Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us

Eugene saw the positive train of events taking place in France as contributing to a participation God’s plan of salvation for all.

But in order for the Almighty hand, that has designed these divine plans from all eternity, to unfold them before our eyes and ensure their perfect realization, we must ensure that “the Creator Spirit, who is sent from on High and works here below as a second creation”, who in the days of the Apostles “renewed the face of the earth” (Ps 103-104,30), is poured out on the men elected to represent the nation, and gives them the wisdom and strength of which He is the source.

Pastoral letter from the Bishop of Marseilles, on the occasion of the general elections and the forthcoming opening of the National Assembly, March 20, 1848

REFLECTION

“Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first, then you are a parasite; if the second, then you are an oasis in the desert.” (Khalil Gibran)

The National Assembly would construct a new constitution, which Eugene portrayed as an invisible building encompassing all the citizens of France. Its builders and protectors would be the politicians in the National Assembly.  He invited the people of Marseilles to see God’s role in this building process

A new structure is to be erected, bringing the children of France under its roof as one family. Could we not ask the Lord “to build this house himself, which men would build in vain without him” (Ps 126-127,1)? If a new city is to be built, and we are to be its inhabitants, is it not necessary that, after inspiring and empowering the builders, “he himself should guard this city, over which without him those who guard it would watch in vain” (Ps 126-127,2).

Yes, our dearest brothers, those who are sent to work on the constitution of France are called to become, if they faithfully and holily fulfill their mandate, the very cooperators of a merciful Providence, the visible instruments of its invisible action. They will then truly be “God’s ministers for good” (Rom 13:1). What an important mission! And how interested we are in their unreserved dedication to it, animated by the most sincere and generous zeal for the fatherland! May they happily fulfill this glorious mission, according to the loving plans of “our Father in heaven” (Mt 6:9)!

Pastoral letter from the Bishop of Marseilles, on the occasion of the general elections and the forthcoming opening of the National Assembly, March 20, 1848

REFLECTION

“Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote…that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.” (Samuel Adams)

The new provisional government in France decided to establish a constituent assembly which would govern the new Republic of France. It was decided that the members would be elected by a universal vote in which all the men of France were invited to vote. For the first time all men, no matter how poor and insignificant, would be able to participate in a privilege that had only been for the wealthy privileged class before.

Bishop Eugene wrote a pastoral letter to the people of Marseilles stressing their responsibility to vote – but that they had to ask for God’s guidance in the process.

In the midst of the grave preoccupations that trouble our minds, the Christian today feels the need for heaven’s assistance to the fullest. In the hearts of religious men and women, there is an urgent call to Divine Providence, which makes human advice fruitful or ineffective, which brings into being and brings to completion all events, the most vast and the smallest, the most probable and the most unforeseen.

Certainly, there has never been a more solemn occasion to invoke the Almighty’s help with greater fervor. Our nation’s destiny is in our own hands, but “God holds us in his” (Ps 30-31,16). How can we fail to beg him to support us, to guide us, to ensure that the great and difficult work that is about to take place succeeds for the good of all?

Pastoral letter from the Bishop of Marseilles, on the occasion of the general elections and the forthcoming opening of the National Assembly, March 20, 1848

REFLECTION

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for rulers and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and acceptable before God our Savior” (I Timothy 12:1-3)

The new Republic seemed to bode well for the Church. Eugene noted in his diary:

It appeared that, in this revolution, it was being said that homage be given to religion and to its clergy; that’s a reason for lending oneself to certain demands which present a good side, as strange as they appear from the other side.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 15 April 1848, EO XXI

One of the demands was that the Bishop attend an open-air meal for the inhabitants of Marseilles to celebrate the Republic

I thus went to this huge gathering. I barely entered the enclosure when thousands of voices lifted up as they cried out: “Long live Monsignor! Long live religion!” Everywhere I passed these cries were repeated, and they accompanied me up to the place which had been prepared for me…

There were many speeches, and Eugene opted not to make one, but he wrote:

I would have said only a few words: more or less these: “It’s with happiness that I consented to the invitation made to me to be in your midst during this family feast. It’s consoling for a father to sit at the table of his children, especially when he sees at his sides this young and intelligent commissioner of the government who knew how to win over the sympathies, the esteem and the affection of all of our people, and these magistrates gathered here, those to whom the city owes so much gratitude, and this national guard so admirable in dedication and these soldiers, pride of the native land, etc.” I wanted to consider my allocution as a type of table blessing in this sense that I would have been able to add: “My well-loved brothers, so that on this solemn day no one may be exposed to violating the holy laws of the Church, I grant to all Christians seated at this banquet (there was for each a portion composed of a slice of ham and a slice of sausage, a piece of bread and a bottle of wine) a dispensation from quadragesimal abstinence (Ed: Lent – Palm Sunday). And I ask God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to pour forth his blessings on this fraternal agape, taking the symbol of charity and of union which must reign in every heart for the happiness and the glory of the nation and the prosperity of the Republic.”

