ONE HEART AND ONE SPIRIT

As we explore Eugene’s diary entry regarding the situation in Montreal, some important lessons emerge.

But the letter from the Bishop of Montréal contains reflections that are too accurate, he passes a judgement too wise for me to resist transcribing here. After having made the most amiable, the most paternal statements up until the third page, he continues:

“Now, Monsignor, I am going to update you about small troubles which have been noticed among these men of God and where are there none of them? since God sees them in his angels! First, they have not had the advantage of seeing themselves and of living together long enough to develop this sympathy and this cordiality which forms a Cor unum et anima una [ed. Acts 4: 32: One heart and one spirit] of the entire community. The lack of this perfect harmony has been noticed by the priests of the country and even by certain laity. Some have lamented about it and others have made it the object of their joking. Fortunately, things are much better in this account.”

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 20 March 1843, EO XXI

Eugene responded to this situation:

First, in the matter of certain petty and internal troubles, I believe I have put an end to them by recalling Father Baudrand who is a self-opinionated man of a mentality which does not know how to adapt to circumstances. If he had taken more notice of my advice, he would have been immunized against his tendency to judge and appreciate things and persons only according to his own ideas. He would have distrusted his own notions and inexperience and thus would not have had the stupid pretension to blame his superior in front of strangers, still less would he have asserted that his superior was not suitable for the responsibility I had laid on him. He himself has shown that he is unworthy of the mission with which I had honoured him.

I am withdrawing him, quite confident that unity and cordiality will reign in the community when he will no longer be there to perturb it with his pretensions and his complaints. Excuse my error: I did not train this Oblate myself but I had believed he would have a better understanding of the duties imposed on him by his position.

Letter to Ignace Bourget, Bishop of Montreal, 30 May 1843. EO I n 18

Eugene had always insisted on BEING men of God and the necessity of a Christ-centered supportive community as the sine qua non of DOING the missionary work of evangelization successfully. The fumbling of the first community in this regard confirmed Eugene’s wisdom: “be” in order to “do.” How often do we make this mistake when we form a new team for a particular task and fail to get the members to grow in unity, in “being” before they reach out to others in the “doing.”