Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us

Easter Sunday 1839 and we continue to reflect on Eugene’s reminiscences of that day on his vocation and the motivation behind his life as a missionary. He recalls his return to Aix as a 30 year-old priest:

I thus responded to the Bishop of Metz that my whole ambition was to consecrate myself to the service of the poor and the youth. I thus started out in the prisons, and my first apprenticeship consisted of gathering around me young boys whom I instructed. I formed a large number in virtue. I saw up to 280 grouped around me, and those who today still remain faithful to the principles that I had the happiness of instilling in their souls and who do honor to their faith in every rank of society or in the sanctuary, will uphold for a long time, either in Aix or in the other places where they are dispersed, the reputation that this association had rightly acquired for itself while I was able to care for it.

Well, this twofold ministry contributed to keeping me faithful to my ideals. Among these poor prisoners whom I helped spiritually and materially, and among the youth who looked up to me as their father, I met only souls full of recognition, hearts full of affection that responded perfectly to the tender charity that I felt for them. They loved me so much that several mothers declared that they would have been jealous had not this sentiment shown the goodness of their children, but that in truth they loved me more than they loved them, their own mothers.

With the overwhelming response to his loving dedication:

Everything contributed to my conviction that it was impossible for me not to be loved. With my heart so disposed, that is to say, never wishing harm to anyone, desiring to do good to everyone, and always ready to show affection to everyone who could appreciate it, I could not understand that there could be even one person, who really knew me, who would wish to hurt me or even sadden me. Sweet but mistaken illusion of a heart that loves too much! I did not see the flaw in this all too natural feeling. I was so little aware of it that I would have boasted about it just as, in the secret of my soul, I rejoiced in possessing it.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 31 March 1839, EO XX

Easter Sunday 1839. Eugene was suffering as a result of serious opposition he was experiencing in the diocese. This leads him to reexamine the vocation that had led him here: ” to devote myself to the service and to the happiness of my neighbor whom I loved with the love of Jesus Christ for all people.” Once he was ordained a priest and finished his seminary commitments, he ha returned to Aix en Provence to begin his ministry.

It was this same sentiment that determined my choice when, on returning to Aix the Bishop of Metz, who was the administrator of the diocese at the time, asked me what I wanted to do. There was not a hair on my head that wished to take advantage of my social position to give in to the pretensions that everyone at the time would have found reasonable.

Eugene had been a member of the nobility before the French Revolution and was the son of the former President of the Court of Accounts. In the eyes of certain people of Aix he had a status and pedigree that would have entitled him to an eminent position in the Archdiocese of Aix. In his own heart Eugene had rejected all this, as was shown in a drawing he had made at the seminary and the motto he had chosen for himself.

 Elegi abjectus esse in domo Dei mei .

It is an extract of verse 10 of Psalm 84 (83): ” For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

It is written on a small drawing that I had made while I was at the seminary that perfectly expresses the secret of my heart. My coat of arms placed on my father’s president’s cloak detached and negligently thrown on a stone bench, with the cap and the crown reversed; a wooden cross and a crown of thorns are above this coat of arms in place of the ornaments which I was showing that I had renounced by throwing them in this way at the feet. There you have the true expression of the secret of my vocation.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 31 March 1839, EO XX

“There you have the true expression of the secret of my vocation” – the Cross and the crown of thorns. The heart and life of Eugene had been transformed by the sight of the Cross one Good Friday thirty two years earlier – and the transformation continued!

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:1-16

Easter Sunday 1839, within the context of a personal attack on him, we continue to read Eugene’s reflection on the love of Jesus Christ as the origin of his vocation, and the inspiration for all his actions. He recalls God’s loving role in his priestly ordination on 21 December 1811 and his first Mass on Christmas day.

My first steps in the career that the good God had inspired me to embrace from an early age, were directed by this predominant feeling in my heart. I refused the venerable bishop, who had consecrated me a priest, to stay on with him as his vicar general and as his friend; these are the words that he used when he made the proposal.

The holy day of Christmas 1811, a memorable day for me, because it is the day given me to offer for the first time the Holy Sacrifice of our altars, I refused to give in to such a touching sign of his goodness so as not to be turned away from the vocation that called me to devote myself to the service and to the happiness of my neighbor whom I loved with the love of Jesus Christ for all people.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 31 March 1839, EO XX

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also that love his appearing.

2 Timothy 4: 6-8

In the face of the ingratitude and criticism that Eugene was experiencing from some of the people of Marseilles, he reflects on the motivating force of his life as he recalls the steps of his vocation. The direction of his life was the result of his realization of the overwhelming love of the Savior for him.

There you have the explanation for the dedication of my life to the service and wellbeing of my neighbor. I renounced the comforts of a private life and I violently tore myself loose from the embraces of maternal tenderness, personified above all in the person of my grandmother for whom I was an idol; and after beginning with some works of charity among the sick and the prisoners, I became a priest because it was only in this state that I could realize that which my heart inspired me to do for the salvation and consequently for the true happiness of people.

Eugene then recalls his days at Saint Sulpice as a seminarian preparing himself for priesthood.

