Eugene’s words, initially addressed to his Oblate Family, apply today to his charism Mazenodian Family.
You must inspire a great love for our divine Saviour Jesus Christ, which is manifested especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist which we must try to adore perfectly; also a filial devotion to the most holy Mother of God, who is our Mother also in a special manner; a devotedness to the Church that can stand any test, which includes the zeal that must distinguish all the members of our Society. for the salvation of souls, the direct object of our vocation. Since we must discover all these advantages in the blessed Congregation that has given birth to us, you can understand the kind of love each one of us must have for it.
Eugene then shared an example of this attitude as expressed by one of the Oblates.
On this topic, I cannot help quoting to you from a letter I have just received from our dear Father Vincens:
“I can fathom all the recesses of my heart. I find only one love there which for me is what religion is all about, namely. the love for our Congregation. I have only one desire, that of bringing glory to God and for me all the means of glorifying him are summed up in the Congregation. Hence it is her that I love, etc.”
How touching these sentiments are! And they are true. Yes, for us all the means of glorifying God are summed up in the Congregation. Such an opinion of a man of God must be meditated upon by all those whom the Lord has called. through an inestimable grace, to sanctify themselves in the Congregation.
Goodbye, my dear Father Dorey. I am forced to leave you. So I finish by blessing you with all my heart, as well as all our dear novices.
Letter to Fr Eugene Dorey, Novice Master in Nancy, 15 October 1848, EO X n 990
REFLECTION
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” (Desmond Tutu)
I find myself sitting in wonder this morning, at Eugene’s words which are nothing less than a series of ongoing invitations to each of us with whom Eugene’s charism has been shared, inviting us into the Oblate/Mazenodian Family according to the state of life which God has ready for us and which the Spirit leads us to.
It is here that we “must discover all the advantages in the blessed Congregation that has given birth to us…” It is in reflection as we look back at the paths and way(s) of being that we recognize the many steps and rebirths in our lives.
I think for a moment of the Master Potter who begins with a lump of clay, forming and reforming us, adding splashes of grace, love and direction… For us our births and rebirths, our struggles and joy become foundational to all us who walk together.
We notice and recognize this when we pause our work and rest in the heart of the Beloved, allowing ourselves to become renewed and ready to go out to those who are the lepers of today’s world. Walking with them as we share in the rebirth process which has already begun in and with God, our Master, our Beloved…
It is in this way that we recognise that we have “only one desire, that of bringing glory to God and for each of us, the means of glorifying God are summed up in the Congregation and all who share in the gift of being called and invited to become members of the Mazenodian Family.