THE JOY OF SENSING THAT ONE BELONGS TO THIS CATHOLIC CHURCH, WHICH HAS GOD FOR FATHER AND ALL BAPTIZED PERSONS AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS

In communion with the suffering Catholics in Spain, which we have seen above, Eugene wrote a pastoral letter to his diocese.

Yes, my dearly beloved brethren, you cannot merely watch without taking interest in the sad situation. A portion of what used to be one of the most flourishing parts of Christianity stands to be violently torn from its ancient spiritual foundations and so be separated from God’s Church. How can we not be terrified at this schism which would come about in the name of a temporal power taking upon itself the right to be like a wall of separation between the bishops and the Vicar of Christ, between the faithful and him who is their common Father? …There is no law that can go against the law of God, no constituted power whatever, that can supersede the divine constitution of the Church.

Bishop Eugene de Mazenod, Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Marseilles 1842 (Rey)

To this purpose he organized prayer services in Marseilles.

First station for the Jubilee at the cathedral. The church was found to be much too small: two hours before the designated time, the three naves and all the chapels were full. They arrived in droves to assist in this holy action. The doors had to be closed.

This glorious gathering was a magnificent spectacle, made up of the principal pastor, surrounded by all his clergy and a multitude of the faithful, in order to solemnly invoke the Lord in favor of a part of the grand Christian family threatened in its faith. I intoned the Veni Creator, which was sung by thousands of voices, inspired, as I was myself, by a living sense of fraternal charity, of filial trust, and by a certain, inexpressible interior jubilation. This joy stemmed from the grand communion of saints, whose perceptible impression it was impossible not to experience, with the joy of sensing that one belongs to this Catholic Church, which has God for Father and all baptized persons as brothers and sisters.

Eugene de Mazenod Diary, 19 April 1842, EO XXI

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1 Response to THE JOY OF SENSING THAT ONE BELONGS TO THIS CATHOLIC CHURCH, WHICH HAS GOD FOR FATHER AND ALL BAPTIZED PERSONS AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    This morning I felt a small tug of fear as I read of Eugene’s words about possible schism within the church. Such a dreaded idea, a heart-rending thought. But the Church, spouse of Christ, could not be lessened and torn apart by mere men (mankind). I have recently heard the word schism mentioned as a threat by some who would have us believe that our beloved Church depends on how a few who would have us think that God’s spouse depends on a lessened and human view of God. I think how it is not us who lift-up God but rather God who raises us up.

    All of this was, is and will be superseded by trust and “interior jubilation” that Eugene speaks of and that is given to us when we praise God. It is shared by the communion of saints with each one of us.

    God and the Church are not limited by our own small images and views as we once thought. Eugene speaks of “belonging” not in a closed and locked-down sense but rather a sense of openness and freedom. We are human but within each of us is a secret place where the divine has not only touched us but also lives within us.

    Since returning to the Church, I have always thought of her as being a gift from God. I belong to God who is both Father/Mother, Mother/Father. We are all children of God, no matter our faith or religion. All of life stems from one true God. We are all members of one family, born out of love and given to each other.

    The Communion of Saints: those words fill me with unending vision of mankind. All who come before us, and those who will come after us. Running through my mind this morning are the words of the Apostle’s Creed: I believe… I am more than just those words; they are a simply a gateway opening out to life in and with and through God.

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