… our poor Society which will apparently never have peace on this earth, as seemingly those who persecute her take turns to relieve one another so as not to give us time to catch our breath…
Exasperated by all the obstacles on the road to the approbation of the Oblates. Eugene gives yet another example to Henri Tempier. The person he was referring to was Cardinal Castiglioni, who, three years later in 1829, would become Pope Pius VIII.
My overtures today, January 2, have not given me much satisfaction. I met a Cardinal upon whom I thought I should be able to count because it is he who approached me, having called me to him at the Vatican chapel yesterday in order to voice aloud the desire he had to make my acquaintance…
In short, he gave me an appointment for this morning at nine o’clock… He was in such good vein and the fine things he said on this subject made me believe quite simply that I had made a fortunate find. So I expressed my regret to him that he was not a member of the Congregation which had to judge our cause and, with a view to his giving me a good recommendation to those who compose it, I had the guilelessness to speak to him frankly and in detail of our affair.
What was my surprise on finding his attitude quite opposed to that of the Pope! It was pitiable to see the objections that he made to me…
Oh! how I fumed! Fortunately I was fasting, otherwise the violent reaction that I had would have been capable of impeding my digestion.
My whole fear is that he may speak to the Pope in the same way as to me and that this nonsense may have an adverse effect on the Holy Father, who has shown himself up to now so favorable, as you will have been able to judge from all I have consigned to you in my second last letter…
The turn of events annoys me. I know that in all affairs, there are ups and downs, happy moments, shocks and setbacks; but it is hard to have on one’s side the assent and goodwill of the Pope, the only true judge, and then to have these grim formalities threatening us with a result not different from that which so many others have obtained, in whose favour the Pope has not pronounced himself … Redouble your prayers. The result will perhaps be different from what appearances make us presume.
Letter to Henri Tempier, 2 January 1826, EO VII n 215
“To hope means to be ready at every moment for that which is not yet born, and yet not become desperate if there is no birth in our lifetime.” Erich Fromm
“My whole fear is that he may speak to the Pope in the same way as to me and that this nonsense may have an adverse effect on the Holy Father, who has shown himself up to now so favorable…” Here is St. Eugene, one of the stronger men I have encountered, sharing his fear – a fear that is perfectly understandable. What is he to do? What would we do? Do we give up or struggle on? Eugene seems to express the only possible answer (other than the one to walk away totally from all of the machinations that are occurring). He says “I know that in all affairs, there are ups and downs, happy moments, shocks and setbacks; but it is hard to have on one’s side the assent and goodwill of the Pope … and then to have these grim formalities threatening us … redouble your prayers.” To see such a type of ‘corruption’ in the midst of the hierarchy of the Church had to be difficult for Eugene to bear for he loved the Church. Some days it feels like you just want to say ‘to heck’ with it and walk away. Poor Eugene, to have been so betrayed. It is somehow harder to bear when it is one of your brothers (or sisters) who treats you thus, and while there can be levels of understanding as to why it does not lessen the pain of that type of attack. There is hope within him, but it is in God and the rightness of his cause. ‘Redouble our prayers’ he tells Tempier.
I am thinking this morning of Jesus in Marks gospel going back into the temple, and the courage and strength that he displayed in doing that and healing the man’s withered hand – there the Pharisees actually plotted to somehow ‘get him’. Jesus most surely knew what the Pharisees had in mind and what their reaction would be and yet he did what he had to do, said what he did. It took great courage. He stayed the course as did Eugene in Rome, as are each of us called to do in our lives.
God, give me the strength and courage to continue on, to not give in to the tiredness or hopelessness. Give me the grace to not give up with my struggles which can sometimes seem as important and big as those of Jesus and Eugene.