Thanksgiving given by James McTavish during Celebration of his Perpetual Vows

Church of St Julian the Martyr, Rome October 21, 2006

A phrase that has given me so much peace and joy in preparing for my Perpetual Vows is from Psalms 118 - “ God's love endures forever”. Forever, in every situation, now and always. But is it possible a love that is forever? Many times in our world of today we get used to a love that is temporary, fragile, that does not last. It reminds of the boy who went to the card shop to buy a card for his one and only. He said to the assistant that he was looking for a card for someone special, a card to declare his faithful love. The assistant looked amongst the selection for a while before announcing confidently that she had found a suitable one. The card said “You are my one and only. There is no one else in my life. My love for you fills all the space of my heart. There is no room for anyone else. My faithful love is for you alone, forever”. The boy was so happy and felt it was just perfect. The assistant asked him “So how many do you want, just one?”. “No, give me ten” he replied. Very often we get used to this type of love, but there is a love that is faithful, that endures forever. This love is the love of Christ. Today I make my perpetual vows, forever, because I have experienced a love that is forever. Proof of the fidelity of this love is that I am stood here right in front of you. I am living proof that God's love is faithful and for ever. In these last 8 years in the community Jesus has always been faithful.

Eight years ago I was living in Sydney , Australia . I had all the things this world could offer – a good career, money, friends, a house, a car. I was celebrating my twenty ninth when the song by U2 came on, “I still haven't found what I'm looking for”. I was singing along with Bono when one of my friends asked “Is it true ?”. “What ?” I asked. “That you still haven't found what you are looking for”. “I didn't write the song. I am just singing along, enjoying myself” I replied curtly. But later I realised that it was true. Even with all these things, a great career – I was a Doctor, I was specializing in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, I still wasn't completely fulfilled. My heart was still searching for a love that could fill it completely. It was at this time that I met some sisters of the community of Verbum Dei and I started to pray. To my surprise, in the silence of prayer with the Word of God, I discovered a treasure, a great pearl – the love of Christ. I had found what I was looking for.

Eight years on, I am here today, as a living proof of God's faithful love, which is forever. Some people today have asked me if I have any doubts! The answer is no! My heart is so full of peace and joy there is no room for doubts! Seeing you all here today for this celebration makes my peace and joy grow more. But really is this the way to a happy life, the Perpetual Profession of vows of poverty, chastity and obedience? During the Solemn Blessing for the Newly Professed given by our General Superior Fr. Filipe, we heard the words “ that he may live with joy ”. But these vows, are they really a way to live joyfully in the world of today? But James, you are asking now after having signed the Formula of Consecration ! Don't worry, because I am convinced that this is the way to true happiness.

When we think of poverty, often the first thought is all that we must leave behind. When I entered the community, my younger brother Daniel, who was then 14, showed a keen interest in my vow of poverty. He phoned me to ask me about the vow and what it entailed. At the end of the phone call after wishing me well in the religious life said ”Well James, seeing as you have to leave all your worldly goods behind before entering into the community, do you think you could give me your Walkman?”. Poverty is not just about what you leave behind but what you gain. It is to become rich in the love of Christ. If our heart is already full of things how can we receive the true riches? The poverty we need to live is so that we can experience the richness of the love of Christ. For me poverty is also to live in simplicity because in the world of today it is very easy to become complicated. And to remain poor especially in our mission to announce the Gospel. How many times I would like to have the perfect talk, the perfect experience before sharing to others, but this can be a richness. Instead of praying for the perfect sharing it is better to ask Jesus for a more generous heart, to give freely what I have received freely. Only in giving and sharing our experience of God do we see how it can enrich others. Being rich in our experience of God, we share it with others, becoming poor and thus enriching others like Jesus who “ for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich ” (2 Cor 8,9).

Of course, we need, all of us, to keep our heart pure. It is not easy, especially here in the city. I was going to the University yesterday on my bicycle and my eye caught sight of an advertising billboard with an image that was very provocative. “Jesus, I want to try and keep my love for you pure” I told him and averted my gaze in the other direction only to see a bus passing by, with an advertising that was worse. “Jesus, if I will have to cycle with my eyes closed I will do it to keep my heart pure!”. In Proverbs 4,22 we are reminded “ With closest custody, guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life .” The vow of chastity helps us to keep the love pure. I was with Dara, an Irish missionary in the summer and we were asked if we ever had a girlfriend before entering the religious life, and why we did not get married. He said that when he was a medical student he used to go to the library where all the female medical students were looking at the books and he would go to the library to look at the girls looking at their books. He was especially keen on one girl who had beautiful teeth and a beautiful smile that melted his heart. After getting to know her more, Dara got invited to visit the family. When he was introducing himself to her grandmother, she gave him a big smile. What a contrast Dara said there was between the beautiful teeth of this girl and the beautiful tooth of her grandmother! And now that he is a missionary after experiencing the faithful love of Jesus, his heart has become so big that he does not just have one girlfriend now, but three thousand million! Chastity is a beautiful virtue because it makes bigger the space of our heart to fit more people in (cf Is 54,2). Jesus is converting my heart, which used to be just a one-man tent, into a dwelling for many people.

As for the vow of obedience, well it helps us to put order in our lives. My dad was in the Military for many years and in our house we always tried to live in loving obedience. Once my Dad and my brothers and I were all watching Scotland playing soccer on the TV and my mother called us for supper. We wanted to keep watching but my mum wanted us to eat together as a family, sharing our lives together, conversing with each other and not watching the television. My Dad said “OK, let's go and eat”. I protested to my Dad saying that it was better to keep watching the game. My dad turned to me and said ”In my work I have many men who obey me because I am the Sergeant. But in the house, your mother is the General!”. Of course, the vow of obedience helps us to join our little yes, a yes that is fragile, variable and often inconsistent, with a yes that is much greater, with more experience and wisdom, the yes of my Superiors and my community and we unite the yes of our community with the yes of God, His will for our lives. How great that I don't have to rely on my own strength, my own vision, only what I see – how small is my vision many times. How great that I can unite my desires, my hopes and my dreams to God's desires, hopes and dreams for my life, my community and for the whole church.

So I am convinced that the vows are a way to happiness in the world of today and with this conviction I stand before you now with a heart full of peace and joy because the love of Christ is forever. This is Good News to announce to the world of today. We can sing of His faithful love which is forever. We can sing to the world of today, paraphrasing from another famous band “He loves you yeah yeah yeah. He loves you yeah yeah yeah”. I thank you all for your presence here. I would like to thank especially Fr Luigi, the Parish Priest here who has welcomed us with warmth and friendship, my community Verbum Dei, the Superior General Fr Filipe and all my brothers in the community, Sister Magdalena the responsible of the Sisters here in Rome, the beautiful voices of the choir, the readers and of course each one of you here today. I would also like to thank all the people who have been praying for me in these days and ask that they continue! Let us ask Mother Mary that we can stay close to Jesus and experience His faithful love more and more each day and to give witness, through our words and our lives, that God's faithful love endures FOREVER.