The Weight of a Moment: Reflection on the Final Profession of Vows on June 6, 2026

What gives a moment its significance? What separates one moment from another, raises it above the ordinary rhythms of daily life?

Some common ways we measure the importance of a moment may be how often (or not) it occurs, what it has taken to arrive at the moment, the number of people who are aware of what’s happening and who may be watching, and the ramifications of the moment into the future.

But what about in God’s eyes?

What makes a moment significant to Him?

This is on my mind because just a week ago, three of our beloved sisters professed their Final Vows. They prostrated in the center aisle of a church, nestled in the heart of New York City, one of the busiest and loudest cities in the world.

After the Litany of Saints was sung over them, they will each rose and walked over to Mother Francis, our General Servant, knelt before her, and professed their resolve to belong completely to Jesus as His bride for the rest of their lives.

How many people witnessed this beautiful moment? Several hundred.

How many people walked past the church and throughout New York City, completely unaware of the event taking place within? Millions.

In the grand scheme of the world, the moment of the sisters’ vows was hidden.

And yet, it carries eternal significance.

Although invisible to our human perception, Heaven was present…countless saints and angels, the Blessed Mother, and above all, God Himself. He was the One receiving the sisters’ vows through the hands of our superior. And the moment carries immense weight- an eternal significance- for the sisters themselves, for our community, the Church, and the world.

We have many ways of measuring “significance” …

but love is God’s primary measuring method.

Whether it’s my sisters making Final Vows, a parent rising in the middle of the night to take care of their child, choosing virtue in a hard moment when no one is looking, or offering a gentle smile to a stranger who looks heavy-hearted…every single person has the capacity to love. And no matter what we are doing, if we have the desire to do it with love (even if we feel nothing!), it becomes a beautiful offering to God that He receives with joy. It becomes a moment of eternal significance, that He can use to bless others- and make the world a little more the way He intended it to be.

Lord, open my heart to hear Your invitation to greater life with You…

to not miss the significance of choosing to love.

Mary, you who lived your life to the full with God, take me by the hand and teach me how to love. Lead me into the Heart of your Son.

Sr. Therese, CFR