Who and what do we exist for? Why are we missionaries and members of the Mazenodian Family? What inspires us and gives us meaning each day?
We are a missionary Congregation. Our principal service in the Church is to proclaim Christ and his Kingdom to the most abandoned.
We preach the Gospel among people who have not yet received it and help them see their own values in its light.
Where the Church is already established, our commitment is to those groups it touches least.
CC&RR, Constitution 5
Our vision, our focus, our goal is to share our experience of the Savior with the “most abandoned.” Who are these “most abandoned”? From the first day of our foundation, Eugene was clear: they are those who have not been touched by the Gospel. Firstly, those who do not know the Gospel and its transforming power, and then those whom the Gospel touches the least. It is not about talking to others about Jesus, but about inviting others to share in the transforming relationship we have with our Savior.
For two hundred years, Oblates have been crossing oceans to minister to those who did not know the Gospel, and to establish or serve a local church for this purpose. Today the “ocean” we are called to cross may be a room in our house, or the street outside our front door, or a few miles of our city, or the keyboard of our computers to make contact…
Which “ocean” do I need to cross today to make a difference to someone’s life?
“We tried in our simple way to lead our life in a manner that may make a difference to those of others.” Nelson Mandela
Sometimes it is just a gift to receive affirmation that where we are is right where we are supposed to be – that who we are becoming – who we are is exactly who we have asked God to be – in what has become our ordinary everyday life.
“It is not about talking to others about Jesus, but about inviting others to share in the transforming relationship we have with our Savior.” How do I invite others to share in this love affair of life that comes about with knowing Jesus, with God? I pause briefly to think of myself with God and the oneness that is there – a thought which is too immense to figure out or to limit with an image.
“Today the ‘ocean’ we are called to cross may be a room in our house, or the street outside our front door, or a few miles of our city, or the keyboard of our computers to make contact… Which “ocean” do I need to cross today to make a difference to someone’s life?” I am heartened as I read these words – they are the words of the world that I live in. “Our Founding Vision Today” – what will that look like lived out? Today I am at a retreat house in the valley that sits on the Madawaska River. In a few hours I will have the privilege and joy of leading with another the prayers of our community – prayers which I had the privilege of writing, of putting together. A very specific way this morning of ‘taking part in’ and sharing a little of my relationship with my crucified Saviour. Very few will know the part I have played – their focus will be on the flow and reflection of the prayer. I think for a moment of the person who carries the cross and then stands and holds it before the assembly’ the focus is on the Cross – not the bearer of it.
What other oceans will I cross today? How will I invite others in?
I sit in front of the window and look out at the world. Behind the silhouettes of dark trees is the river and beyond that land that is topped with a few lines of clouds that give way to a sky with ever-changing colours – some of them reflected on the river. It is serene and exciting at the same time. This is God’s invitation to me this morning and I continue to stop and just be. This is a small peek at the glory of God in all of creation. It is this that I want to share with my being.
The sun is fully up, an orange orb in the skies. It is time to cross the floors of this place and wake some of the others. Small invitations perhaps that make a tiny bit of difference in the life of those others.