By Fr. Sirenio Jaranilla, O.Carm.
The following is the homily delivered by Fr. Sirenio “Toto” Jaranilla, O.Carm. on the occasion of the anniversary of the espousal of Donum Dei sisters Francia Volante (26 years) and Marie Louise Meda (9 years). The Donum Dei Society of Apostolic Life is founded by Fr. Marcel Roussel Galle and seeks to “enhance the socio-economic status and dignity of young girls, enabling them to realize their full potential in life specially, young women in slums, equipping them to be self-employed.” Congratulations, sisters and be reminded and blessed by this wonderful message of Fr. Toto based on the readings of Saturday, 10th week of Ordinary Time (First Reading-1 Kings 19:19-21; Psalm 16:1-10; Gospel-Matthew 5:33-37).
Elisha, in our first reading, was not married, when God called him to be the replacement for the prophet Elijah, he was released from his normal obligations in daily life because God called him. It’s the same way with every consecrated/engaged person, we leave our former lives and the expectations our families may have of us, in order to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, by the gift giving of our lives.
When God called Elisha, Elisha did not hesitate, even for a moment, and he never looked back. Elisha’s wholehearted response to God’s call made him a worthy representative for God. Christ sought people such as Elisha, to be his disciples, and he still does today. If one begins to feel the first nudges by the Holy Spirit to become religious, one must pay close attention to today’s readings. Trust your instincts, and when you make a decision, accept it, and feel confident that you made the right choice.
This is what Jesus is talking about in today’s gospel too. Don’t take a vow lightly. A lot of prayer and careful thought should be given before any of us makes a permanent commitment in our lives, but once we do, we should honor it. Honor it daily, in every moment…
The words Jesus said in the gospel have a lot of meaning in many other circumstances too, “Let your Yes mean Yes and your No mean No.” The scriptures today remind us not to give our word lightly, when called, we are supposed to honor our vows.
Even it means giving the control of your life to your superiors. Fr Ron Rolheiser, superior to Oblates of Mary Immaculate said, “Monks have secrets worth knowing. Here’s some advice from the Desert Fathers: Go to your cell and your cell will teach you everything you need to know. Every time you leave your cell you come back less a person.
These counsels were written for monks but the deep principles underlying them can be extrapolated to shed wisdom on everyone’s life.
What’s the deep wisdom contained in these counsels?
These counsels are not saying, that a monastic vocation is superior to a lay vocation. Nor are they saying that, if someone is a monk or a professional contemplative, or a consecrated person, social interaction outside of one’s cell is unhealthy.
Cell, as referred to here, is a metaphor, an image, a place inside of life, rather than someone’s private bedroom. Cell refers to our duty, to our vocation, and to our commitment.
In essence, this is what’s being said:
Go to your cell and your cell will teach you everything you need to know: Stay inside of your vocation, inside of your commitments, inside your legitimate conscriptive duties, inside your vows, and they will teach you where life is found and what love means. Be faithful to your commitments, to your promise, and what you are ultimately looking for – will be found there.
Every time you leave your cell you come back less a person: This is telling us that every time we step outside our commitments, every time we are unfaithful, every time we walk away from what we should legitimately be doing, we come back less a person for that betrayal.
There is a rich spirituality in these principles: Stay inside your commitments, be faithful, your place of work, even in the kitchen, that work is your seminary, your work is a sacrament, your work is a monastery, your community is your sanctuary, stay inside of them, don’t betray them, learn what they are teaching you without constantly looking for life elsewhere and without constantly believing that God is elsewhere.”
The more we look outside our community, the more we become unhappy. Many religious left because of this. Prophet Elisha and Saint Anthony of Padua discovered that doing God’s will is greater than our personal needs, greater than our families’ desires. Like them, we need total trust in God and He can totally transform us. Remember, in the end, our true formator… our real superior is Christ Himself.