"Come!" (Mt. 14, 29)
Many sisters of the German Province and from the Generalate followed with great joy the invitation to attend the celebration of the final vows of Sister Silvia-Johanna, as well as many of her relatives and friends.
The celebration of eternal profession has become very rare in our Province. The last one took place in 1998, 19 years ago.
In her introductory and welcoming words our Provincial Coordinator, Sr. Paula Bomas, mentioned a reason for this:”in our modern society the principle applies to keep open many options, otherwise one might be left out in the cold.’’ Sr. Paula further said that in contrast to this Sr. Silvia-Johanna decided to keep no longer all options open but to bind - with eternal vows - her entire life to God and to our Congregation; because she firmly believes that in the eternal profession her life is gaining width and depth.
"Come", Sr. Silvia-Johanna chose this invitation of Jesus to Peter (Mt. 14, 22-33) as the theme for the celebration of her eternal profession. Matthew tells that Jesus sent the Disciples to the other shore after the feeding of the five thousand. He climbed a mountain and remained in prayer until dawn. The disciples had the wind against them the whole night, and their boat was beaten badly by the waves. Then, the disciples noticed a figure coming towards them on the water. Panic seized them, because they believed that a ghost was approaching them.
The Spiritual Director of the seminary, Dr. Michael Höffner, presided the celebration of eternal vows and gave the sermon. He applied this passage from the Gospel to the life of Sr. Silvia-Johanna. Sr. Silvia-Johanna has had many other possibilities in life, and yet the figure of Jesus continued to approach her life again and again. She has wondered: can I trust this figure on the water? Is it an illusion, a Mirage or a desired image? Yes, this figure of Jesus was a restlessness factor, a disruptive element, by which she felt strangely drawn to, and which has cost her many sleepless nights. Like Peter, Sr. Silvia-Johanna asked Jesus to grant her this word of awakening: 'Come'.
And Jesus gave her this word of awakening that attracts to the venture to get involved in the experiment of faith.
After the sermon by Dr. Höffner, the rite of profession followed, which was very moving for everyone. As a sign of total surrender to God, Sister Silvia-Johanna lay before the altar on the floor to express her willingness to entrust her life completely to God, while the provincial choir and the worship community asked God's assistance for her life by reciting the Litany of all Saints. Words cannot reflect the depth of this moment. In the subsequent profession, Sr. Silvia-Johanna responded to the call of God to follow Jesus Christ in the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence and pronounced for her whole life the vow of poverty, obedience and chastity for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
Our Provincial Coordinator, Sr. Paula Bomas, accepted her profession with great joy. The profession is also a legal act, as it is with the wedding, and was sealed with signing the deed by Sr. Silvia-Johanna and Sr. Paula at the altar.
After the celebration of the Eucharist, all guests had the opportunity to congratulate the professed sister. There was time for conversation and encounters, coffee and cake. The celebration ended with a common Vesper, where we once again could thank God for the final Yes of Sr. Silvia-Johanna.
And now I wish Sister Silvia-Johanna and all readers that Jesus Christ will always stay "an unrest- and disrupting factor" in our life that calls and attracts us.
Sr. Christa Brünen