Each year all the Oblates gathered for 8 days of community retreat. In 1826 it was held in Marseille from October 24 and concluded with the renewal of vows on November 1. Part of the retreat consisted in each participant examining his life and behavior over the previous year so as to make resolutions for a better quality of life in the coming year. Eugene was methodical in his approach to this:<\/p>\n
\nMy examination has to cover
\n1. My general duties as a Christian;
\n2. My duties as a simple religious;
\n3. My duties as superior, both in my own regard and towards the subjects who are under my obedience;
\n4. My duties as priest;
\n5. My duties as Vicar General of the diocese.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\nExamination of conscience, October 1826, EO XV n 157<\/em><\/p>\n
It is interesting to see the order in which he lists his various areas of identity: firstly as a baptized Christian, then his expression of his baptism as a religious, then as the one responsible for his Oblate community, then as a priest and, finally, as Vicar general of Marseille. The order of importance for his identity was firstly Christian, then Oblate and then priest.<\/p>\n
Eugene\u2019s reflection is relevant to each of us as well: in what order of importance would we classify the various \u201cidentities\u201d in our lives, and how are we living each one?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSpiritual identity means we are not what we do or what people say about us. And we are not what we have. We are the beloved daughters and sons of God.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Henri Nouwen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Each year all the Oblates gathered for 8 days of community retreat. In 1826 it was held in Marseille from October 24 and concluded with the renewal of vows on November 1. Part of the retreat consisted in each participant … Continue reading