OUR FOUNDING VISION TODAY: ALLOW THE WORD OF GOD TO TAKE ROOT AND SERVE OTHERS

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

The value of acts of service speaking louder than words was stressed to Tempier when the missionaries had gone to help the inhabitants of a neighboring village to put out a fire:

If only I had been with you on the day of your noble behaviour at Saint-Etienne. From here, I see you in the midst of the flames giving aid everywhere and intelligently, which must have saved a great number of persons. I am not surprised that people do not cease to speak of this splendid devotedness.
Four missionaries engaged in such an exercise of charity preach better still than in the pulpit, at least they are better understood.

Letter to Henri Tempier, 29 June 1819, EO VI, n. 45 

Preaching the Word of God finding its fulfilment in focused service is prescribed in our Rule of Life:

Preaching missions at home and sending missionaries abroad have been traditionally central to our apostolate. There is no ministry, however, which is foreign to us, provided we never lose sight of the Congregation’s primary purpose: to evangelize the most abandoned.

CC&RR, Rule 7b

13335549_1088707704510627_7975956032716667259_n

“The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying, not ‘What a lovely sermon,’ but ‘I will do something!’”   Francis de Sales

This entry was posted in WRITINGS. Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to OUR FOUNDING VISION TODAY: ALLOW THE WORD OF GOD TO TAKE ROOT AND SERVE OTHERS

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    I wonder what it would look like if people were to draw together and evaluate me, would the value of my small acts of service amount to much? Perhaps the bigger question is how do I allow the word of God to take root and serve others? A couple of images come to mind, of those who I love, people who are not at the forefront, who for one reason or another are not the most universally loved. And yet it is with them that I have learned (and continue to learn) to grow in love. It is from and with them, that I grow and journey forward. It is not always easy and yet I cannot turn away from them, nor do I wish to.

    This past weekend on the Discernment Exercise Retreat one of the animators said something that I took in and held close. She said “Am I enough? I AM enough.” I do allow the word of God to take root, in truth I search after that on an ongoing basis. I do serve others. Still quite unsure that if I were to be evaluated if I would make the list. But then, I don’t have to.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *