The Lifestyle of Our Lady's Ranch
“A PEOPLE SET APART”
An Agrarian Lifestyle
Throughout early history, people lived a predominantly agrarian-based lifestyle where they depended on God and one another for survival.
In our more recent history, the news was passed by talking together in the town square or church plaza creating a sense of community, a sense of unity.
But today inventions in industry, transportation, and communication have progressed convenience, comfort, and competition, but regressed our sense of community. We went from realizing our dependence on God and one another to thinking that we are self-sufficient and independent. We went from a sense of community to a sense of individualism.
God invites us to live in His goodness – a unity of life in a community of love, resulting in peace and joy. So let us return to the attributes of our ancestor’s agrarian-based lifestyle to rediscover the advantages it contains in addition to creating unity within the community.
A Christocentric Lifestyle
To live a truly Christian life, Christ must be at the center, which means our schedule must be set first by prayer, with all other activities accommodating our prayer times as opposed to the other way around.
This is hard to do, however, in a worldly environment of materialism, immodesty, and stress.
Therefore, in order to live in the fullness of life, thereby enjoying the fullness of peace, while sharing peace with others – a new environment must be made…
Internal Environment: peace within ourselves through prayer.
External Environment: the unity found within community.
A Family Lifestyle
From the moment we are born we need our mother’s nursing and nurturing, our father’s protection and provisions, our sibling’s playfulness and laughter, and our grandparent’s thoughtfulness and attention...
Each member of each generation fulfills a particular need within the social order while assisting everyone in the process of sanctification. Thus, God gives us the gift of each other in several generations, that in developing inter-dependent relationships with one another, we may assist each other in the work of our salvation. We can then receive what Christ calls the “fullness of life” on earth, while insuring the fullness of His joy in heaven.
“For I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
An Extended Family Lifestyle
For thousands of years, the immediate family depended on the extended family for survival. Today, however, the extended family can often be seen as an obligation or a burden rather than a joy.
With Catholic Family Homesteads, there is an opportunity to invite both extended family and friends to support one another on their journey to Heaven.
“For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35)
A Full Lifestyle
The fullness of life is found only in Christ for He is the Author of it, the Word Himself.
“For I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
To live in the “Fullness” of life we must live in Christ; not just with Him, but in Him.
“Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You, may they also be in Us.” (John 17:20)
Then, while living in the fullness of life we may receive the fullness of joy.
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)
A Community Lifestyle
The Catholic Parish Community provides each individual with religious education and formation, the Sacraments, communal prayer, and social interaction.
Religious Clerics are comprised of single men and women who have dedicated their lives to God as priests, monks, brothers, sisters, and nuns; yet they usually live far away from the laity.
Individual families and religious clerics can come together through religious orders like SOLT (Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity), where priests, religious, and laity unite together to serve each other and others.
Some people are moved to yet one more step to insure holiness for themselves and for their families. This way of salvation comes through an “Ecclesial Family Homestead” which consists of various vocations who desire to live near each other in a planned neighborhood. These neighborhoods can be established to foster the sanctity of the residents and visitors through occasionally praying together, working together, eating together, playing together, and resting together (As desires and schedules permit).
A Multi-Vocational Lifestyle
A true vocation leads one to union with others in God because He established an inter-dependence among them. The priests, religious, and laity all need one another and spiritually thrive when connected together throughout life’s daily activities, including praying together, working together, eating together, playing together and ministering to others – together.
Each of us within our respective vocations need one another.
The priests need to live out their calling to serve others. Without the other vocations, the priests would not be able to fulfill their God-given desire to serve, thus leaving a void in their soul.
Likewise, the other religious and laity would not be able to survive without the leadership, instruction, and Sacraments issued to them by the priests.
Also, the religious monks, brothers, and sisters are needed by the priests and the laity for their prayers, their fellowship, and their service.
And everyone needs the children within family life because everyone needs a sense of family. Also, everyone needs to be brought out of themselves, which most fully occurs through the innocent demands of children.
An Ecclesial Lifestyle
Ecclesial Family Communities promote interaction between priests, religious and laity by maintaining a ‘Way of Life’ specifically designed to do so.
The members of each vocation spend time together praying, working, dining, and playing, and ministering to others together.
This has proven to be an extremely effective way to minister both spiritual and corporal works of mercy, while developing unity of the members, leading to union with God.
An Apostolic Lifestyle
We are all called to share our faith, which is not so much a requirement from God, but a necessary expression of the love we receive from Him, for goodness seeks to give itself.
As a Catholic Family Homestead, we serve first in our immediate family and immediate community. We then bring peace and joy to our parish community to give to it and receive from it.
Then it is our duty to serve as witnesses to our secular world by living in action and not in word. While it may sometimes seem like our efforts are fruitless, it is through steadfast love and service that the message of God begins to break through people's barriers.
This Catholic Family Homestead Lifestyle is “A way of Salvation” for those who desire:
To live in peace and to share it with others…
And for those who are called to it by God,
It will contain for them…
The fullness of life!
For it will be for them the surest means of
sanctity and their greatest joy.