TRYING TO SHORTEN THE PROCESS BY EVERY POSSIBLE MEANS

Our narration of events continues through this letter that Eugene wrote to those handling the Oblate dossier.

With confidence I address myself to Your Eminence and beg you to present to our Holy Father the Pope the humble request which circumstances oblige me to make.

Eugene continues by speaking of the support that the Pope gave to his petition for approbation, and the process that he had outlined. The process, however, was going to be a lengthy one if each of the ten cardinals was to study the Oblate Rule.

But I am very put out when I see that, by following the necessary ordinary course of events, several months will go by before all the Eminent Cardinals who make up the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars will have examined the rather lengthy Rules which are in the hands of His Eminence Cardinal Pedicini at this moment.

Eugene stresses that it is not a human question of his wanting to get things done as quickly as possible, but is connected with the missions preached during the Jubilee year in France:

In other circumstances, I would patiently wait the distant result of this prolonged work; but the Jubilee is soon going to open in France. Your Eminence knows that in that Kingdom Jubilees are celebrated by means of missions, which means that they preach twice daily for a full month wherever the Jubilee is being made. In this state of affairs, the important diocese where I am Vicar General is calling for my attention. The lack of priests and especially of those capable of preaching the Word of God demands that those to whom the Lord has given a certain facility show their good will. I am one of them; and by my position, my presence would possibly be necessary to employ others who, joined with me, could render some service, whereas alone they would not be able to accomplish very much.

Bearing in mind the importance of the process in Rome, Eugene stresses that he is prepared to stay around for and fulfil all the necessary requirements, no matter how long it would take.

On the other hand, pursuing the essential matter for which I have come to the Holy See is too important to religion for me to abandon it. I owe it to our Society and all the works that it has taken on to further with my every effort the designs of Divine Providence.

Eugene asked that Cardinal Pacca approach the Pope to shorten the process by only having a couple of cardinals to do the study:

This would be that His Eminence Cardinal Pedicini, once he has examined with the most scrupulous exactitude the Rules and Constitutions of our Society, make a report to Your Eminence as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation and, after Your Eminence has added your own reflections, you would submit it to His Holiness who would then decide.

 Letter to Cardinal Bartolomeo Pacca, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Bishops and Regular Clergy, at Rome, 7 January 1826, EO XIII n 52

 

“Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval.”   Thomas S. Monson

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1 Response to TRYING TO SHORTEN THE PROCESS BY EVERY POSSIBLE MEANS

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    “… pursuing the essential matter for which I have come to the Holy See is too important to religion for me to abandon it. I owe it to our Society and all the works that it has taken on to further with my every effort the designs of Divine Providence.”

    Coming there this morning I did not instantly find anything, but reading it a second time I was stopped in my tracks with these two short sentences. Eugene seems to have weighed out his options, prayed and discerned what was primary and of the utmost importance, what was God asking him to do. He is again stating his ‘all for God’ and not giving up. It is an ever ongoing process – this giving of ourselves, this discerning what God would have us do and the road we would follow.

    In order for the society to be okay, to live and grow as God has called he must remain where he is and see the process through. That takes the courage Frank mentions with the quote from Monson. Letting go – how am I asked to let of? What does ongoing discernment look like in my life or does it tend to be more of a ‘one time’ event? I think in the beginning I thought ‘well there I’ve done it’. I had no idea that I would have to keep looking over and over, that I would have to keep asking God ‘what now, where would you have me be, what will you have me do?’ Perhaps this is why I feel a need to over and over give my all to God, to state it and restate it, to then try to live it.

    It’s not a one time type of deal, this life with God. That’s what I see in Eugene this morning – a rather gentle reminder from God using Eugene to show me how I might keep moving forward.

    “How dull it is to pause, to make an end, To rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use! As tho’ to breathe were life! ” (Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

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