Taking Root after First Profession

In conversation with our Novice who is preparing to make her first profession in August, I began to reflect on how my life has changed from being a Novice to being a Professed Sister. In Augustof this year, even though I have been a Religious Sister for four years, it will just be one year since I made my first profession. Let me explain first profession. In the simplest terms it is when you profess your vows to God and formally become a member of the congregation. Please understand though that it implies much more. Being professed is different. It is most definitely different in that I have become more aware of my rights and responsibilities as a member of the congregation. But, it is much more still. For me, professing my vows and the commitment of those vows to my God somehow took root in me. The phrase that best explains is “a tree is only as strong as its roots.” God’s love for me is like the root of a tree and forms the foundation for my full commitment to God. In reflecting on this past year, I am amazed at how I have begun to break through the soil and have begun to sprout. The soil was my formational years in religious life as well as those years before I entered religious life. God planted the seed. Now professed, God’s love, the Spirit and prayer, continue to keep me strongly rooted. My giving of all to God continues to grow into a greater love for all. It is in doing God’s will and not my will, that I will become the religious Sister God wants me to become. I look forward to my journey in Religious life, and to the many different ways, like a tree, I will slowly grow.
Sr. Priscilla Torres, OP

San Antonio, TX