Looking at the lives of the four Oblates who had already reached the end of their earthly journey, Eugene asks himself what the secret of their happiness was.
I presume that our community above must be placed quite close to our Patron; I see them at the side of Mary Immaculate and, consequently, close to our Lord Jesus Christ, whom they have followed on earth and whom they contemplate with delight; we will receive our part of this fullness if we render ourselves worthy of them by our fidelity in practicing constantly this Rule which has helped them to arrive where they are.
It was by imbibing the Oblate Rule of Life and making it their way of living the Gospel that they achieved their goal of becoming one with Jesus the Savior.
Their holy death is, in my opinion are a great sanctioning of our Rules; they have received thereby a new seal of divine approbation. The gate of Heaven is at the end of the path along which we walk. Just to reflect on all that gives us enough to be ecstatic about. Speak thereof to your community; make it the subject of your conversations with Fr. Suzanne who ought to be in Aix today; may efficacious and lasting resolutions result therefrom.
Letter to Hippolyte Courtès, 22 July 1828, EO VII n 307
Through their holy lives and deaths, these Oblates showed God’s approval of our Rule as a sure way to the fullness of life.
“It is not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Rather, our concern must be to live while we’re alive – to release our inner selves from the spiritual death that comes with living behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are.” Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Sometimes I feel like my reflections say more about me than about what I am trying to reflect on. For some reason it is Eugene who has opened up a way of life that he intended for men, priests and brothers, religious – but which speaks to me so strongly, using a Rule of Life – most imperfectly but which allows me to walk with this specific group of people, Oblates and Oblate Associates. It has been the Oblate community, as a family that has given me the courage to look at myself and even at my family, which has been at best so very disfunctional. It has been the Oblate community who has been teaching me how to be a part of my family, my parish community, my Oblate community. If I did not believe that the Oblate Rule of Life was they way to what Frank is calling the fullness of life I do not believe that I would pay much attention to it. That God has chosen this vehicle for me still amazes and awes me.
For some reason Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s statement has hit me square in the middle of my being. It to seems connected to what is going on in my life with one of my communities and it is uncomfortable at best – that is it does not offer consolation but rather highlights where I am and where I think I am called to be. It never ceases to amaze me that something from 200 years ago (or longer) or even closer to current time can highlight what is happening in my life, in the very small part I play in the lives of some others. I feel that I might be a little quixotic – tilting at imaginary windmills because I do not want to live “behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are”. It’s a little like trying to spit into the wind.