PRAY, PRAY OFTEN WITH FERVOR, EVEN BEYOND THAT WHICH IS PRESCRIBED IN OUR RULE

Posted on January 24, 2024 by franksantucci

In the previous entry we saw Eugene’s reaction to the misbehaviour of young Fr. Molinari. Now he was given a second chance.

What remains to be done now? Father Magnan. full of charity for you. is agreeable to keep you in his community in the hope of using you somehow, but he counts on your docility to his advice, and I would add on your gratitude, since he cannot render you a greater service than to help you with his advice and to indicate the road you must follow. I agree then to forgive you and to confide you to this good Father, a man of good sense and of good counsel…

Eugene then traced for him the path to take for positive and life-changing growth.

Come back to order, my dear son, imbue yourself with the spirit of your holy state in life; ask God urgently for the gift of piety which is lacking in you. Pietas ad omnis utilis est [Ed ” I Tim 4:8 “devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future”);with devotion you will acquire all the rest and your least actions will become meritorious; put great simplicity into your obedience; beware of your ideas; guard yourself from self-complacency which is born of the pride you must protect yourself against; learn how to mortify yourself, even in the smallest things; but especially moderate yourself in the use of liquor.

Pray, pray often with fervor, even beyond that which is prescribed in our Rule. Avail yourself of the privilege of dwelling under the same roof as Our Lord Jesus Christ to visit him often, to adore him, love him and speak with him of your need and ours. Goodbye, I bless you.

Letter to Fr. Jean Baptiste Molinari in Corsica, 10 February 1848, EO X n 965

REFLECTION

” My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” Proverbs 3:11-12

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One Response to PRAY, PRAY OFTEN WITH FERVOR, EVEN BEYOND THAT WHICH IS PRESCRIBED IN OUR RULE

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate says:
    January 24, 2024 at 12:38

    “Come back to me with all your heart.. Don’t let fear keep us apart…” As I read Eugene’s words to Fr. Molinari, I found myself singing Talbots hymn “Hosea” which always reminds me of the utter disorder, fear and being lost before meeting Jesus. For me and for others, that way of life leads which we try to use as a way to cope with our how fear and pain, but which lead only to deeper despair and emptiness…

    Oddly enough walking with Jesus and with other like-minded people can change all that. While it might not make life “easier”, a seed has been planted deep within our hearts and needs only nourishment to grow in the darkness. As that seed grows and breaks through the dark into the light. This is our introduction to life which will help and lead us to grow and flower, and to become fruitful in our life with God.

    The OMI Rule of Life, the Constitutions and Rules bring order not just to the religious, but also to the many lay people around the world who feel called and invited to share in Eugene’s charism in the ordinary of our days, our work and our families. It is not done in the spirit of trying to prove to others how great we are or how we can do it better than others – life is not a competition. Rather it becomes one with the particular charism given to us by God before our birth and which other might offer to show us how we grow more fully as a human being.

    I think of how the Church, the Vatican who safeguards the Constitutions and Rules, the Rules of Life for her congregations. It is not for any one person to simply change it to suit their needs, or to hide on an empty space in the archives of our hearts: if we bring it into the Light, we must let it remain in the light becoming the star that we are following…

    Reply

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