REFOCUS: REGARD THE RULE AS OUR LAW, THE SUPERIORS AS GOD, OUR BROTHERS LIKE OUR OTHER SELVES

Regard the Rule as our law, the superiors as God, our brothers like our other selves.

Letter to Hippolyte Guibert, 29 July 1830, EO VII n 350

Always mindful of the command of Jesus to love God totally, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, Eugene’s lifelong focus was that “charity is the pivot on which our whole existence turns.” It is not surprising that his dying wish and command was: “Among yourselves, charity, charity, charity.”

Here we have the three guidelines to help us to refocus when we realize that our community or group life is not as it should be.

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1 Response to REFOCUS: REGARD THE RULE AS OUR LAW, THE SUPERIORS AS GOD, OUR BROTHERS LIKE OUR OTHER SELVES

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    Love – these three guidelines are rooted in love and living that love. Trinitarian. “Through him and with him and in him…” those words come to mind. If I can somehow let go, I mean really let go of my own self, give myself in love to…

    The word ‘apostolic’ comes to mind. As does the word ‘oblation’. Love – charity – like the threads holding all of it together. Guidelines not just for when I realise that my community or group life is not as it should be, but more for when I realise that my own personal life is not as it should be. It is in and with my community(s) that I become aware of my own self and who I am. It would seem that the two are forever a part of each other. I cannot change only myself but as part of a community, a family these three guidelines are what will somehow affect those that I am with. I think of Eugene on his retreats throughout his life and how he would approach it – what he felt he needed to do within himself to become as he wished to be. It began with him and the Lord and then moved outward from there.

    A small ‘aha’ moment of awareness there. What at first could appear to be daunting becomes realisable. Like Peter jumping out of the boat to run across the water to meet Jesus I too now want to rush forward to meet the Lord, to meet the life of today.

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