We will always be close to the people with whom we work, taking into account their values and aspirations. To seek out new ways for the Word of God to reach their hearts often calls for daring; to present Gospel demands in all clarity should never intimidate us.
Awareness of our own shortcomings humbles us, yet God’s power makes us confident as we strive to bring all people – especially the poor – to full consciousness of their dignity as human beings and as sons and daughters of God.
CC&RR, Constitution 8
Our Rule of Life is a faithful echo of the sentiments of Eugene’s preaching – from the time of his earliest sermon as a young priest in Aix
Each Sunday in Lent I have preached in Provencal at 6:00 am, in the Magdalene church for the instruction of the people. As you can imagine curiosity brought lots of others besides country-folk; but the latter and the low class of society, whom I had principally in mind, turned up in such numbers that I had reason to hope that it will in his goodness have rebounded to God’s glory.
When I think how easy I found it to express myself in a tongue which I have never made great use of, as I have scarcely lived in the place, I am tempted to see in this a kind of miracle. There is nothing to be surprised at, however, as I used to ascend the pulpit as I descended from the altar, and you know that I did not forget to beg the Master present to speak himself by my mouth.
The fact is that on Saturday evening, as I was thinking over what I had to say, I found I could not string together three words in Provencal…
Letter to Forbin Janson, 9 April 1813, EO XV n. 116
Awareness of his own shortcomings humbled him, yet God’s power took over and Eugene was able to touch the lives of the poor with God’s transforming love.
“Compassion is not pity … compassion never considers an object as weak or inferior. Compassion, one might say, works from a strength born of awareness of shared we
akness, and not from someone else’s weakness. And from the awareness of the mutuality of us all.” Matthew Fox
“Awareness of his own shortcomings humbled him, yet God’s power took over and Eugene was able to touch the lives of the poor with God’s transforming love.” Eugene – if he tried to plan it out himself – to do itall on his own he wouldn’t make it and yet if he opened himself to God working in and through him it all went perfectly. If I try and do it on my own – it will not work – at least not for long and not with the same effect. But with God…..
Reflecting on Eugene and how God spoke through him, how God saved through him, made use of him and in all that time, in all of his life God did not negate Eugene the man – did not take who Eugene was and throw that away – if anything God enhanced Eugene – all of his dreams and his work. Where has that thought come from? Is this one of my fears? I suspect that there is something of myself in all of it. There is within me this moment a great desire to surrender totally to God.
Charles de Foucauld wrote: “…for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence…”