Marius Suzanne, convalescing from his serious illness, had been approached by the Bishop of Aix to become his secretary. Eugene felt strongly that this was not in keeping with the spirit of the Oblates, and so he wrote to Fr Court\u00e8s, the superior of Aix, where Fr Suzanne was recuperating<\/p>\n
\n… A palace and being cared for by an illustrious Bishop are too much for a poor religious who will need after his convalescence to promptly resume the observance of regular life, if he does not wish to run the risk of losing his spiritual life. One would be greatly to be pitied if one could become cured only this way.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Hippolyte Court\u00e8s, 15 July 1827, EO VII n 272<\/em><\/p>\n
To Marius Suzanne himself, Eugene pointed out his opposition, and also how the Bishop did not appreciate the full worth of the vocation of the missionaries in his diocese.<\/p>\n
\nThey propose that I send you to St. Antonin in the hope that in this honorable post, where you will only have to take the morning and evening prayers, say Mass and keep company with the Bishop, you will be able to regain all your strength …. So much in earnest is this proposal that seemingly it will bring on disagreement when they take it up again with me …. These offers are not propter Jesum tantum. <\/em>You will think you are dreaming when you read this but nevertheless it is so. Is it possible that they know so little about the worth of our profession. I am surprised more than ever. Let us not forget this at least ourselves and let the holiness of our life prevail to the extent of sparing us the humiliation of certain favors.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Marius Suzanne, 18 July 1827, EO VII n 273<\/em><\/p>\n
Today, I see this as an invitation to be discerning about the requests we receive for ministry: how do some of the demands on our time and energy fit into an Oblate focus?<\/p>\n
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\u201cMy choices, including those related to the day-to-day aspects of life, like the use of a modest car, are related to a spiritual discernment that responds to a need that arises from looking at things, at people and from reading the signs of the times. Discernment in the Lord guides me in my way of governing.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Pope Francis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Marius Suzanne, convalescing from his serious illness, had been approached by the Bishop of Aix to become his secretary. Eugene felt strongly that this was not in keeping with the spirit of the Oblates, and so he wrote to Fr … Continue reading