Eugene teaches the youth to put into practice the words of Paul: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14)
Art 24. Thus the love of Jesus Christ, which is the unbreakable bond of any society, will have first place among the congregants in all its perfection, and they will love one another warmly.
Art 25. This holy and mutual affection must never be denied. It will habitually make itself visible in actions…
Art 27… their biggest happiness will be when they find an opportunity to render a service. In a word, they will treat each other as brothers, in imitation of the first Christians whose examples they will force themselves to reproduce.
Statuts, Chapitre XIII – Obligations spirituelles des congréganistes
The ideal of the community of disciples around the presence of Jesus is the model around which the Youth Congregation was constructed – with mutual love as the link holding it all together.
“See how they love one another” – Tertullian’s comment on the early Christian community.
I have the sense today of wanting to celebrate – not just say the words but I want to really celebrate, simply because. Today I awoke and found myself singing to God, praising God and that alone would be enough to want to celebrate.
I have read this over and over this morning and I find myself pondering first one avenue, one aspect, then another. It is truth. “With mutal love as the link holding it all together.” Even this one line sends my thoughts on a wandering path. First pondering on how I, in myself, by myself do not “know how to love”. I see it, I experience it, I respond back in love as I have been given but on my own – no it is not something I started. It has to have come from more than me – from God. I am thinking of the word “namaste” which I was told means ‘the God in me greeting the God in you’. Perhaps that is truly it.
There is a small part of me for a flash in time which on reading the line from St Paul recogized the truth of what he said, and knew it intimately and understood it. Most certainly Eugene did, he wanted that his youth group would try to live it, even if at first they did not know why or how – to make themselves do it until it became a part of them. “Their biggest happiness will be when the find an opportunity to render a service ….” Yes Eugene for you are so right, there is such joy in serving, in giving to others, that is love and it is love that binds us together, that we recognize in each other.
Today I shall celebrate the love, celebrate God. I had wanted to meet Fr. LePage, just because he was the person I corresponded with when ordering some books from here in Rome. I am sorry that I was unable to and that he has died, but will celebrate the life that he lived. Today I shall celebrate the love of all of the people that I have met on my trip so far – they love and are open. To any at home who might wonder if there is a question of Oblate Associates not being truly a part of the Oblate Family, of the Mazenodian Family I can tell you that we are. Today I will go to sit with God, with Eugene and just be – this is why I came to Rome.