. Let your faithfulness, zeal and love be ready for all sorts of trials. Go after the lost sheep without other rest than the cross, other consolation than work, other thirst than justice. Be filled with zeal that persons in need of healing come to know God's saving love and friendship. The zeal I have for helping people to know God's saving love (their own worth and dignity as children of God) hinders me from seeing obstacles. I see only the good. The most ardent desire of my heart is this - go and extend the mercies of God. Reflection and Prayer: Oh! How beautiful is the prayer of a person who in silence listens to God's voice. Only in solitude and silence can God's voice be heard in our hearts. Do nothing without reflection and without a pure and upright intention. It is said that those who would live wisely must live a life of reflection. The Good Shepherd: Our relationship with those we meet should be for them a means of encounter with the Good Shepherd. We see to approach them as he does. Each person is present to the Good Shepherd in human uniqueness, and he calls each one friend. Our love should awaken in them a sense of their own worth and dignity as children of God. At the same time, we are aware that we receive mercy from them and that we cannot separate our salvation from theirs. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the true model we must try to be like. Become animated with the thoughts, feelings and affections of the Good Shepherd, of whom you should be the living images. You are co-workers with the Shepherd. Like Jesus...go in search of the one in need of God's love, working hard as a good shepherd does. You are called to be sheperds...having God's own love and zeal. Jesus has a special liking for the title of "shepherd" because a shepherds' concern for the flock represents God's loving care for all people. Let the goal of all our efforts be to helpe each person know God's saving love after the example of the Good Shepherd. What does a shepherd do? A shepherd leads the lamb from bitter plants and shares his bread with her - or her bread with him. Love leads us to follow in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd; to search out the wounded, those left behind by the world. We are called to become like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, passionately concerned for people in need of God's healing love and authentic friendship. The Good Shepherd's approach and care differs for each person, according to each one's need and situation. The Good Shepherd does not want even one of God's children to be lost in the chaos of the times. We must be true shepherds.