Until then nothing could free me of my illusion. I have met only upright hearts, who were even sensitive to the initiatives of my charity. It is thus that at the seminary, directors and students, teachers and fellow students, gave me unmistakable proofs of gratitude for the affection that let me anticipate them at each encounter and let me prove to them that I loved them. This explains the sort of supervision that they allowed me to exercise over the health of all my fathers and brothers even though I had never had the title nor, strictly speaking, the functions of infirmarian.

He singles out the superior of the seminary, Fr Emery, who had a major influence in Eugene’s formation:

Fr. Emery himself, who had never wanted to listen to anyone on the subject of his health, accepted without repugnance – I would say rather, with deference and gratitude – that I take care of him; and one knows that from the first signs of his last illness that took him from us, I took advantage of the influence that he allowed my heart to take over him. I can say that during the five years I was at St. Sulpice I sailed at full sail in this sea of charity without having ever encountered a single reef.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 31 March 1839, EO XX

All this because of the love of the Savior for Eugene, which overflowed in love for others.

So when he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?  You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.  If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.  I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.   (John 13: 12-15)

Easter Sunday 1839, and Eugene had received notice of a scandalous retaliation for a good deed that he had done for the welfare of his diocese.

Oh well! The good God leads the way and He allows men to show no gratitude to me for anything, but rather to misrepresent my intentions and distort them when they cannot contradict the evidence of actions that speak for themselves.

Eugene then reflects on the motivation behind all his actions. It is God’s love for him! God’s love is the food that nourishes him, and it was instinctive for his soul to be filled with it:

I believed that it was all right for me to enjoy a feeling which I was convinced was legitimate and natural, and the example of which, I felt, was given by Our Lord Jesus Christ, the model of all perfection. I sometimes had the audacity to tell myself that I perfectly understood the love God has for man, that He loves each one according to his merits without detriment to anyone. Nourished by these thoughts, my soul, so to speak, gaped, opened, and expanded in proportion as it continued to find food for this supposedly instinctive feeling.

As a result, Eugene was able to love others by sharing the Savior’s love for him – it was to “be” in order to “do.”

In my illusion, it seemed to me that by following God’s example, I could love every person in such a way that not a single one could complain of giving me more affection than I gave them. I felt within me something resembling immensity, a well of justice and equity, that allowed me to divide my affection in proportion as each one deserved it and returned it.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 31 March 1839, EO XX

I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. John 13:34

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.  John 15: 12-14

From the time that he was appointed Bishop of Marseilles Eugene wrote a daily journal recalling the events of the day and his personal reactions. It gives us an intimate picture of what was going on within him.

On Easter Sunday 1839, he wrote one of the longest entries we have. He was shocked by some scandalous allegations that had been made against him – and in the emotion of the moment he pours out his heart in his diary. Deeply hurt by this rejection, it gives him the opportunity to vent and to look back on his life and the motivations for his actions.

It is a long document, but well worth the reading because it reveals some important facets of his life. The next ten entries of “St Eugene Speaks” deal with it. Some of the passages are long, but stay with them because we really touch something of the heart of Eugene in them

Bishop Eugene wrote in his diary:

March 31: The holy day of Easter.

Last year, on Holy Thursday, they came to warn me that certain evil people were preparing a despicable pamphlet against me. They showed me a sample of a first draft of this writing which was the most disgusting thing in the world. I accepted this chalice of bitterness that was appropriately presented to me as we were about to go for the Mandatum [ed Holy Thursday liturgy] prior to singing the Good Friday Office.

We have seen this false accusation in https://www.eugenedemazenod.net/?p=4439 and https://www.eugenedemazenod.net/?p=4441.

Now, on Easter Sunday, Eugene was informed that someone else was about to publish a scandalous publication against him.

This year, Mr. Bourgarel, a very honest and young lawyer, presented himself to me as I was about to leave to preside the Easter celebration at the cathedral. He informed me that the despicable Arbieu woman – that wretched woman whom I had denounced to the Procurator General for running a house of prostitution under the apparent auspices of the holy name of Mary and wearing a religious habit to better deceive the parents who thought they were placing their children in a boarding school – was having a lawsuit drawn up by some lawyers, as shameful as herself, against me and many priests in which are contained all kinds of slander. I should have preferred that this warning come two days earlier; it would have been food for thought in Holy Week, a thorn from Golgotha, but certainly not a meditation for the solemnity of this day. But, then, every day is good for sharing in the shame of the Cross we must carry daily as we follow in the Savior’s footsteps.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 31 March 1839, EO XX

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.   Matthew 16:24

Eugene writes about Venerable Albini, whose cause of canonization is in process .

