I CONVERSED OPENHEARTEDLY WITH OUR BELOVED LORD

One of the beautiful spiritual practices of Eugene was the way in which he united himself with the members of his missionary family in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus. In this way he experienced a unity with each of them, no matter how far away in distant continents. Here he wrote to Fr. Guigues about wanting to be as closely united as possible, across the Atlantic, and the moment of his consecration:

I would at least wish to know the day decided for your consecration so as to unite myself intimately to the sublime ceremony by offering the Holy Mass at the same moment for you. It is not that I forget you a single day.

Yesterday again, while carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a general procession, I conversed openheartedly with our beloved Lord. I also spoke to Him unreservedly of all our missionaries who are so often exposed to losing their lives in His service. I had just received the letter wherein you speak of the shipwreck of our Fathers who were miraculously saved. I returned to the house more consoled, more strengthened, more grateful than ever; let us redouble our confidence; it is God Himself who leads us.

Letter to Fr. Bruno Guigues in Canada, 7 June 1847, EO I n 84

REFLECTION

This practise has come to us today as “oraison” which Eugene described as “the audience that our divine Master gives us when we come to pay him our respects at oraison which is made in his presence before his holy tabernacle. I recall it to your mind, my dear child, so that you meet with me at this rendezvous. This is the only way of reducing distances, to be at the same moment in our Lord’s presence, it is so to speak like being side by side. We do not see each other, but we sense each other’s presence, hear each other, lose ourselves in one and the same central point.”