On August 14th, 18 novices of the Legion of Christ took their first religious profession along with 11 religious who renewed their vows and Brother Jacobo Nieto Covarrubias, LC, who made his perpetual profession.

It was a ceremony presided over by Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC, General Director of the Legion of Christ, at the facilities of the Irish Institute in Monterrey.

Concelebrating with him were the priests engaged in their apostolic work in the city of Monterrey and some legionaries from other cities within the territory.

In the homily, Father Eduardo said to those present:

“We have just heard that the religious superior, the novice instructor, or the Territorial Director calls these brothers of ours by their name, and they respond: ‘Present!’.

They respond like Samuel in the first reading: ‘Here I am!’. There is a mystery here, a mystery that is the mystery of the vocation to the priesthood, to religious life, or to the consecrated life in its various forms.

It is the mystery of a voice that is heard and that each person hears deep within their heart and responds personally: Here I am to do your will. But not everyone hears the same voice or it does not reveal the same content to them.

All Christians are called to follow Christ, but not in the same way.

It is a mystery that God speaks to His chosen ones, and you who are here before me heard a call with your name and surname.

It is a personal call that each one hears clearly in their heart, and each of us responds from the depths of our heart to Christ.

To hear God’s voice, faith is needed; we know that God exists, that He is a close God, that we matter to God, and that He can call us, and that concerned for us and for the salvation of all, He calls us to collaborate with Him in a particular way.

And we hear and respond because we have faith and are capable of knowing that it is God who calls.

To hear God’s call, generosity is also required. Because we do not have enough love to respond to God.

To follow Christ, it is necessary to deny ourselves, take up the cross. Following Christ is a vocation to many blessings, and Christ Himself describes it as a hundredfold in this life, as well as eternal life, but He adds: with persecution.

It is necessary to take up the cross of denying our selfishness every day of our lives, and this is very difficult for us.

But knowing that we have a treasure in Jesus, our choice is for Jesus Christ crucified, for Jesus Christ resurrected, for Jesus Christ the Apostle.

And because He calls us, and because we love Him, because we love the Church understood as the People of God, who needs God, out of that love we take up the cross.

Out of that love, we leave ourselves behind and, in some way, leave our family, loving them very much but with a heart that places God first.

Here I feel compelled to thank the families of these brothers of ours; loving God and loving their children who tell them: “Mom, Dad, God is calling me,” they also, with faith and generosity, embrace God’s vocation for their children and, in some way, also embrace part of our Lord Jesus Christ’s cross.

And they possibly feel contrasting emotions in their hearts, feelings of joy for having a beloved child called by God our Lord. But also, in a human way, a sadness in seeing their child become an apostle, a missionary of Jesus.

Each vocation is a particular story, and each family is a family story: “They have chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from them”: There is joy and there is sadness.

There is a capacity for faith, to listen to God, and a capacity for love to respond: “Here I am.” And also to respond: “Here is my son.” Faith and love are needed.

But the greatest thing is that when we respond to God “here I am,” He confirms us: “Here I am also.” It is not that we decide; it is that He calls us and fully gives Himself to us.

God (as the saying goes) does not let Himself be outdone in generosity, and so when we give a small human “yes,” a generous “yes,” a “yes” to what is in our hands to give, which is ourselves.

He gives us a “yes” that is generous, but divine in nature; we surrender ourselves with our limitations, and He surrenders Himself with His omnipotence, His divine love, His infinite love, and that is the greatness of what we see today in these brothers of ours who, in their youth, in their generosity, accept God’s mysterious voice in their hearts; but what we do not see, what we do not hear, and that is present here, is God our Lord who also gives Himself, He gives Himself with all His love and all His divinity.”