We continue reflecting on Eugene’s letter to the Bishop of Fréjus on the crisis which he had provoked by removing his men from the Missionaries. In earlier entries we have seen the collateral damage that this caused.
Through the imprudence of those who provoked this decision and are spreading it from house to house, however, everyone is taken up by it, and each is giving his own opinion without understanding the root of the question. We are blamed without being listened to, for we refrain from speaking. We are calumniated and ill-favored, and this tends to discredit our persons and ministry.
He points out the good work that the Missionaries have done in the eight years of their existence, and their constant loyalty to the local bishops.
After eight years of peaceful profession this storm is breaking over us! And the fatal blow is struck by that authority on whose support alone we rely, under the auspices of which we were founded, have grown, and continue to exist. In fact, are not the bishops our natural guardians, our fathers and the object of our veneration and love?
Yes, my Lord, their will is our rule, their authority the soul of our corps, the component of all our activities; we exist only through them and for them, to work without respite, on their orders, for the salvation of the people entrusted to them, and to alleviate their preoccupations by all our zealous efforts.
Eight years have gone by without our having received the least reproach in the exercise of our holy duties. Our way of life, our conduct, I can honestly say, has been the subject of edification for all those who have been in a position to follow and appreciate it.
Our ecclesiastical superiors, under whose eyes we are working, have constantly encouraged us and always approved every step we have taken.
This harmony was shaken by the action of the Bishop of Fréjus, as Eugene explains:
We were about to spread the good effects of our ministry by multiplying our work through the establishment of various houses in the dioceses which we have evangelized. The Bishops of Gap, Digne, Marseilles and Nimes have given us the most complimentary signs of their protection and were calling for our service, which we were ready to give them, exactly as we would have done for you at your first sign; and now your arm punches us with a fatal blow which confounds all our plans, and in its consequences shakes our institutions, injures our persons and leaves us, so to say, at the mercy of our enemies who are none other than those whose tendencies we opposed and whose passions we thwarted by fulfilling exactly the sacred duties of the ministry entrusted to us.
Admit, my Lord, that we have a just cause to be put out because of this. Besides, if I go by the rumors I hear, this is only the beginning of our woes and you are preparing an even more serious blow for us.
Letter to Bishop C.A. de Richery of Fréjus. 12 November 1823, EO XIII n. 44
“Be obedient to the bishop and to one another, as Jesus Christ was in the flesh to the Father, and the apostles to Christ and to the Father and to the Spirit, so that there may be unity in flesh and in spirit.” St. Ignatius of Antioch
Yesterday and in the days leading up to the 17th we were celebrating! Lent seems to have returned. This morning’s writings do not instill joy or satisfaction, rather there is almost a sadness when I see how we [universal and personal] can treat each other out of our own fears and wounds. I see the courage of Eugene in facing the Bishop of Fréjus and stating what he has experienced, what his understanding of all of it has been and how they [Eugene and his society] have been treated and wronged. No matter the reason, this had to be worked out, in honesty and dignity and this is what I see Eugene as doing. In the end was he really ‘well loved’ by the Bishop, perhaps – I don’t know but I do sort of doubt it. It certainly shows me the ‘humanity’ of our church, for I think and believe that similar situations continue today, for and with all of us.
But I cannot just let that excuse ‘me’. I need also to look at myself. Have I ever been like the Bishop of Fréjus, or perhaps more honestly, how have I been like the Bishop? Whose ‘band wagon’ have I gotten up onto and waved the banner for? I must at this point admit that even as I write the words certain images stand out in my mind. Will I ever learn? Of course I will, but that does not wipe away wrongs that I have done. And what about when it has happened to me? How did I react? How did I respond? Again the images, the memories – not always stellar on my part, but I seem to be more aware of not only what is happening to me, but also of how I respond. Is it with the same type of courage, truth and dignity that Eugene has shown in his letter?
I find myself struggling with the idea of obedience, especially in light of the quotation that’s been offered. “Be obedient to the bishop and to one another, as Jesus Christ was in the flesh to the Father, and the apostles to Christ and to the Father and to the Spirit, so that there may be unity in flesh and in spirit.” St. Ignatius of Antioch – what a loaded statement that is. It would be so very easy to skip the words “to the bishop and one another, as Jesus Christ was” and move on to just the “God” part. This leaves no room for self righteousness, or blame , or anger. It does bring to mind “letting go”. How do I do that? And how do I do it so that “there may be unity in flesh and in spirit”? No nice and easy closing on this one. It is neither good or bad, simply where I find myself sitting today. Trudging.
It is so easy for us (for me at least) to be addicted to our own “stinking thinking” as Richard Rohr so aptly puts it. We are so sure that what we are doing is exactly what God wants us to be doing which may or may not be the case. Eugene was no different in this regard but fortunately, in his case, it has been proven he was right. However, I see that through it all he was wise enough and humble enough to continue to respect the bishop as he was supposed to, leave the matter in God’s hands, and let happen what was destined to happen. Thanks be to God.