SEEKING A BALANCE BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE

As Eugene takes stock of his life, he makes some practical resolutions to keep himself focussed each day.

I will make it an irrevocable rule of conduct that nothing on this earth shall constitute a habitual threat to my own progress in the spiritual life. 
For this I must establish some key points as pivots of the rest of my life. 
1. To live in great dependence on God and follow in everything I can the rule of the house so as to set an example and subjugate my will. 

Caught up in the countless requests for his time each day, he resolves to maintain a fidelity to certain pivotal practices. Throughout his life we find him insisting on these for himself:

2. Since my outside affairs often deflect me and made it impossible for me to follow this rule in every detail, I must make it a special obligation never to dispense myself, on any pretext, from certain of the most essential points of this rule.
So, rise with the community,
oraison,
prepare for and make thanksgiving after Mass.
Adore the Blessed Sacrament for at least a quarter of an hour in the afternoon;
at least one hour’s study during the day, etc.,
read Holy Scripture. 

Retreat Notes, August 1817, O.W. XV n. 144

This entry was posted in RETREAT NOTES and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to SEEKING A BALANCE BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE

  1. Such wisdom my friend and brother Eugene at the age of 35. But you had already suffered much and learned from it that you could not make it on your own. And so you shared your wisdom.
    Yet yesterday I was once again reminded that exterior rules and obligation have there limits. Early in life we need boundaries for safety, then those same “rules” help identify who we are. Yet then comes the phase in life, it did for me, that the rules meant little. They did not speak to me any more, for they stifled creativity and growth. And yes growth is painful. But it is when I/we re-author life and claim it as my/our own that I/we are respected, that integrity develops, leadership is seen and then come and expansion of inner peace and light. The journey does not stop, for it continues as we let go, let go -kenosis (Philippians 2:1-18)
    So what does this have to do with the reading. Discipline! Listening to the deep Self with in (what is truly working) and then following through.

  2. Anda says:

    I’m not as deep as Jack…
    I was just thinking how easy it is for all of us NOT to have the time to do things. And yet all the experts say You simply (?) have to schedule in the time for what is important. Unfortunately I fritter away much of my time (currently with an addiction to computer games) but I “know” what I should do. Though I would have to significantly decrease the amounts at best, someone once said (and I apologize for the paraphrase) – “set aside 1 hour a day for prayer, and if you’re very busy or tired, make it 2!”

Leave a Reply to Jack Lau, OMI Cancel reply

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