- servants of Jesus, our Servant-God. . . called and chosen by the Father for service in the Church alongside his Son, who did not force his equality with God, but of his own free will took the nature of a servant, was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to the Cross
- handmaids of the Eucharist. . . we draw our life from the Eucharist, with our gaze constantly turned to the Lord present in the Sacrament of the Altar whom we tend, contemplating the face of Christ, and contemplating it with Mary, nearness to the Eucharist, our food and drink, becomes our inexhaustible source of holiness.
- housekeepers of the Lord. . . keeping in order - humbly, lovingly and joyfully - the house of the Lord in our respective parish churches, recognizing with reverence and compassion the house of the Lord in others, especially the poor, taking care of, with purity and faithfulness, the house of the Lord in our hearts
The Mother Butler Guild apostolate or ministry is a vocation. It is first of all a call from the Lord. God calls and chooses each MBG member to be his own. With a specific service, he places us in the Church alongside his Son, Jesus Christ who, although he was God, humbled himself and took on human form. And going lower still Christ took on the nature of a servant who, obedient to the will of the Father, walked the path of the Cross to give us new life, fullness of life. Jesus, our Servant God is the foundation and source of our MBG identity, and the particular vision and pattern of our spirituality.
And since vocation is rooted to the word vocare, it also involves a listening, a hearing by the one called. For the Mother Butler Guild, vocation has three dynamics: the call, the answer, and the Holy Spirit. The call from God. The answer from the MBG member. The assistance of the Holy Spirit.
With the Holy Spirit, the MBG member is moved to listen and hear the call of God. And with his grace, she is empowered, like Mary to answer humbly, lovingly and joyfully: "Here I am, Lord, your handmaid, ready to do your will."
This call from God comes not only once, twice or three times in our lifetime. But daily and frequently. God loves us so much that he wants to know daily and frequently if we are happy remaining in his love. If we are happy to be his own. So our answer to his call needs to be ongoing, current and full of love. And for the Mother Butler her ongoing current loving asnwer to God's call is only possible in Jesus, through Jesus, and with Jesus. . . only Jesus, always Jesus. Through faithfulness to prayer, the Eucharist, and our altar service, love for the house of the Lord will consume the MBG member. . . love for the house of the Lord that is our parish church, that is our neighbor, especially the poor, and that is our heart.
Ambassador Henrietta T. de Villa