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 16 April 1848, EO XXI

REFLECTION

“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” (Vaclav Havel)

March 2. Here all is calm. I have been able to continue my functions by crossing the city without the least inconvenience.

Yesterday the Commissioner of the provisional Government came to proclaim the Republic and to settle matters in this department. This morning, he came to see me so as to be the first to make his call. He asked me to order a religious service for the victims of these latter days, a request that was easy for me to grant.

Our population has been admirable under these delicate conditions. You would have been touched by the concern that has been shown me. The other day, I was crossing on foot all the older quarters to give confirmation to a sick person. Well, people called others to come and see me pass by and to ask for my blessing. I saw a filial affection on all these faces, a kind of joy that made me believe they were convinced that I could have been implicated in this business or that I had withdrawn from it completely. Surely it would take nothing less than bayonets to make me retreat ever so slightly. Our place is in the midst of the flock.

Letter to Fr Hippolyte Courtès in Limoges, France, 2 March 1848, EO X n 968

I made a visit to the Commissioner of the government, who received me with the most respectful overtures. He appeared very satisfied with my initiative, as well as his father, present at our meeting. To hear them, the government wishes to respect religion, and they assured me that they were disposed to assist me in everything which would depend on them

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 3 March 1848, EO XXI

REFLECTION

“It is necessary to heal the wounds of the past If you are going to build your country and to have unity. I am working with people who fought me very bitterly before the elections. It was my responsibility as the man who is leading the majority party, my responsibility to heal the wounds of the past and to work with people who were my opponents.”

Nelson Mandela

Eugene had lived through two vicious revolutions in France (1789 and 1830) and it was understandable that the population was afraid that this revolution, which had established a Republic, would turn violent too. He wrote in his diary about the situation in Marseilles, where a mob had turned to violence:

Our excellent population rose in force, so to speak, to suppress the disorder which a mob, bribed or greedy to loot, wanted to perpetrate at the dawn of the Republic. During the past night, they stormed the mayor’s house, smashing all the windows and damaging the facade; they also broke all the windows of the courthouse and the city hall, as well as a large number of lampposts. But a national guard was formed by honest people, and these badly-intentioned people were constrained. On the night of Saturday to Sunday 28th, they were forced to content themselves with going around town singing the “Marseillaise”. This time they passed through the rue de l’Évêché, but made no demonstration in front of the bishop’s house. I did not abandon my residence despite the insistence of some. I went to the cathedral church (it was Sunday of Sexagesima) and in a short while I will be administering the sacrament of Confirmation to a sick person, without the least anxiety.

REFLECTION

Later, Eugene’s reflections on these events was to continue his everyday duties:

I return from administering the sacrament of Confirmation to my sick person. I have been touched by the demonstration of interest which was shown to me in every street through which I passed. People cried out when I passed by and they requested my blessing with an expression that made me think that these good people had been able to believe that I had been disturbed during these events.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 27-28 February 1848, EO XXI

February 26:  I was told that during the night there were some gatherings, and that a mob of people ran through the streets singing the Marseillaise. Not a soul passed down the street of the bishop’s house. It was not like this in 1830.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 25 February 1848, EO XXI

Hubenig explains:

The largely anticlerical and wealthy bourgeoisie – the same class that gave the Eugene de Mazenod and the first Oblates so much trouble in their parochial missions, had promoted the 1830 July Revolution. It is understandable then, why the upheaval at that time impacted almost as hard against the Church as it did against the deposed Restoration monarchy. After 1830 Louis-Philippe had tried to smooth out relations with the Church but his conciliation was short-lived and soon soured – to the degree that by 1848 religion had become openly divorced from the political regime. Thus, when the 1848 Revolution came, it was not anti-clerical as its predecessor had been and the Church rode out the storm with relative calm. Indeed, with Louis-Philippe’s overthrow, a large segment of the Church entered into an exciting era of liberal Catholicism…

Initially, the Church even joined in what appeared to be a springtime of the French people – a meeting of the gospel spirit with the spirit of revolution. For several weeks at the outset, Jesus Christ and his Gospel were the driving force for most of the ideologies involved. Priests and bishops happily blessed the trees of liberty which euphoric citizens planted .

(Living in the Spirit’s Fire excerpts from pages 161 – 169).

REFLECTION

“To avoid the anxieties which may be caused by either regret for the past or fear of the future, here in a few words is the rule to follow: the past must be left to God’s measureless mercy, the future to his loving providence; and the present must be given wholly to his love through fidelity to his grace.”

Jean Pierre de Caussade

February 25:  News about the revolution in Paris.  I travelled across the entire city in order to go to visit my sick people and to administer the sacrament of Confirmation to a lady in danger. Everything was perfectly tranquil; people were disinterestedly reading the proclamations posted on the walls.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 25 February 1848, EO XXI

Hubenig gives us the background to this statement:

“At the beginning of 1848, in the Chamber of Deputies, the liberal French thinker and social philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, declared prophetically, “We are asleep on a volcano. Do you not feel the earth tremble anew?  A revolutionary wind is blowing and already on the horizon one can see the oncoming storm.”  When the volcano erupted at the start of 1848, it shook all of Europe and set it aflame. Within a short time, fierce riots broke…

On February 22 there were riots to protest the forced cancellation of one of several political gatherings in Paris, sponsored by the radical left to promote changes in the electoral laws. The protesting crowd, shouting “Vive la République!” and singing the “Marseillaise”, converged on the Place de la Madeleine.

