Eugene concludes his meditation on the virtues by summing up the goal and the means to put the Gospel into practice “Love the Lord your God with all your mind, with all your heart , with all your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.” The map to achieve this: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you” (John 15,12)
“As I love you” The virtues show us the means, the qualities needed to remain conscious of Jesus’ love for us
Whether out on the missions or at home, their chief concern will always be to make progress in the way of religious perfection. They will cultivate especially humility, poverty, self-denial, denial of self, a spirit of mortification and faith, purity of intention, etc, In a word, THEY WILL TRY TO BECOME OTHER JESUS CHRISTS (and always Jesus Christ as model), they will try to become other Jesus Christs by spreading everywhere the fragrance of his lovable virtues.
Retreat notes, October 1831, EO XV n. 163
“As I love you” – so much a huge demand “love one another as I love you”. That is everything in more ways than one. There was a time, many years ago when a colleague (we were not close) decided that she was going to punish me – I think for simply being there. She proceeded by not speaking to me – ever and if I asked a question she would respond – but only to my boss. I became a shunned person at the office when she was around. I had to ask for help from the Director (who knew they were friends – not me) because I could not even find out how or why that was happening. The director then also punished me telling me to go to every person on that floor and ask them what I was doing wrong and that I would then have my answer. What a humiliating experience that was. Still I didn’t find out. Finally this woman who hated me so much told me that I had gotten the promotion that she deserved – she had been there for years and she should have gotten it. Unbelievable. But then what to do? Somehow knowing made it all a little easier – although she still sort of shunned me it was no longer obvious. Perhaps her boss spoke to her. There was a small piece of me that wanted to lash out and ‘punish’ her as she had me but no one deserves ever to be treated like that. I decided that the only way that would work would be to stand with my head held high, to speak to her as I would any other person, to say good morning to her when she would come to work each morning – having to pass my cubicle to get to her own. I prayed for her (most imperfectly) but I didn’t know what else I could do. A few years later I retired and although she had never apologized to me she very quietly thanked me for all that I had done for her and worked ‘with’ her. Am not sure what I ever did for her.
“as I love you” – that was how I had to love her – as I had been loved. Very hard in the midst of a tough time, cloaked in humiliation and alienation. And as I write this I think of Jesus on the cross. “as I love you”. Sometimes that can be excruciatingly difficult – it requires a huge heart. I used to ask Jesus to allow me to hang alongside of him on the cross – not for him, but just with him. I must be careful what I ask for. Seeking to punish another to make ourselves feel better never works. It certainly did not work for my colleague. And when I try it with another (yes I have done that) I find that it’s simply too much work. Easier to love them and just keep on going.
Is this how I try to become another Jesus Christ? Have never thought of it that way before.