PARISH MISSIONS: IT IS THE SAVIOUR HIMSELF WHO MUST SPEAK THROUGH HIS CO-OPERATORS

Today the members of the Mazenodian family are urged that it:

is as missionaries that we worship, in the various ways the Spirit suggests to us. We come before him bearing with us the daily pressures of our anxiety for those to whom he sends us (cf. 2 Cor 11:28). Our life in all its dimensions is a prayer that, in us and through us, God’s kingdom come.

Constitution 32

We find the source of this in Eugene’s writings that it was clearly the Saviour who had to speak through his co-operators, and they had to be aware of it at all times and put it into practice.

The 1818 Rule specified that from the moment that the Oblates were assigned to a particular mission, they had to begin to pray for the salvation of the inhabitants of that town. The day before their departure was to be a retreat day, and their journey to the town was to be done in a spirit of recollection, aware that they were imitating Jesus on his journeys throughout Galilee. Each day during the mission they were bound to pray together at certain times.

They will make all their exercises of piety in common. They will try to celebrate Mass every day. If it is absolutely impossible for all of them to celebrate every day, at least one of them will have the joy of doing so, and the others will receive communion at this Mass…
The missionaries will get up at four o’clock and will take only fifteen minutes to get dressed. They will make a half-hour meditation in common… They will say their office kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament…
Immediately after the noon meal they will do a few minutes’ of particular examen, which will be followed by the litanies in use during the mission, and the Angelus. When it was impossible to make the morning meditation because of the circumstances or the crowd of people, one will never be dispensed from making it before the particular examen by leaving the confessional early…

1818 Rule Part 1, Chapter 2, §2

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1 Response to PARISH MISSIONS: IT IS THE SAVIOUR HIMSELF WHO MUST SPEAK THROUGH HIS CO-OPERATORS

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    “is as missionaries that we worship, in the various ways the Spirit suggests to us. We come before him bearing with us the daily pressures of our anxiety for those to whom he sends us (cf. 2 Cor 11:28). Our life in all its dimensions is a prayer that, in us and through us, God’s kingdom come. Constitution 32” What a wonderful way to start this new year. What a wonderful way to start this day, the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God.

    This speaks so clearly to all of us who are a part of this wonderful family, or at least to me. At one point in my life I would have thought this to be all a little bit excessive, you know, all this prayer stuff, all day. But I have come to believe that there was and still is a lot of wisdom in those who set these prayers before us. Yes some of them are “old fashioned” but I find myself drawn to them more and more.

    Prayer becomes, I believe, so much more than a rote recitation of some good and pious words. It becomes a way of living and being, an ongoing conversation with, a space we move in and out of. Or at least that is my experience of it. So, I find myself praying more often and regularly during most days, it seems to focus me, it seems to help me from getting too tied up in “doing” and reminds me just to “be”. This prayer colours me, who I am and how I manage to do whatever I must each day. It becomes those small moments of refocussing, of stopping what I am doing and turning to touch, to smile, to acknowledge he who is always with me.

    “Our life in all its dimensions is a prayer that, in us and through us, God’s kingdom come.” Eugene had it right. In this way may we, may I, become and live as a cooperator of our Saviour, allowing God to speak through, to work through, to be through.

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