All the Oblates gave themselves unreservedly to serving the victims of cholera. This brief text illustrates the meaning of “oblation.”
May God bless all our Fathers for their admirable though indispensable devotedness. Could one expect anything less from religious consecrated to live all the virtues to a heroic degree? I give my unreserved approval for our priests to sacrifice themselves for their brothers’ salvation.
Letter to Henri Tempier, 25 July 1835, EO VIII n 526
To sacrifice ourselves – what a bold and fearsome phrase.
I look at parents who truly ‘sacrifice their own lives for that of their children’. Sacrifice – a result of immense and total love. It takes great courage and faith. Like that of Abraham who was ready to sacrifice his only son. Like Jesus, the only Son who allowed himself to be sacrificed for the salvation of all.
Oblation.
I remember how in my Mazenodian Spirituality course the idea of sacrifice was presented to me. Fr. Fernand Jetté was listing some aspects of Eugene’s perception and relationship with Jesus Christ and wrote: “he considered him the Model and Master of life, the one who incorporates us into himself, who introduces us into his mystery by his birth, his work of redemption, the one who asks us to suffer with him, to bear his trials with him, to resurrect with him in the glory of the Father.” In reflecting on this short sentence I dared to delve into the idea of Jesus as sacrifice (before this I only ‘skittered’ around that idea, leery of getting to close to it, sensing intuitively that if I got too close it might become a part of me).
Eugene standing at the foot of his Cross, looking through the eyes of our crucified Saviour, becoming one with Love, his model and master of life. As with Abraham only immense trust and faith would allow him and his Oblates to offer themselves as sacrifice for others. Eugene seems to be saying “how can we not offer ourselves for this is how we received our name, this is how we have vowed to live; this is how we live our oblation, the gift of our very selves”.
Making my “oblation” – not a once in a lifetime event. It will be in the ordinary of my daily life and actions even when I am feeling tired or weak, or ill-equipped to handle a given situation or challenge. It will be how I live-out, giving, sharing myself and that immense love that’s been given to me.