Religious Profession of Sr. Amanda Marie de Jesus, l.s.p.
Saint Ann Novitiate, Little Sisters of the Poor
Queens, New York
November 16th, 2024
Introduction
Mother Provincial Sr. Alice, Sr. Michelle, dear sisters, family members, Fr. DeBoe, Fr. Boric, brother priests, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and last, but certainly not least, Sr. Amanda Marie de Jesus!
What a joy it is to gather with you on this holy and happy day when Sr. Amanda professes the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, obedience, and hospitality especially for the poor and elderly. It is a joy for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the Spirit of the Lord has been at work in your heart, Sr. Amanda, and in the hearts of those here present and many others who have walked with you on your vocational journey.
Beginning with your parents, grandparents, and family members – thank you! Amy, I read in the Wilmington Catholic paper, The Dialog, how Sr. Amanda’s vocation made you “a better Catholic”, and I pray that you and your family will find joy and peace in your daughter’s vocation.
Sr. Amanda, as a parishioner of the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore you opened your heart ever more widely to the Lord. I understand that the image of the Holy Spirit in the oculus of the Basilica dome helped to inspire and sustain your prayer and discernment. Today, we thank Fr. James Boric for his prayerfulness and wise guidance and for all he did to nurture your vocation.
At St. Martin’s Home in Catonsville, you worked closely with the Little Sisters of the Poor. You experienced the life of prayer, their joy, their love for the poor and aged. All the while the Lord was tugging at your heart, alluring you to give yourself to him and to those in need with the wholehearted, singlehearted love that you profess today. Thank you, dear sisters, for opening your hearts, your charism, and your way of life to Sr. Amanda. By your goodness you confirmed her call; in your wisdom, you formed her.
Let me mention Fr. DeBoe’s spiritual guidance and his retreat just concluded as well as the friendship and assistance of many others. Many indeed are the ways the Spirit of the Lord speaks to us – more than I can name. What I can say to you, Sr. Amanda, is what St. Jeanne Jugan said to the young sisters who joined her: “It is a great grace that God has given you in calling you to serve the poor!” And this: “What happiness for us, to be a Little Sister of the Poor!” So last but not least, let me thank you, Sr. Amanda, for saying “yes” –yes to the Lord, to the Church, to the Little Sisters, and to the elderly and poor.
Heart Speaks to Heart
At the heart of your vocation is thirst for the living God. In the words of our responsorial psalm: “O God, you are my God, at dawn I seek you, for you my soul is thirsting.” Our longing for God, for holiness and intimacy with him, is itself his gift to us. It is a gift to be received with humility and meekness, for as St. Jeanne Jugan said, “Little, be very little before God.” When we are meek and humble of heart, God’s choicest blessings are ours!
In your longing for the Lord, he led you to the wilderness – not a desert or a forest, but rather the wilderness of searching for his will, the wilderness of being led along unexpected paths, the wilderness of listening in solitude as his heart speaks to your heart. There you experienced an intimate love, an infinite love, a spousal love, the love which comes from the depths of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is this love that began to possess your heart and led you to this moment.
In love with the Lord, you listened to his voice as never before. The One who loves you with an everlasting love says, “Remain in my love.” With these words, he invites you to a life of obedience that mirrors his own obedience to the saving will of his Heavenly Father. It is not a slavish obedience, but the obedience of love which brings authentic joy and true freedom. The love Jesus invites you to share is the highest form of friendship, and in that love, Sr. Amanda, he also invites you to share in his life and mission. By professing the evangelical counsels, you embrace a style of life like unto the Lord’s own. By entrusting the whole of your life to Christ and to the Church, you are laying down your life just as Jesus laid down his life for our salvation. By responding in trust and love to the vocation of religious life, you are set on a path of producing, together with your sisters, the good and lasting fruit of the Gospel in all those whose lives you will touch.
All this is summed up in the beautiful way of life described for us by St. Paul – a life of “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…” St. Jeanne Jugan said something similar: “Be kind, especially with the infirm. Love them well … Oh yes! Be kind. It is a great grace God is giving you in serving the aged. It is he himself whom you are serving.” . . . St. Paul goes on to say: “Over all these (compassion, kindness, humility), put on love…” In putting on the habit, you symbolically clothe yourself with the love and hospitality that are at the heart of the charism of the Little Sisters of the Poor. Finally, St. Paul urges you always to live your vocation in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. Listening to his words, couldn’t you hear St. Jeanne Jugan saying to you, “We must always say, ‘Blessed be God. Thank you, my God. Glory be to God!”
The Long Haul
In living your vocation, you will be tried like gold in the furnace. No vocation is without its trials – witness the life St. Jeanne Jugan herself. On such days, your founder’s advice is the best advice. She said: “Jesus is waiting for you in the chapel. Go and find him when your strength and patience are giving out, when you feel lonely and helpless. Say to him: ‘You know well what is happening, my dear Jesus. I have only you.’ And then go your way. Don’t worry about knowing how you will manage. It is enough to have told our good Lord. He has an excellent memory!” Surrounded by the Lord’s love and love you share with your sisters, may you not only persevere but flourish in your beautiful vocation.
Finally, we turn to Mary, the model of consecration to God, and to St. Joseph the model of trust in God’s providential love. Through their intercession, joined by St. Jeanne Jugan, may the Lord bless you, Sr. Amanda, and continue to lead you in his ways! And may God bless us all and keep us in his love!