In our community, every experience of consecrated life reflects the transforming power of God’s love. Sister Gabrielle Lillon, from France, shares with us her journey in the International Juniorate and in our Motherhouse, revealing how divine grace guides her to give her life to the Lord and to serve those most in need.

I am Sister Gabrielle Lillon, I am French. I feel deeply grateful and joyful for the experience of the International Juniorate and the Josefinato, a meaningful stage in my passionate search for God. This path now allows me to definitively offer my life to the Lord in consecrated hospitalarian life, letting myself be consecrated by Him so that I may love Him and serve my suffering brothers and sisters. I give thanks profoundly for the call and the mercy of the Heart of Jesus, because His gratuitous love has done and continues to do wonders in my life.

Especially in this formative stage at our Motherhouse, I have concretely experienced that not only did He love me and give Himself for me, but that today, through prayer with His Word, the sacraments, community life, formation, and service to the residents, He is saving my heart. He is helping me grow in maturity, inner freedom, and capacity to love. I have discovered that this compassionate love of Christ, the Good Samaritan God, is the source and goal of my life and the fulfillment of my vocation.

Therefore, I want to give my whole life to Him out of love, living in hospitalarian fraternity at the service of the Church, in favor of the most excluded—people with mental illness or intellectual and physical disabilities. I also greatly value the richness of intergenerational and intercultural community life: the joy of sharing with my sisters who have much experience in hospitalarian life, and the openness to the different ways of thinking, being, and seeing of my sisters from other continents. Together, we savor the beautiful taste of hospitality.

I am also very grateful for the opportunity to serve those who suffer. Praying with them places me at their feet and makes me admire their courage, patience, humility, and union with God in facing and overcoming their illness or disability. I experience how this purifies my gaze, leading me to contemplate the beauty and dignity of every human being, son or daughter of God, created in the image of Christ. Thank you very much.