In the name of God, let us be saints.
Eugene de Mazenod to his Oblate Family, 18 February 1826, EO VII, n. 226
On December 3 we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the day when the Church officially recognized the sanctity of Eugene de Mazenod, and held him up as a model from whom we can learn how to follow Jesus the Savior.
Our Postulator General in Rome, Father Diego Saez OMI, has published a booklet with various reflections that can be used for personal prayer, family reflection or a group meeting (Zoom works well to make this possible).
It can be downloaded at https://www.omiworld.org/2020/11/17/154787/
I highly recommend it to you.
In the name of God, let us be saints – following Eugene’s example as members of the Mazenodian Family!
As a little girl dreamed of being holy, of being a saint. I wanted to become a saint and that meant two things; that God loved me and then because of that love I would be able to love God back. If there was an image of that it was perhaps of me as a little girl being held in the embrace of Jesus. Even today that is my primary image of a saint – an ordinary person, loved by God and who loves God back (God is always the initiator) and then of course there are the really special and heroic persons like St. Paul, and St. Francis, St. Theresa, etc. and most specially Mary, Mother of God.
I think of what Eugene wrote: “We must lead men [and women] to act like human beings… and then like Christians, and… we must help them to become saints.” Oh how my heart danced when I heard those words spoken for the first time and I recognized that my childhood dream was not dead, in fact here was a man who was saying he knew how that could become possible.
St. Eugene de Mazenod, our Founder, the father of our family, friend, companion, leader and model, instrument of God… I love that Eugene was so very human, someone who stumbled and fell and was picked up over and over again. To him I could and do relate – daily.
On this 25th Anniversary of his canonization I celebrate him – this man who gave us so much, who loved so greatly and then shared with us the secret of how to love in a most particular way. “We done, good and faithful servant! …Come, share in your master’s joy.” (Mt 25: 21)
“Read, meditate, observe the Rules and you will become true saints […] confident of the reward promised by god to those who persevere in the practice of duty to the end.” (Eugene de Mazenod, August 2, 1853)