Finally, the moment of departure of the six Oblate missionaries had arrived. The gathered in Marseilles for a farewell. Filled with admiration for their generosity and spirit of oblation, Eugene exclaimed in his diary:
September 28: Tonight we parted with our dear missionaries who leave tomorrow for Canada. Nothing more edifying than the feelings that animate them, they leave full of holy zeal and boundless devotion, generously sacrificing the most natural affections without even the thought of taking pride in them so that they be appreciated. It must be said because it’s true: they were all perfect; God will take it into account for them.
Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 28 September 1841, EO XX
So few words for such an endeavour, for the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the congregation. I took the opportunity this morning to also read Eugene’s letter to Honorat about the mission they were setting out on.
And here I sit today, a member of the Mazenodian Family which has grown and is alive. In his letter to Honorat Eugene wrote about the possibilities of men presenting themselves, wanting to join and share in the charism, becoming missionaries themselves. Did he secretly envisage what this family would look like today?
I look, not for the first time, at Jesus and his disciples; at how Jesus called them by name and they followed him, eventually being sent out to continue God’s mission – there it is again, the missio Dei.
And so we have Eugene, father to these six men, sending them off – knowing that he most likely would not see them again. Knowing that he loves them and that he has given them all that they will need to be perfect missionaries, sending with them not only his heart but also a Rule of Life that would bind them to him, to his spirit and to all the others who would follow them down through the ages.
“…they were all perfect; God will take it into account for them.” There is always an inclination when I encounter the word ‘perfect’ to pull out my internal ruler to see how the other measures up. But this morning I am inclined to deny myself that way of being. God created them (and each of us) in a most specific and loving manner; choosing them and us to grow into even fuller life as we make our oblation to Him who is all. What could be more perfect?
“We must lead all persons to act like human beings, first of all, and then…”