It was obvious to Eugene that to ensure the future of the Oblates, he needed to approach the Pope to be officially recognized as a religious congregation in the Church. It took him a long time to take the first step to do this.
I leave tomorrow for Rome. I shall not forget you at the tomb of the holy apostles. I implore you not to forget me in your prayers during this journey which I am undertaking out of love for the Society, but reluctantly.
Letter to Pierre Mie, 25 October 1825, EO VI n. 202
The historian, Leflon, gives us some background. Why a man who was so prompt to adopt drastic measures and to ride roughshod over obstacles should have vacillated and hesitated so long, is explained by Jeancard who was witness and privy to the Founder’s perplexities:
I sometimes heard him murmur what he had often told himself; that he was not important enough to be recognized by the Church as the founder of a religious order; that it would be presumptuous on his part if he were to go to Rome and request that title from the Sovereign Pontiff, or at least a decision implying that title; that the Society he had founded was but a weak creation which did not merit such high approval and that it could never be ranked among the Church’s religious institutes, the majority of whose founders were famous men of history and great saints raised to the altars of the Church…
On the other hand, he felt that if he took steps with the Holy See and then failed, such a setback, which would certainly become public knowledge, would bring discredit upon his Society; that if, instead of an outright approval, he was given only praise and encouragement, and this seemed very likely, the question of raising the Society to the rank of a religious congregation, equal to those recognized and authorized by the Church, would be pre-judged in a way which, even if it were only slow, would still be of a kind to blight any future hopes for authorization since the authorization would be postponed indefinitely.
Bishop Jeancard, Mélanges historiques sur la Congrégation des Oblats de Marie Immaculée, pp. 227-28
“A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.” Tony Robbins
Today, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. Today when scripture recounts the song of Mary, the most beautiful Magnificat, today when we join in with that very song of wonder and praise. Today as we see Mary’s action and living out of her oblation to God. Scripture does not go into the emotional and mental struggle that she surely would have experienced. Talk about having to face your fears, risking your all, moving forward through and in spite of them!
And today we have this posting and reflection from Frank on Eugene and yet another part of his yes to God, facing his fears, his very own humanity and moving forward through those very fears and giving whatever it would take to live out and make possible what he knew and believed he was being called to. Nothing so great as what Mary had done, to carry and give birth to our Savior – or was it?
When I came here this morning I wept. I wept because in reading what were the struggles and fears and pitfalls of Eugene’s experience I could relate and see my own. Eugene who has been and is my inspiration, who has been and is a father to me in so many ways. The very struggles that are mine concerning Associates here in this place and time. Nothing so great as founding a congregation or anything like that but one that is relentless in calling to me, sort of like God’s love. As I write this I think of the people here who make up what we are calling the Associate group and what they have expressed, about their needs to be a part of, included with and not simply tolerated or made to feel like they have been forced upon others. I look at their courage as they each step forward and am so proud to be a part of them. I am thinking of the young man who approached Jesus and asked him how he might follow him and who when he was told what it would take turned and walked away because it was such a great and terrifying risk. I look at Our Lady and her risk and giving her all to God. I look at St. Eugene and his giving of his all to God, the great risk that he dared to move through. I look at the risk which I seem called to brave, I keep saying that this isn’t the way it’s supposed to work – but then I guess maybe I don’t know how it is supposed to work.
Give me the grace the Lord, the courage to dare, to risk it all for I fear it is nothing less than my sanity and life that is at stake. I will simply go in circles if I do not act. I guess that we each of us have a journey for survival, this is but a part of mine. And like Eugene when he wrote to Mie I can but ask for prayers.