Through the eyes of our crucified Saviour we see the world which he redeemed with his blood, desiring that those in whom he continues to suffer will know also the power of his resurrection (cf. Phil 3: 10).
CC&RR, Constitution 4
Fr. Jetté reflects: “we are invited to contemplate the cross, Christ’s suffering not only within ourselves but also in others. Our desire is ‘that those in whom he continues to suffer will know also the power of his resurrection.’ This brings to mind Pascal’s reflection: ‘Jesus will be in agony until the end of the world; we must not sleep during this time’ (Pensees, no. 736, in Oeuvres completes, coll. La Pleiade, 1962, p. 1313)” (F. Jetté, The Apostolic Man, p.58-59)
Eugene’s first recorded homily, in the Madeleine Church, put this view into practice:
Lift yourselves towards heaven where your minds should be set, our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), let your eyes see for once beneath the rags that cover you, there is within you an immortal soul made in the image of God whom it is destined to possess one day, a soul ransomed at the price of the blood of Jesus Christ, more precious in the eyes of God than all earth’s riches, than all the kingdoms of the earth, a soul of which he is more jealous than of the government of the entire universe.
Christians, know then your dignity, with St. Leo I will call you sharers in the divine nature, etc.
Notes for the first instruction in the Church of the Madeleine, 1813, EO XV n. 114
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
I have found so very often that my attitude (my focus) towards another, towards something, towards life in general can be the cause of my not seeing through the eyes of Jesus, our crucified Saviour. So unhappy and un-contented have I been that I tried to excuse myself from life and God – even to saying (silently of course) that Jesus was God and so he didn’t really suffer all that much – which can then lead to an even bigger lie; that God does not really love me or care about the existence of one such as myself. The great lie! It took hearing God say my name to kill that lie in such a way that never have I had to suffer with it since.
What is my attitude? Franks young friend who shared his contemplation with us yesterday is one whose attitude lives from seeing through the eyes of our Crucified Saviour – he is able to look beneath the rags that cover him and see the truth and beauty and joy of who he is. He is able to see past his suffering and struggles, to open himself and allow them to be as he, and as Jesus did/does. His heart is wide open and so is able to share that immense joy that he has been filled with. Awesome how the pain and the joy are wedded. His focus is most surely on that which is essential.
I have always loved Eugene’s Lenten Homily which he gave at the Church of the Madeleine. No matter how many times I hear his words they sear my soul. It is with those words that I focus on those around me. Everything then changes.