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Question

Thank you for reminding me to the Lord and I take this opportunity to ask a few things about the Profession:

1. Is it true that in these events of grace, particular graces are received from the Lord, even for those who participate?

2. With simple Profession, in addition to my desire to attend Mass every day and recite the Divine Office, is there also a sub grave obligation to fulfill these duties?

Thank you.

And God bless you.

Answer from the Priest

Dear friend ,

1. I warmly welcome your religious Profession.

You have taken the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. But below and above these same vows you have handed yourself over to the Lord to be all His.

This Profession is an authentic consecration: you have avoided deciding how you want your life and you have given yourself up to the Lord.

2. Until a little more than a century ago, the religious of the ancient orders immediately after the novitiate made their solemn profession, which is like a marriage of our soul to the Lord.

Now the Church for prudential reasons makes temporary Profession first made for at least three years.

But whoever makes temporary Profession in his heart has the will to be of the Lord forever.

3. For this reason, rightly in the title of your email you wrote “I am from Jesus”.

Well, as the spouses of this world on their wedding day communicate their goods to each other so that the goods of one from that day become goods of the other, so Jesus too, wanted to do the same thing with you on the day of yours. profession.

4. In this regard, I like to report what a Saint very dear to you and to me wrote about her Profession.

This Saint is Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.

The day before the Profession the devil tried to disturb her joy.

Here’s what happened (the italics are mine):

“Finally the beautiful day of my wedding arrived, it was cloudless, but the day before a storm arose in my soul like I had never seen.

I had never yet had a single doubt about my vocation, I had to know this test.

In the evening, making the Via Crucis after morning, my vocation appeared to me like a dream, a chimera …

I found the life of Carmel beautiful, but the devil inspired me with the certainty that it was not made for me, that I had deceived the superiors by proceeding along a path to which I was not called.

My darkness was so great that I saw and understood only one thing: I did not have the vocation! ..

Ah how to describe the anguish of my soul?

It seemed to me (absurd thing, which shows how that temptation was from the devil) that if I had told my fears to the Teacher, she would have prevented me from pronouncing the holy vows; however I wanted to do God’s will and return to the world rather than stay in Carmel doing mine; So I let my Teacher out and full of confusion I told her the state of my soul …

Fortunately she saw clearer than me and reassured me completely; on the other hand, the act of humility that I had done had put the devil to flight, who perhaps thought that I would not have dared to confess the temptation.

As soon as I finished speaking the doubts disappeared; to make my act of humility more complete, I again wanted to confide my strange temptation to Our Mother, who contented Herself with laughing at me “(Story of a soul 217).

5. And that’s what the Lord was preparing to her for that day.

It was her wedding day:

“On the morning of September 8, I felt flooded by a river of peace and in this peace” that surpassed all sentiments “I pronounced my holy vows.

My union with Jesus took place not in the midst of thunders and lightnings, that is, among extraordinary graces, but in the breath of a light wind similar to the one our father Saint Elijah felt on the mountain.. 

How many thanks I gave for that day!

I really felt like the Queen,

I was taking advantage of my title to free the prisoners,

to obtain the King’s favors towards His ungrateful subjects,

finally I wanted to free all the souls of Purgatory

and convert sinners.

I prayed a lot for my Mother, for my dear Sisters, for the whole family, but above all for my Father, so tired and so holy.

I offered myself to Jesus so that He would fulfill His will perfectly in me without creatures ever putting an obstacle to you.

That beautiful day passed like the saddest, since the most radiant one has a tomorrow, but without sadness I placed my crown at the feet of the Holy Virgin, I felt that time would not take away my happiness.

What a beautiful feast, the nativity of Mary to become the bride of Jesus!

It was the one-day-old Holy Virgin baby girl who presented Her tiny flower to the Infant Jesus.

That day everything was small there, except the graces and the peace that I received, except the serene joy I felt in the evening, watching the stars twinkle, and thinking that soon the beautiful sky would open to my rapt eyes, and that I would be able to join my Spouse in eternal joy ”(Story of a soul 218). 

6. I am convinced that on that day the Lord would not have denied anything to Saint Therese.

The great peace she felt was perhaps the most eloquent sign of this.

Even those who participate in this consecration are granted something.

They participate in it with their presence, with their affection, with their prayer.

It would be strange if they did not also participate in the grace.

I would like to say: since they are attending a wedding (and what a wedding!) They participate in the lunch and they also receive the favor!

They receive it from Jesus Himself.

7. I also take this opportunity to report what Albert Lagrange, the future Father Marie-Joseph Lagrange, who later became the famous founder of the Biblical Ecole in Jerusalem, expected on the occasion of the feast of the Holy Father Dominic in the year of his novitiate. .

I think these desires were the same ones he had in his soul when he took the habit and entered the Order.

“July 26 [1880].

Ask San Dominic for his spirit,

his continuous prayer,

his devotion to the Blessed Virgin and her protection,

his zeal for the salvation of souls.

July 27 [1880].

“O my Father, Saint Dominic, you know that I love you!

I entered your Order with the hope that one day I will be received by you at the door of Heaven and led to the feet of Our Lady Mary Immaculate.

Grant me this grace, to me and to all my relatives, to reach heaven under your banner.

I ask you again for an abundant outpouring of your Spirit throughout the Order and the novitiate.

The healing of my sister Thérèse and her vocation to the Order.

Courage for my parents, the healing of my mother.

My sister Pauline’s wedding with a good Christian, devoted to Mary.

The vocation to the Order of …, …, and …. J.

Two thirds of your spirit be mine ”(Spiritual Diary, pp. 83-84).

You too can incessantly ask the Holy Father Dominic to give you two thirds of his spirit.

Is it wrong? I think not.

8. On the occasion of his Profession he wrote:

“October 6, 1880. Wednesday, Saint Bruno.

Ecce venio: in capite libri scriptum est de me ut faciam Deus, voluntatem tuam (Behold I come: for it is written of me in the scroll of the book that I, O God, do your will “; Heb 10,7).

Ecce ancilla Domini, fiat mihi secundum Verbum tuum (Behold the servant of the Lord: be it to me according to your word; Lk 1:38).

Obedient love. I have too much to say:

O My God, you listen to the groans of my heart and its thanksgiving.

Jesus, give me Mary Immaculate as my Mother.

Holy Mary, give me Jesus crucified as a Bridegroom.

Dying for the honor of Saint Mary or for the Blessed Sacrament of Jesus.

(Tears)

I, a nothing, I ask you, my God, your mercy.

Gratias Deo et Beatae Mariae et Beato Dominico (We give thanks to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Blessed Dominic) ”(Spiritual Diary, pp. 97-98).

9. I now come to the last question you asked me: the commitment to recite all the Hours of the Church’s liturgy concerns sacred ministers (from the diaconate upwards, with some exceptions for permanent deacons) (cf. Principles and norms of Liturgy of the Hours, n.29 and n.30) and also religious communities obliged to the Liturgy of the hours and their individual members (n.31, b).

Such are the communities of religious orders.

The members of the religious orders are strictly bound there starting from solemn profession.

No mention is made for the Mass. But it should be a need of the heart.

Because if one does not feel the need to be with Jesus, to feed on His word, to conform to His sacrifice, to be together with Him, what would be the reason for staying in religious life?

Tomorrow (September 22) is the eighth day of your consecration.

Live it with the spirit of Saint Teresina and of Father M.J. Lagrange.

I accompany you with my prayer and I bless you.

Father Angelo