Through the eyes of our crucified Saviour we see the world which he redeemed with his blood, desiring that those in whom he continues to suffer will know also the power of his resurrection (cf. Phil 3: 10).
CC&RR, Constitution 4
From his earliest preaching Eugene constantly invited the poor to understand the transforming invitation of the resurrection in their lives.
Come now and learn from us what you are in the eyes of faith.
Poor of Jesus Christ, afflicted, wretched, suffering, sick, covered with sores, etc., all you whom misery oppresses, my brothers, dear brothers, respected brothers, listen to me.
You are God’s children, the brothers of Jesus Christ, heirs to his eternal kingdom, chosen portion of his inheritance; you are, in the words of St. Peter, a holy nation, you are kings, you are priests, you are in some way gods, You are gods, children of the Most High.
So lift up your spirits, that your defeated souls may breathe, grovel no longer on the ground: You are gods, children of the Most High. (Ps. 81:6).
Lift yourselves towards heaven where your minds should be set, our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), let your eyes see for once beneath the rags that cover you, there is within you an immortal soul made in the image of God whom it is destined to possess one day, a soul ransomed at the price of the blood of Jesus Christ, more precious in the eyes of God than all earth’s riches, than all the kingdoms of the earth, a soul of which he is more jealous than of the government of the entire universe.
Christians, know then your dignity, with St. Leo I will call you sharers in the divine nature,
Notes for the first instruction in the Church of the Madeleine, EO XV n. 114
This morning I find myself simply sitting in the midst of these words, experiences that flow in and through me. This one small part of Constitution 4 which gives perfect wording to that which I experience but it leads me deeper. Seeing through the eyes of our crucified Saviour, seeing with compassion and deep love, wanting others to be able to share in what I know and experience. It is that which feeds me, sustains me, leads me and gives me strength to dare and try to live with love, to try to model myself on Jesus if I may dare to say that. The power of His resurrection carries ever deepening joy and gratitude. It is all there with the Cross. Come see who you are in the eyes of God.
The words and phrases of his notes for his Lenten homily, his first instruction in the Church of the Madeleine take on deeper meaning. They are not new to me yet this morning – I see them with new eyes, experience them with a new heart. They cause my heart to soar, as if it had the wings of an eagle.
I notice for the first time they are with the authority of the scriptures, the Word of God. That is something that I have always loved about Eugene, his use of scriptures, how they were a living part of him, indeed just as they were with Jesus and the apostles.
Nothing is ever truly separate from the other. The Cross, the Resurrection – a part of everything that is life. “Christians […] I will call you sharers in the divine nature.” Isn’t this what I secretly prayed for all these years, what I yearned for in the depth of my heart? This I carry, this I live as we wait for Pentecost. It gives a whole new meaning to how I let go of the old to make space for the new.
Again I cry out: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling on death by death, and upon those in the tombs Lavishing life!”