Initially the community of Laus was made up of three persons: Henri Tempier, Bourrelier (a scholastic brother) and a prospective member (postulant). As the ministry of the shrine was re-established and grew, so were other Missionaries to join the community.<\/p>\n
\nMaintain in everything a most exact discipline; you are beginning to form a community in regularity, do not let abuses creep in…<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
As an example of regularity, Eugene wrote about taking one\u2019s time in the community prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours.<\/p>\n
\n… Remember how much importance I give to the Office being said very unhurriedly; I lay it on your conscience because nothing seems more unedifying to me, more incongruous than rushing through the psalmody. Whether we are in a hurry or not, we must go slowly with the psalms.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
I reiterate this to you, I much insist on it – it is my duty. Do not hesitate to impose a penance on whoever may infringe this indispensable rule of decency.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Henri Tempier, 22 February 1819, O.W. VI n. 40<\/em><\/p>\n
Refer above to the entry of April 20, 2012 for more on this part of the Rule.<\/p>\n
Years ago I remember being struck by an article of a former soldier who had had one book to keep him company in his months of loneliness in a cruel prisoner-of-war camp. He called his reflection \u201cslow, slow reading\u201d and described how he would spend hours savoring just one sentence or paragraph at a time, and how entering into the world of his book he was able to survive and keep his equilibrium. Eugene seems to be asking the same thing: savor the Word of God as it is used for prayer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>Thomas Merton<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Initially the community of Laus was made up of three persons: Henri Tempier, Bourrelier (a scholastic brother) and a prospective member (postulant). As the ministry of the shrine was re-established and grew, so were other Missionaries to join the community. … Continue reading