THE IDENTITY OF THE MAZENODIAN FAMILY: AWARENESS OF IMPERFECTION AS A MEANS OF GROWTH

Eugene’s relationship with God was such a powerful source of life for him that he wanted to bring as many people as possible to share in his same vision and experience. In a letter to someone who was thinking about joining the Missionaries, he explained something of the attitudes that were necessary:

The missionary, being specifically called to the apostolic ministry, should aim at perfection. The Lord destines him to show forth anew, amongst those of his own time, the marvellous things that were done of old by the first preachers of the Gospel.

Letter to M. Viguier, 6 January 1819, O.W. VI n 38

The concept of “aiming at perfection” could give the mistaken impression that it all depends on us and our efforts. It was a lesson that we see Eugene learning and developing into as he grew older.

Aiming for perfection meant aiming at being more cooperative with God’s actions. Awareness of personal imperfection allowed God to work at making him more perfect.

“All for God” and “oblation” is more about cooperating with God’s actions in us than about our efforts to make ourselves perfect by our own efforts.

 

“Being human means to be imperfect, to be limited, and thus to change and travel on a perpetual journey. Mature spirituality gives us the ability to live joyfully in an imperfect world. This is important because an imperfect world is the only one we have. And if God does not love imperfect humans, God has no one at all to love!”    Richard Rohr

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2 Responses to THE IDENTITY OF THE MAZENODIAN FAMILY: AWARENESS OF IMPERFECTION AS A MEANS OF GROWTH

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    I love how this is written. I have not thought a lot before this about Eugene and his “aims for perfection”. I spent a good part of my life trying “to be perfect” and of course it never happened. And there is still that part of me that pops up and instead of using the word perfect my ego hides behind “me trying to be really good for others” (so it still likes to try to get out there). Eugene spoke about “looking outside of God for his happiness” and I would liken that to my “trying to be perfect” .

    I love the idea of “cooperating with God’s action within us. It is more than ‘asking for’ or ‘allowing’ – cooperating implies having made a choice and then being and working with – it is more than just passive agreement.

    And the imperfections – of which we/I have many – well my conversion (same as with Eugene’s) showed me/made me totally aware of not only how much God loved me – but how God loved me with all of my humanness – my imperfections and messiness. Since God did not create me as a perfect being but rather as a human being and all that being human implies then I might as well accept myself as I am.

  2. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    Over the Triduum I felt a dawning sense of joy, of connectedness. I heard God say “come” – a whisper really, just “come”. I did take time though to thank God for it. At the Easter Vigil I celebrated, with all the joy that could as I joined in singing the Exsultet and the Gloria. I found myself filled with love and joy as Victoria was baptised and confirmed. It was a surprise to me the amount of joy and love that I experienced in seeing another join our faith, our community and say yes to God, it came from somewhere deep inside of me perhaps. I did not stop to analyse it then, I simply noticed it, for it was much greater than anything I could produce on my own. I heard it again at the Vigil, soft and just once – “come”. At the same time it was as if I was returning somehow to God, like returning after an absence and just walking into His embrace. A quick sense, nothing that I could hold onto, just a brief pause in time for something incredibly gentle. Again I thanked God, secure somehow this time and continued to be one with the community as we celebrated. O Happy Easter, O joyous Resurrection!

    Easter Sunday morning I awoke and took a quick peek. I was not experiencing the joy of the night before – it was remembered but almost hidden and I somehow knew that it was not something that I could regenerate or pull out of the dark so that I might “feel” good. What I did see though was my own sinfulness and I use that word quite deliberately. I was seeing and questioning the “why” of some of the things I do, or the “how” of that. I looked at the writing of my thoughts on this blog of Frank’s. Why was I writing? Certainly because I felt, feel compelled, to share what I experience. But in truth – when I look back I can sometimes scarcely believe that I have written what I have – where have these words come from? Who was I writing for? Who am I speaking to? Why am I doing it? Is it just to be noticed? To be seen as someone good and perhaps even holy? My woundedness – always before me. My imperfections always there. And yet I remember that sense of walking straight into the embrace of my lover. And all that I could do was say to God, almost ruefully, “here I am Lord”. Here I am who you died on the cross for. Here I am who you rose from the dead for. Will it always be thus? Do with me what you will. Take me, all that I am and all that I am not.

    I read this morning a prayer of Eugene’s – for perfect conversion. It starts “How still imperfect, my God, is my conversion; the root of sin lives on in me; the thoughts and memory of the word are still powerfully at word; the things I have renounce retain their hold on my imagination, and reawaken baleful images…..” I read it all for it is hauntingly beautiful and echoes my own cries to God [as is often the case with some of Eugene’s thoughts and prayers]. It gives me hope, because here is another who struggles and suffers the same way as I. And look how he turned out!

    Frank as written ““All for God” and “oblation” is more about cooperating with God’s actions in us than about our efforts to make ourselves perfect by our own efforts.” If that is the case – then Lord here I am. Let me keep cooperating with You. My own efforts seem only to bring me grief. So take them, all of them and do what You will. Make me perfect as You will.

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