Our mission puts us on constant call to respond to the most urgent needs of the Church through various forms of witness and ministry, but especially through proclaiming the Word of God which finds its fulfilment in the celebration of the sacraments and in service to others.
CC&RR, Constitution 7
Eugene’s description of what our preaching should be like is still holds true for today:
It should be understood that it is in direct opposition to the spirit of our Rule to aim at elegance of style in preaching, rather than solidity of doctrine.
Too many preachers strive to be admired because of the sublimity of their eloquence and by the brilliance of their carefully prepared diction; we must follow a totally different route. We must seek only to instruct the faithful, to be attentive to the needs of the greater part of the audience,
and we must not be content to break the bread of the Word of God for them, but also to chew it for them.
We should see to it that, when our sermons are over, they, instead of presuming to bestow foolish admiration on what they have not understood, will rather return to their homes instructed and well disposed, instructed, and able to repeat in their families what they have learned from our lips.
1818 Rule Part 1, Chapter 3, §1
Proclaiming the Word of God is not only a question of our words – we can apply St Eugene’s teaching to every area of life: the clearer and the more direct the attitude or action, the most effective will our witness be. Simplicity of lifestyle, as we see in so many great witnesses, speaks loudly about the presence of God in our lives – and makes a lasting impression. Allowing ourselves to be permeated by the Word leads to simplicity
“Reading is the careful study of the Scriptures, concentrations of one’s powers on it. Meditation is the busy application of the mind to seek with the help of one’s own reason for knowledge of hidden truth. Prayer is the heart’s devoted turning to God to drive away evil and obtain what is good. Contemplation is when the mind is in some sort lifted to God and held above itself, so that it tastes the joys of everlasting sweetness.” Lectio divina by Guigo II, a Carthusian monk.
Very early on in AA I learned that for me to have a healthy sobriety I needed to do more than just talk the talk – I needed to walk the walk. The words used in AA were aimed at those of us who were alcoholics, and they were designed to cut through the haze of our lives. They were simple and clear so that as I grew in the program I would be able to be a witness to them and share that with others who came along. We needed to be able to understand them, relate to them and share them if we were going to live.
Frank wrote: “Proclaiming the Word of God is not only a question of our words – we can apply St Eugene’s teaching to every area of life: the clearer and the more direct the attitude or action, the most effective will our witness be. Simplicity of lifestyle, […] speaks loudly about the presence of God in our lives – and makes a lasting impression.” This teaching of some of the Constitutions and Rules as shared with us so that we can take what speaks to us is proclaimed in a very specific way, then swallowed and chewed on. Then people such as myself are able to hear and take in the words; are able to reflect on what that looks like in our lives and how we can live by them.
This place is also a place of preaching, in the way that Eugene has shared with all of us in this ‘rule of life’. I am so very grateful.
” we must not be content to break the bread of the Word of God for them, but also to chew it for them.” With visions of adult birds regurgitating food to feed and strengthen their young, I thank you, Frank, for continually chewing St Eugene’s vision for us!
Thank you, Anda and Eleanor!
How I wish that many more members of the Mazenodian Family would share with us how they “chew the Word” in their daily lives. It happens each day in around 66 countries of the world in heroic ways. Our official website gives us glimpses of this: http://www.omiworld.org
And thank you Frank for your wonderful sharing of St. Eugene and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate as well as yourself and other who respond as they can. OMI World is a good source particularly for all that is Oblate but this space here speaks more fully to all of us in the Mazenodian Family (or so it seems to me).
Blessings as you continue with this.