Hosea 2:16-17; 21-23
Ps 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Rom 12:1-2
Gospel: Luke 23: 33-34; 39-43
Entering religious life is a choice. It is a voluntary step and a mode of self-giving that is fully comprehensible only to those who have taken the same step. Entering and persevering in religious life is completely understandable only to those who have given the same response to God's insistent summons, full understanding of religious vows is really only possible to those who repeated Mary's words,
"Ecce ancilla Domini,
fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum."
"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord,
May it be done unto me according to your word."
Only after that first discernment on her part does the young sister enter into the step-by-step process of progressing more deeply into the heart and soul of the congregation. Thus, each step, each renewal of vows, is weighted with its own significance and importance. The time to solemn profession is never quick, no matter the congregation or order. It is always measured in years rather than months. No matter the order or congregation to count the years from entry to final profession one needs more than one hand.
Thus, at this Mass for Renewal of Vows, Sister takes moves further into the congregation. While each vow renewal takes a sister deeper into the heart of the order, it also takes her deeper into her own heart. That journey into her own heart is the most important part of the process. Each reaffirmed 'yes' to God's invitation, each renewed 'yes' to God's summons, brings Sister deeper into the Heart of Mary and deeper into the Heart of Jesus.
"Ecce ancilla Domini,
fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum."
Mary's words were an act of faith and trust. So it is for the religious who pronounces vows, be they first vows, renewal of temporary vows, or solemn vows. Sister's choice of readings indicates the movements into her own heart, into the heart of the congregation, and toward a more intimate union with the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
The first reading tells us "I will allure her." This is the insistent call to religious life, the call that cannot be silenced, no matter how hard we try. It also contains a warning of what is to come when the religious succumbs to that allurement, "I will lead her into the wilderness." The wilderness is the place of confrontation with oneself, with one's desires, and with God's will. It is a place of testing in which things do not always run smoothly. The wilderness is not an easy place to be but it cannot be avoided in religious life. However, there are promises to her who is allured and led into the wilderness: "I will speak persuasively to her."
Only in the wilderness, and perhaps after the first few crises there, can a vowed religious hear that persuasive voice, the still small voice Elijah heard in the same wilderness, a voice heard only after the wind, the earthquake, and the fire.
"I will betroth you to me forever"
The word betroth is rarely used today. It has two roots; "Be" is a form of the word 'by.' "Troth" means 'truth.' Thus 'betroth' means to promise 'by my truth.' The vows that Sister will renew shortly will be made 'by her truth' and by her free agreement. They are a reminder to herself, the congregation, and the body of the Church, of the journey she embarked upon and upon which she reaffirms her desire to continue.
"Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind"
The second reading from Paul's Letter to the Romans, reminds Sister and all of us who share the commitment to vowed religious life, that part of the vocation to this way of life demands non-conformity with the present age and a self-transformation so as to discern what is good and pleasing to God. If one were limited to a single word to describe this commitment it would be 'countercultural.' Having realized the empty promises of today's culture, the religious seeks her own path, a path which she must carve out on her own with the help of the rule, tradition, and the charism, and customs of the congregation.
In one of the emails we exchanged, Sister noted that the themes for today's Mass would be: The Greatness of God’s Love and Forgiveness. To Jesus through Mary.
That greatness of God's love and forgiveness is immediately apparent in the Gospel. As life was ebbing from His body following the brutal assaults inflicted on it before being hung on the cross, Jesus forgave those who did not know what they were doing. He then promised salvation to one of the thieves crucified alongside him. That forgiveness, that promise of redemption was a result of the thief's confession of his own sin and his subsequent act of faith in Jesus as Messiah.
May Sister's act of faith and trust demonstrated as she renews her vows be heard in heaven in the way Mary's words at the Annunciation were heard.
"Ecce ancilla Domini,
fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum."
_________________________________________________
Because I was otherwise oppupied there was no opportunity to do photos. The website for the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, however, had photos of the two sisters who renewed their vows, each in the community at which she is stationed. The website connection is:
http://www.carmelitesisters.com/carmelite-events/renewal-of-sr-catherine-angelines-religious-vows#.X05_yS2ZMWo
+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD
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