Dear Sister Paola, today, as you make your first profession of temporary vows, we celebrate your response to the call to consecrated life, a profound expression of the universal calling all the baptized share to be prophets of hope. Your journey is a visible sign of the Church’s prophetic mission, to witness the hope found in Christ, especially in a world that often seems devoid of it.
The mystery we contemplate today speaks deeply to this journey. From a material and emotional standpoint, we cannot stay on the summit forever; you must go down again. Nonetheless, as Fr. Félix de Jesús Rougier said, we must remain spiritually on the heights that have been conquered for us. Those who are on top know what is below, but those who stay below do not know what is above. This expression beautifully captures the rhythm of spiritual life.
The moments of profound consolation and clarity, akin to being on a mountaintop, are not permanent. They are glimpses of the divine, fueling our faith and hope. These experiences, however, are not the end but rather the strength for the journey through the valleys of daily life.
Consecrated life – much like these mountaintop experiences – offers a unique perspective. You have chosen to live a life of chastity, poverty, and obedience, not as an escape from reality, but as a prophetic witness to the world that true hope lies beyond material wealth, earthly power, and fleeting pleasures. In this way you express a deep trust in God’s promise that there are things above, even when we must descend into routine and our life in the world.
Your vows today are not just a personal commitment, but a prophetic sign to the world. They point to a reality beyond our immediate experiences, to the eternal hope we have in Christ.
As you live out this call, remember that the strength to carry on comes from those moments of grace, where you have encountered God’s presence deeply. Even when life becomes challenging and the clarity of those mountaintop moments fades, hold on to the truth of those experiences.
Saints Peter, James, and John witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus, a moment that revealed His divine glory. Yet, they were called to descend the mountain and return to the world, carrying within them the vision of Christ’s glory into their experience of his Passion and death. So too, you are called to be a beacon of hope, a reminder to others of the higher reality we all strive for. This prophetic witness is vital for the Church and for the world, especially when many cannot see beyond the immediate struggles and pains of life.
As you embrace this new chapter in your journey, may you always remember the Lord’s invitation to rise and not be afraid.
The journey down from the summit is not a descent into darkness but an opportunity to share the light you have seen. “Here is the secret,” says Pope Francis, “never to alienate oneself from the Lord, who is the source of hope. We become blind if we do not look to the Lord every day, if we do not adore him.” Fixing your eyes each day on the heart of Jesus, pierced to rescue humanity from its poverty, trust in God’s grace and continue to be a prophetess of hope, even when the path seems challenging.
May the Holy Spirit guide you and Our Lady of Guadalupe – the woman who stood before the Cross of her divine Son – accompany you and protect you, so that you may always be a living testimony of the hope you receive from Christ.
