Tag Archives: conversion

FROM WORD TO ACTION

The next section of the Rule of 1818 moves to the logical conclusion of preaching: helping the listener to come to a personal encounter with God as Savior. Preaching should make people aware of their need for conversion, best expressed … Continue reading

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NOTA BENE: OBLATION AS A NEW HEART, A NEW SPIRIT, A NEW MISSION

Having enthused about the lofty ideals of the Missionaries and having drawn up the plan of action to achieve them, Eugene now returns to reality. The Nota Bene was written in response to the havoc being caused in the Church … Continue reading

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FAULTY INSTRUMENTS

So far we have seen that in the Rule, Eugene specified that the main aim of the Missionaries was to preach the Gospel to the most abandoned. Then he began to list the secondary aims, starting with that of making … Continue reading

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DISCOURAGING VICE

Before the Youth Congregation helped one of its members financially, it investigated his circumstances. If it came to light that his misfortune was caused through his own misbehaviour, then no help would be given because it would be seen as … Continue reading

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A GROUP THAT WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN AIX

In his first version of the Statutes of the Congrégation de la Jeunesse Chrétienne, written in 1813, Eugene defined its main purpose in the city of Aix: To form a body of very pious young people in the city, who … Continue reading

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THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAD BY THE QUALITY OF HIS LIFE

Until now Eugene’s retreats were centred on himself and his own search for human and spiritual growth – all this for the benefit of his ministry to the most abandoned. Now, after six months of the existence of the Missionaries … Continue reading

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EUGENE’S UNCLE IN NEED OF CONVERSION

Eugene’s expression of joy at his father’s experience of conversion, concludes with his asking the same grace for his uncle, Charles Louis de Mazenod: Be sure to tell this dear soul that I am helping him with all my power … Continue reading

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CONVERSION MAINTAINED BY FREQUENT USE OF THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

President de Mazenod’s conversion journey led him to the sacrament of confession. Eugene now invites him to use this sacrament on a regular basis to maintain the force and movement of his conversion. His idea of the sacrament is not … Continue reading

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CONVERSION: LET NOT A DAY GO PAST WITHOUT RECALLING WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU

Eugene continues to write to his father to give him advice on how to maintain the momentum of his experience of conversion. Much of what Eugene says actually reflects his own personal spiritual practices. It invites us to question ourselves … Continue reading

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ONE MUST NOT BE AFRAID OF SHOWING WHAT ONE HAS BECOME BY GOD’S GRACE

Eugene’s father had become seriously ill in December 1815 in Palermo. The event shocked him into reexamining the quality and direction of his life and of experiencing an ongoing conversion. His son, who was no stranger to conversion himself, responded: … Continue reading

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