Fr. Gabrielli, parish priest at Tralonca in Corsica, came to tell me such edifying things about Fr. Albini that I asked him to send me a copy of the official report they have made. It is nothing less than a series of miracles which place this dear Father into the ranks of the miracle-workers who as apostles proclaimed the word of God at different times. I am waiting for these proceedings in order to put down the details in writing. 
The first miracles were done during the Moita mission and especially during the planting of the cross, which has become a miraculous cross to whose feet all the people come to obtain graces and healings, and God has not ceased granting them since then. We can consider this outstanding favor as the approval God wished to give our Congregation’s ministry in Corsica. That ought to be a motive for our never-ending gratitude.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 28 February 1839, EO XX

Father André Dorval OMI tells the story:

The mission at Moïta had begun on August 11, 1836, and was to end three weeks later with the erection of a monumental cross, ten meters in height. The task posed many handling problems and risked becoming dangerous because of the nearby crowd. However, thanks to Father Albini, the installation succeeded marvelously. Canon Brandisi, an eye witness of the event, left this testimony: “The cross was enormous, and after hours of work it was only half raised. Everyone was exhausted and began to lose hope of getting it raised. The holy missionary became aware of the situation. He ran towards the cross. He stretched out his hands as if to retain it. And there it stood upright, with the base in the hole that had been prepared for it. Everyone shouted that it was a miracle, attributing it to a superhuman force. Everyone was crying for joy”  https://www.omiworld.org/anecdote/the-miracle-worker-of-corsica/

February 17 is always a special day for the Mazenodian family because we recall the Church’s recognition that our charism, spirituality and mission comes from God. It is a day when the Family gathers to give thanks and to renew its missionary commitment. In 1839, thirteen years later, Eugene notes in his journal how it was celebrated.

February 17: Mass in the interior chapel of the Calvaire, on the occasion of the anniversary of the approbation of the Congregation. The ceremony was extremely moving as usual.

The Fathers from the seminary had come; present also were some of the missionaries who had given various missions very recently and who came to deposit at the feet of our Savior the successes of their victories over Hell that they admitted owing only to the favor of their good Master; a day marked by thoughts of gratitude and of love which must have filled everyone.

We also recalled the blessings of our vocation and the remarkable favors especially received during the course of the year, among which we count the miraculous healing of our dear Father Albini, and the very holy death of our equally beloved Brother Morandini, the death of a predestined, The lay brother Jean-Marie made his five-year profession.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 17 February 1839, EO XX

Today the tradition endures as we continue to celebrate God’s goodness to us as a charism family every 17 February since 1826.

” I give thanks to myGod always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of[ Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift.” (1 Corinthians 1: 4- 7)

Bishop Eugene continues to reflect in his Diary about the experience of Eucharistic adoration among his people. It is an experience that invites our personal reflection on our responsibility to support the faith of those we care for – especially parents, teachers and pastors. It is a long text, but well worth the time to read and reflect on it.

… At St. Joseph, I entered the church with the Holy Viaticum, miserably accompanied as usual. I took my place behind the Blessed Sacrament after prostrating to let it pass. How happy I would be if, by all these external acts of my adoration, I could teach my people how to honor Jesus Christ in his sacrament of love. I would like to make myself even smaller still and forget myself completely in his divine presence to stress the glory due to Him and to have Him honored as he should be.

That is my heart’s most constant desire, and I never miss any occasion to instill these principles whether by my words or by my actions.

But it is not a question of mere external actions, but of sharing with others what God is doing in our hearts and lives:

But I would like to make known to the entire world the interior consolations I experience every time I carry out this duty. It has come to the point that when in my presence, to conform to the rules I prescribed during my uncle’s episcopacy, they prostrate themselves on two knees when passing in front of our Saviour, I feel an inexpressible joy and satisfaction which thrills me so tenderly sometimes that I am moved to tears.

It seems to me that I adore Him through everyone who passes in front of Him. I am happy to see Him receive this respect, and I accompany with an intimate movement of my soul this external act which exalts the greatness and power of my God. I say interiorly: yes, He is worthy of it, this honour is due to Him. Prostrate yourself even more.

I adore Him with you and through you. Would that He be known and loved by all those whom He has redeemed, He who is God like his Father, who did not need us and who sacrificed himself for us.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 10 February 1839, EO XX

” The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.”   John 3: 29-31

Reflecting on the practice of praying with his people, Eugene writes as bishop, conscious of the important position which the bishop has as first pastor of a diocese.

It is something beautiful in the eyes of religion to see the first pastor himself coming again and again into the middle of every part of his flock to invoke God’s mercies and to give an example of the duties which he has to fill in regard to Jesus Christ when Jesus shows Himself to His people to receive its adoration and to listen to its requests.

The next sentence of his diary entry, “The bishop, before whom all people should bow respectfully” may startle us today, but we need to remember that Eugene is speaking about the role of the bishop – whom he understood as the representative of Jesus Christ in the diocese and as successor to the apostles.

The bishop, before whom all people should bow respectfully comes to prostrate himself again and again his forehead to the ground to humble himself before the sovereign Master of all things, and offers Him incense as a sign of adoration.

Then, recollecting himself in His presence, in a most humble attitude, prays especially for the people around him and for all those whom he represents. When the attending Canon gives the signal, all genuflect again and retire quietly, heart filled with inexpressible happiness.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 7 February 1839, EO XX

” Every high priest is taken from among people and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins”   Letter to the Hebrews 5:1