IN THREE DAYS JESUS CHRIST HAD TO COME BACK TO LIFE – OUR GRIEF MUST LAST AS LONG AS OUR PITIFUL LIFE

Eugene describes his last visit to his dying nephew.

Not being able to prolong my stay in Avignon, I had to part from Louis, my heart distressed and without hope of seeing him return to health. This blessed infant wanted to converse a few moments in particular with me…

May the Lord deign to accept, in expiation for my sins, all the cruel pains which I endure on the occasion of all these worthy recipients of my tenderness. Who could tell what I was suffering in this discussion during which this blessed child maintained an angelic calm and serenity which did not leave him. As for myself, “I die each day “[ed. 1 Cor. 15: 31].; in all the power of these words, this is the exact truth.

I embraced him, perhaps for the last time; I blessed him and, doing an extreme violence to myself, I tore myself away from him, in all likelihood to never see him again. My sister did as much and with the same strength of spirit, concentrating in her heart all her grief so as to spare the sensitivity of her son, who, on his part, controlled his emotions, interiorly offered his sacrifice to God, just as we ourselves did, and did not manifest exteriorly anything of what was happening in his soul. Oh! Calvary of my God! Oh! Virgin Mary! And in three days Jesus Christ had to come back to life. Our grief must last as long as our pitiful life! “May your will be done!”

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 8 February 1842, EO XXI

This entry was posted in WRITINGS. Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to IN THREE DAYS JESUS CHRIST HAD TO COME BACK TO LIFE – OUR GRIEF MUST LAST AS LONG AS OUR PITIFUL LIFE

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    I listen to Eugene telling us how his nephew controlled his emotions, interiorly offering his sacrifice to God, but my mind moves quickly to Eugene’s words to those around him as he lay dying: “Please tell them I die happy…”. Both images of immense love.

    I listen to his invocation to Mary our Mother, thinking of her pain and sorrow when Jesus was crucified and taken from her; not what I think of when someone I love dies, but I always think of her accompanying the one that is dying.

    This morning has invited me to look at the many depths of love that we experience with others. I think for a moment of God’s love for each of us and I am reminded of the crucifixion, how God allowed his own son to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice. Next Sunday will be Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. “God so loved the world that he gave his Son…” (John 3:16). These words suddenly have a deeper meaning, a deeper sense that I have not consciously thought of before.

    I think of my friend Tom Cassidy who I was with the morning before he died. For a few moments as I said goodbye, I was able to forget my pain so as to tell him that Our Lady was there, waiting to walk with him, to accompany him home. And even as I write these words, I remember journeying with another as he was dying; we said goodbye to each other and then we prayed the rosary together – him holding his beads and my voice surprisingly soft but strong. And I am reminded of the strength of Mary at the foot of the cross.

    I had not realised the depth of my devotion to Mary until this reflection this morning.

    I pray that when my turn comes, I will be like Eugene; happy that God has blessed me so richly throughout this life.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *