Fr. Dennis’s homily at Bros. Rodel and Chano’s final profession

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Homily at the Final Profession Mass of Marciano Lopez Solis and Rodel Cervantes Sapalo
Orizaba, Mexico
February 2, 2018

Chano and Rodel,

You have come to this day of celebration at the end of several years of formation to the Assumptionist way of life.  These years have not been without uncertainties, without struggle. But with God’s grace you have persevered.  You now stand ready to profess your vows.  You are choosing to spend your lives in service to God’s kingdom, using the gifts that God has given you to become apostles for that kingdom.

Besides your Assumption family, both religious and lay, who have accompanied you through these years of formation, it is good to mention your families of origin who not only gave birth to you in the flesh, but who gave you the precious gift of your faith.
A special word of welcome and appreciation for your family members who are with you today.

We should also recognize the immediate context in which you profess your vows, this community of faith here in Orizaba, who have welcomed you during these past six months and taken you into their hearts.  Their faith and their joy for what God is doing in you, and through you for God’s people, is very much part of this day.

My dear brothers and sisters, today the Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation, when Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus to the temple forty days after his birth in accordance with Jewish law.  It has become for us a Festival of Lights.    Our candles are blessed as we hear the echo down the ages of Simeon’s prophecy that this child will be a light to the nations, illuminating our paths through the darkness of our world.

Rodel and Chano, the light of Christ shines forth this day as you profess your vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.  You are choosing to follow the path of self-emptying love, modeling your life after that of Jesus Christ, who is himself poor, chaste and obedient.  He is the one by whose light you see more clearly and love more deeply.  He is the one who gives meaning to every dimension of your life. He is the one who calls you to be a gentle light helping others to find their way.

Your profession day fills us with hope.  As the charism of Fr. d’Alzon finds a home here in Orizaba, your witness today puts flesh on the promise of this new foundation.  God is ever faithful, and your response to that fidelity by the definitive commitment of your lives is hope embodied.  Surrounded by those who love you, by brothers and by lay Assumptionists with whom you share your life, by the wider Assumption family, and by this parish community, you find yourselves lifted up by the prayers of the whole Church.
Take courage in this as you embark upon this wonderful adventure.

Through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, may your lives of consecration be a blessed light for all whom you encounter along the way.