[Fr. Peduru Jeevaraj]
On March 9, the Brothers of Charity celebrated with joy the First Profession of Bro. Simbizi Claude from Burundi. The celebration took place at St. Joseph’s Chapel, Brothers’ House, Kalmunai. The Regional Superior, Rev. Bro. Constant Julius Stan received the First Profession of Brother Claude on completion of his novitiate year. Bro Claude is the first to take his Profession as a Charity Brother in Kalmunai. Many Brothers participated in the celebration and they met other Brothers of Charity and witnessed their fraternal bond.

It is touching when a young man appears before the Altar and solemnly declares that he wants to bind himself to the Lord as a Brother of Charity. It was a powerful moment in the life of a Religious Community.

His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Ponniah presided over the Solemn Mass with very Rev. Fr. Dias, the Vicar General, and Fr. Jude Johnson, Vicar Forane, Kalmunai, concelebrating with His Lordship.

The Diocese of Batticaloa congratulates Bro. Calude on his First Profession, which aggregates him into the Congregation and prays that he will flourish in the next phase of his Charity Life.

Bishop’ homily at the mass.
The consecrated life is a life that lives evangelical poverty in order to serve only one master, not many (Mt 6:24). It is a life that loses itself in this world to find itself in God (Mt 8:35). It is a life in which one renounces marriage and family to live only for God in a more radical, more literal, and more concrete way ( 1 Cor 7:32-34). It is a life that leaves everything of this world, and so will receive the hundredfold reward (Mt 19:29).
Thus as consecrated persons we renounce the pleasures of the world, and a worldly life; we renounce the worldliness of the world for the kingdom of God (1 Jn 2:15). We want to be crucified to the world, and the world to us (Gal 6:14) for love of Christ, whom we want to love with all our heart without any division, without even dividing it with the love of human spouse or with the love of the pleasures of the world and of the table. Thus we can be witnesses of the light to the world, to the peoples, to the Gentiles, unto the ends of the earth.

Thus as consecrated persons we renounce the pleasures of the world, and a worldly life; we renounce the worldliness of the world for the kingdom of God (1 Jn 2:15). We want to be crucified to the world, and the world to us (Gal 6:14) for love of Christ, whom we want to love with all our heart without any division, without even dividing it with the love of human spouse or with the love of the pleasures of the world and of the table. Thus we can be witnesses of the light to the world, to the peoples, to the Gentiles, unto the ends of the earth.

It is fitting that Bro. Claude makes his first commitment in this Year of Faith. He is in a special way invited to deepen and intensify his faith experience in the Eucharist where the faith of the Church is proclaimed, celebrated and strengthened. Faith is a gift from God that is lived in the communion of the Church and must be communicated to the world. Consequently faith commits every one of us to become a living sign of the presence of the Risen Lord.

Bro. Claude feels that he is called to experience the unconditional love of God. God loves us unconditionally whether we are intelligent, capable, sportive, wise, successful, beautiful, healthy and obedient. He still loves us, accepts us and embraces us. God calls whomever he wishes, even the unworthy and makes them worthy instruments to be his witnesses in the world.
What God expects from those whom he calls is to respond to God’s invitation positively and to give priority to God. God is the highest priority. If anything in our life deserves haste without delay, then it is God’s work alone. God is important, by far the most important thing in our lives.

Christ invites us to abide in him like the branches in the vine and to bear much fruit. Christ doesn’t ask us to be successful but to be fruitful. That is faithful commitment.