Homily for First Religious Profession

First Religious Profession of Sisters Sony, Smita, Munmun and Placiya as FMAs

First Religious Profession of Cls. Darryl, Joseph, Leroy, Mahesh, Pranit and Veenus as    SDBs

               

Dearest Sisters and Brothers we are blessed to be together this morning to take part in this Eucharist during which  four of our sisters - Sony, Smita, Munmun and Placiya – and six of our brothers –Darryl, Joseph, Leroy, Mahesh, Pranit and Veenus – will commit themselves to a deep relationship of love with Jesus through their religious profession as FMA and SDB respectively.

Over this last year or so, we – in fact the world as a whole – have been going through a particularly rough and difficult time. This Covid pandemic that has in a way turned our lives upside down by causing the death of so many people – many of whom we know, some of them perhaps even our loved ones – by keeping us confined to our homes for such a long period of time – thus causing fear, anxiety, depression, loneliness, joblessness, hunger, and a host of other problems – has in many ways robbed us of our hope and our confidence in the beauty and value of life.

Many today are questioning – and I think they have good reason to do so – does life have any sense or meaning? Is there any point in plans and projects if we really don’t know what is going to happen to us even tomorrow? Is there a God who cares for us or are we just vulnerable creatures subject to the whims/caprice of fate?

In a situation like this , gathering together to celebrate your religious profession is more than just opening a window to let in a gust of fresh air!! It is a celebration of our core belief that there is a GOD WHO LOVES US AND CARES FOR US!! It is a proclamation of our deep conviction that God’s love is unconditional and eternal and he is always present in our lives even though we may go through times when we may be tempted to doubt his presence and question his love because we do not totally understand his ways.

GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK and while we in our pain and anguish and fear question him, we also surrender to him in faith hoping  that God will draw out something good for all that is happening.

In a few moments from now our dear sisters and brothers will kneel down before all of us and with the innocence and courage of youth will tell JESUS:   “ MOVED BY YOUR LOVE, .... I WITH COMPLETE FREEDOM” profess to live POOR, CHASTE and OBEDIENT    in communion with my sisters and brothers and sisters.... as an FMA ... as a SDB.  I want to assure you my dear young friends, that the LORD truly values and appreciates your self-giving to him. It was he who gave you the gift of life, it was he who blessed you with many gifts and graces... he gave you a heart of love and the grace of freedom.  He gave you the possibility to do anything you want with your individual lives. But you, young though you are, using your best judgement and guided by people whom you trust and love have reached this point where you profess to love God with your whole being and entrust your life into his hand to do his work, to be ministers/channels of his love to your brothers and sisters.  

We are proud of you and we wish you well. May God be with you always.  May his love fill your lives and become the air that you breath.

+ My dear sisters and brothers we need to remind ourselves though, much as we are in awe of the generosity of our young friends that it is not just them making a COMMITMENT this morning.

+ Just as our friends kneel before JESUS, Jesus kneels before them, and with all the tenderness and compassion and love in his heart he says to them, “ Dear Sony, Dear MunMun, Dear Pranit, Dear Mahesh...... I promise to love you with all my being, every moment of every day of your life. I promise to be true to you and faithful to you at all times.”   Remember my dear friends,  Jesus is not assuring you his love on the condition that you are good and faithful. He promises to love you as you are, at all times, even if you should fail him, even if you should fall, even if you should have the misfortune to be unfaithful.

My dear sisters and brothers today we celebrate the feast of MARY help of Christians. Mary for us is a beautiful example of what it means to give oneself totally to God in love, and what it means to allow God’s love to take possession of your life and being. It was God’s love that she breathed, it was God’s  love that nourished her and as a result it was God’s love that she proclaimed and continues to proclaim through all ages.

Look at our Holy Founders: Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello – there is so much we can say about them and yet we can summarize their whole lives in a few words: it was in THE LOVE OF CHRIST that they lived and moved and had their being.... God’s love gripped them ...God’s love sustained them.. it was God’s love that they proclaimed...    

As we go through this challenging time.... I think their lives give us a cue of how we can cling to God and live in his love in spite of everything. It is significant that both Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello had very overwhelming experiences of sickness/ill health right at the beginning of their lives of active ministry.

Don Bosco was still a young priest and had just begun his work with the youngsters on the streets when he fell gravely ill. It seemed like he would die and not get through his sickness. His boys were distraught and stormed heaven for his cure. Many of them offered their own lives – young though they were in exchange for his – and God heard them. Don Bosco realized that it was for his boys that God kept him alive and he promised to spend every moment of his life, his every breath, all his energies, all his resources, for the welfare of his boys. For the salvation of his boys he was ready to do anything......

Mary Mazzarello, we are told, was a strapping young girl, who could match them men and even outwork them when working in the vineyards. But when there was a kind of cholera epidemic in his district and many of her own relatives were ill, she went out of her way to serve them, unmindful of her own health. Finally she herself fell seriously ill and many thought she would not survive. But she pulled through. However, she realized she did not have her old energy and strength anymore. She could no longer take pride in being able to work twice as hard as those around her....

Both Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello had to go through this experience of self-emptying before they were able to serve the Lord as completely and as generously as they did. My dear sisters and brothers consecrated life is not so much a question of doing great things for God but of allowing God to take possession of your life, with your strengths and your weaknesses, your talents and your shortcomings. Let God work in you!

Before I conclude I want to tell our young friends making their profession, that we your companions and seniors are not here just as spectators gathered to witness something beautiful, instead we are here as people who love you to assure you of our support and encouragement, our prayer and [should I say] guidance as you join us as our younger sisters and brothers in our respective congregations. We care for you and love you and want you to be truly happy. We feel blessed that you are part of our family and we know that your goodness, generosity, spirit of sacrifice and enthusiasm will do much to sustain us as we go through the journey of life together.