The following day, the army moved in, shooting indiscriminately; barricades went up, and fierce fighting then raged for three days throughout the city. Louis-Philippe abdicated, stating “I will not be party to the shedding of more French blood.”  France had a new revolution… His regime, led by an authoritarian conservative prime minister, Guizot, seemed to have grown more unpopular by the day. Moreover, the country was in the worst economic crisis of the century. It began with an extreme drought in 1846 that completely destroyed the country’s crops.

With the King’s abdication, the provisional government of the Second Republic immediately attacked the country’s most serious problem – the plight of the worker. They shortened the workday in Paris to ten hours (to eleven hours in the provinces), abolished debtors’ prisons, and did away with such degrading physical punishments as the pillory. They also granted universal male suffrage for the first time in France and abolished slavery in the colonies.”

(Living in the Spirit’s Fire excerpts from pages 161 – 169).

https://www.omiworld.org/wp-content/uploads/Living-in-the-Spirits-Fire.pdf

REFLECTION

Eugene’s reflection on these events:

In her zeal for those she gave birth to or could give birth to in grace, there was no environment she feared, no form of government she rejected; Mother of Christians, she was always ready to press them all to her bosom, to nourish them with her doctrine, to serve them in every situation with unfailing love; and if she sometimes had preferences, it was for the little ones, for the poor, for the unfortunate, whose sufferings were her own.

Bishop Eugene’s Pastoral Letter to the people of Marseilles, 2 March 1848

Your Lordship is aware that I am speaking frankly and freely. A Bishop who is as far advanced as you are in the ways of God will understand better than I know how to express the importance of the considerations that I have only indicated.

You are the father, the protector and the counselor of our Oblates; no one should be more concerned than you that they be worthy of their vocation at all times, since it is in this way that they will be able to render themselves truly useful to your diocese where they will certainly do good, as they are doing in every place where they are established.

Letter to Bishop Buissas of Limoges, to whose diocese he had sent Oblates, 20 February 1848, EO XIII n 119

REFLECTION

Eugene expected the Oblates to have a special relationship with the Bishop in whose diocese they ministered, and that the Bishop be their protector. An aspect of this was that the Bishop respect their charism in the ministry entrusted to them.

Until the Second Vatican Council this relationship was blurred in many dioceses, thus in 1978 the Vatican issued a document highlighting the importance of a clear mutual recognition of the respective charismatic roles of the bishops and of religious congregations in their diocese.

“In this hour of cultural evolution and ecclesial renewal, therefore, it is necessary to preserve the identity of each institute so securely, that the danger of an ill-defined situation be avoided, lest religious, failing to give due consideration to the particular mode of action proper to their character, become part of the life of the Church in a vague and ambiguous way.” (The Church document Mutuae Relationes art 11)

Today we are also in the process of reflecting on and correcting the “vague and ambiguous way” in which the lay members of the Mazenodian Family share in the charism and vocation of St Eugene.

The Missionary Oblates were recognized as having received a charism from the Holy Spirit, and its expression in the Rule was approved by the Church on 17 February 1826. After this no one had the power to change its missionary orientation – not even the Founder himself – only the Church could do this. In pointing this out to the Bishop of Limoges, Eugene stresses two fundamental aspects of this charism.

I wanted to give Your Lordship a general view of our missionaries’ Constitutions, to help you understand that we cannot give them another orientation than that which they have received from the Church. Even were I to desire it, my authority does not go that far.

Hence it is essential that the Oblates form a community, where they can always find the spiritual aid the Constitutions assure them. In continuously disposing them to replace parish priests, they are deprived above all of the advantages they had come to seek in religious life, in community life; they are isolated for long periods of time, which is contrary to their Rules, and they are thrown into the parish ministry, which is also against their Rules and their vocation: they are called to the Congregation precisely never to be parish priests.

Furthermore, it is within their community that, by practicing virtues prescribed for them by mutual example and good direction, they find the means needed to preserve them in their fervor and the ways of perfection so that their ministry may be blessed by God and produce the fruit which, by God’s grace, we have always reaped.

Letter to Bishop Buissas of Limoges, 20 February 1848, EO XIII n 119

REFLECTION

“The charism is what defines our own identity within the Church, establishing our way of living out the following of Christ, with the end of making, in a certain sense, the presence of God tangible in the world, through the witness of our own charism.” (G. Nieto)

“Live the Life of Your Dreams: Be brave enough to live the life of your dreams according to your vision and purpose instead of the expectations and opinions of others.” (Roy T. Bennett)