Sister Anne Davis shared this reflection during the Los Angeles Province Jubilee Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19, 2025.
There is an expression: “It’s not over ‘til it’s over!” Some might say that religious life has ended. It’s over. And I would say that, yes, the form of religious life that was lived 80 years ago when Sister Kathleen Martin [Los Angeles’ oldest 2025 jubilarian] entered the novitiate is indeed over. That form does not exist today. But is religious life “over”…? I think not. Why not? We are called to reflect more deeply on what all of this means. This is not our project. This is about God. It is about God’s desire and dream for the world. The form of religious life is changing; expressions and responses are changing, but the desire and the dream remain.
What does that mean for us as we gather here today celebrating St. Joseph’s Day and jubilees/anniversaries of commitments to religious life, in this year that has been declared by Pope Francis as a year of jubilee, a year of hope”?
The expression “it’s not over ’til it’s over” leaves our spirit open to God’s surprises! When we each reflect on our life journey, whether it be religious life, marital or single life, I am certain that we can all say that our lives have had many twists and turns and many surprises along the way.
Such was the life of Joseph, who we celebrate and honor today. Why do we look to Joseph? We may have different responses to that question, but I am going to focus on the virtue of fidelity. Joseph was probably planning on a quiet life as a carpenter, but as we heard in our Gospel reading today, his plans were quickly turned inside out. He learned that he was going to be a father. He had to take a long journey with his pregnant wife. The baby Jesus was born in a less than ideal setting. And then he received a message from God that he had to flee with Mary and Jesus to another country, where they did not know the language, culture, traditions—to a foreign land.
It is in solidarity with Joseph that we as Sisters of St. Joseph, associates, ‘ohana, St. Joseph Workers, partners in mission, family and friends continue on a journey—on a life journey in which we try to be faithful to listening to God’s voice, God’s inspiration in our lives.
We, as Sisters of St. Joseph and associates, are celebrating the 375th anniversary of our foundation in France. That is no small matter. I was on retreat in Peru in January, and I was with a group of sisters from another international congregation that is serving in Peru. They told me that their congregation was founded in France, and they very proudly told me that they are celebrating the 75th anniversary of their foundation. We rejoiced together, and I shared that we, too, were founded in France, and we, too, are celebrating a significant anniversary this year. They were astounded when I told them that our congregation is celebrating 375 years. That number—375 years—remained present in my prayer for the rest of my retreat. God was saying to me, “Pay attention! It’s not over ’til it’s over.” It is when there is no longer a need for the charism or mission of a congregation that a congregation can conclude, “It’s over. Amen. Our mission is complete.”
The mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph is not complete. We have a charism that the world desperately needs—a charism of unifying love.
As we heard in our second reading, the CSJ Consensus Statement: Stimulated by the Holy Spirit of Love, and receptive to the Spirit’s inspiration, the Sister of St. Joseph moves always toward profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction…” This is God’s dream, our mission. We are invited to deep prayer and listening, so we can act with confidence that we are responding to God’s dream. All of us here in this chapel (and on livestream) are included in this call. We need to listen and discern together.
It’s not over ’til it’s over. Amen.
Thanks, Anne. A profound message. No, it’s not over.