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- FOR THE REST, I DO MY BEST TO LEAVE IT TO GOD
- GOD ALONE KNOWS HOW TO REWARD WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR HIM. SO, WE MUST DO EVERYTHING TO PLEASE HIM
- IT IS A CONSOLATION FOR ME TO BREATHE THE SAME AIR, TO OFFER THE HOLY SACRIFICE ON THE SAME ALTARS, TO BE ABLE TO PRAY AT HIS TOMB
- THERE IS NOT A CORNER OF ROME WHICH IS NOT A MONUMENT OF FAITH OR PIETY
- THE ROMAN MARTYRS ARE STILL THE OBJECT OF VENERATION OF PEOPLES
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- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate on FAITH-FOCUSED INVESTMENT GROUPS: A PRESENCE WHERE DECISIONS AFFECTING THE FUTURE OF THE POOR ARE BEING MADE (Rule 9a)
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate on VIVAT: A PRESENCE WHERE DECISIONS AFFECTING THE FUTURE OF THE POOR ARE BEING MADE (Rule 9a)
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate on WE SHOW A VERY HUMAN FACE OF JESUS TO THE WORLD, ONE FULL OF COMPASSION AND SOLIDARITY (Rule 9a)
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate on JUSTICE, PEACE AND THE INTEGRITY OF CREATION AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF EVANGELIZATION (Rule 9a)
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate on WALKING THE LINE BETWEEN PROPHETIC VISION AND SPIRITUAL SUSTENANCE (CONSTITUTION 9)
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“A father’s communication with his many children… that is one of the most agreeable occupations of my life” 1857
Last night at RCIA the topic of the Trinity was introduced and there was for some a real struggle to ‘understand’ the Trinity, particularly with one candidate who is very logical. I could not explain it to that person, I could only mention trust and hope and the possibility of experiencing it…
This morning’s offerings brings a huge smile to our faces, a joyful glee. Wigs would have most likely been worn by men of means, wealthy men and Fr. Ricard was a poor missionary who would have had more important things to worry about before thinking about the style of the day. And if he did bring his wig with him to the new world it probably did not last for very long on the long and arduous trek across the country to Walla Walla which is nestled in the western side of the lower Rocky Mountains (now a part of Washington State). From the sounds of it the cold was among the least of his problems: the sleeping on the ground and in the mud offers another glimpse of the daily life of a missionary.
The joy of this morning is in the realizing and experiencing the humanness of both Eugene de Mazenod and Fr. Pascal Ricard. Normal men who laughed and enjoyed having fun with humour. And while Eugene might have described Fr. Ricard as his ‘alter ego’ we have a picture of men who could laugh and enjoy life in the midst of trials and at times incredible hardships. This is not a lack of respect or reverence for all who have gone before us, but rather a coming together in joy of dear members of the same family.
I am thinking of the piece we prayed with here yesterday and the thought of who we might call saints. Ordinary folks like you and me and the sheer possibilities of how they and perhaps all of us might be remembered. Yesterday I smiled as I experienced and then wrote my reflection, and the images of those who passed before my heart’s eyes were of them also smiling.
Suddenly Pascal Ricard, OMI has become a part of my heart’s circle and I smile at and with him this morning; and I am sure that Eugene himself is smiling with glee down upon all of us…