To seek out new ways for the Word of God to reach their hearts often calls for daring; to present Gospel demands in all clarity should never intimidate us. (Constitution 8)
The representatives of the Oblate Charismatic Family who gathered at the General Chapter in 2022, addressed these words to us:
As a Chapter we invite Oblates to respond to the call of Pope Francis to recognize that we are first and foremost a people advancing on its pilgrim way towards God (Evangelii Gaudium 111). As pilgrims, we are people who begin a journey without knowing what the end of the road looks like, trusting that God is guiding us.
Consider that two senses balance our pilgrimage.
The first is that we begin with an idea of who we are and understanding where we came from;
the second is the realization that as we walk the path, we are transformed as we encounter the other.
What we thought we understood takes on new meanings, and how we understand ourselves changes as we encounter Jesus. Recall the two disciples who walked along the way to Emmaus (Lk. 24:13-35). They thought they knew the end of the events that occurred in Jerusalem, but their understanding of the things which they thought they knew changed when they arrived at Emmaus. Their hearts were burning as they walked. Their identities also have changed, and now they identify themselves as evangelizers who go to announce the Good News
Before meeting Eugene and his sons and daughters I found myself looking for “more”, looking for what others carried within them: a joy that was not to be contained but rather was an invitation to join such a way of being.
When I was introduced to St. Eugene my heart burned within me as he told me to stand at the foot of my crucifix. Up until then I realized I had been standing at the foot of the cross, waiting to see what happened. I was so busy waiting to be invited to the head table that I missed the seat that God had made ready for me.
“Come and learn who you are in the eyes of God.” In so doing I found a place where my heart belonged. My heart was not divided in any way, as God’s transformation allowed space for the intermingling of the holy and the poor and suffering; a curious way of being.
Like the representatives of the Oblate Charismatic Family my identity has changed and deepened over the years. The OMI Constitutions and Rules play a big part because they are the “living expression of charism” which has been shared with all of us. Like the people I serve, I am not yet whole, and I do not know where my next steps will take me, but I am filled with immense hope…