Monthly Archives: April 2012

ALWAYS FOCUSED ON THE STILL POINT OF A TURNING WORLD

The section on the vows in the 1818 Rule is followed by an exploration of the various ways in which the Missionary must strive to “BE”. In doing so, he always come back to the “true north” – the point … Continue reading

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VOWS : TO PROCLAIM THE COMING OF A NEW WORLD FREED FROM SELFISHNESS

Add to this that greed is one of the vices that does the greatest damage in the Church, our Institute’s spirit, which is one of atonement, leads us to offer to God the compensation for this vice, by adopting voluntary … Continue reading

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VOWS: PROMPTED LIKE THE FIRST CHRISTIANS TO SHARE EVERYTHING

The model of how to “BE” was that of Jesus and the apostles, which then evolved into the first Christian community. Regarding the spirit of poverty he wrote: The first Christians followed that counsel faithfully to the letter. They still … Continue reading

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VOWS: YOUR ATTITUDE SHOULD BE THE SAME AS THAT OF CHRIST JESUS

Eugene’s model for living the spirit of poverty was what he learnt from the first Christians: The first Christians followed that counsel faithfully to the letter. They still had fresh before them the example of their divine Master.  It was … Continue reading

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VOWS: THE WAY TO “BE” IN ORDER TO “DO”

So far our exploration of the 1818 Rule has looked at the first part, which was the “why” of the Missionaries. We have seen how in this section Eugene explained their mission and ministry in detail. The next section, entitled … Continue reading

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THE MISSIONARY IS ALWAYS AN INSTRUMENT TO LEAD OTHERS TO EXPERIENCE GOD

Jesus said to them, ‘Come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’. Mark 6:31 The apostles were called to stay with Jesus (Mark 3:14), as was the apostolic community of Missionaries. They had the … Continue reading

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THE MISSIONARY NEVER STOPS BEING A TEACHER

Jesus “took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.” Mark 6:34 Imitating the “virtues and examples of Jesus Christ” led Eugene to deal with the last … Continue reading

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COMMUNITY PRAYER : AVOID RUSHED WORDS WITHOUT A HEART

We will recite the Office thoughtfully and solemnly, following exactly the mediants and the other indications, and making sure that we do not warrant Jesus Christ’s criticism of the Jews, that they honored God with their lip service, while their … Continue reading

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COMMUNITY PRAYER: THE SOURCE OF ALL MISSIONARY SUCCESS

It seems surprising that as the sixth ministry Eugene puts the community prayer of the Breviary: All the priests, oblates, and novices are bound to recite the Divine Office in common, according to the rite of the Holy Roman Church, … Continue reading

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ALWAYS CLOSE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM – ESPECIALLY IN SICKNESS AND DEATH

The church of the Oblate Mission house in Aix was never a parish. The community was young, dynamic and obviously attracted many people to their services –either in the church or in the various ministries of the Missionaries in the … Continue reading

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