In the midst of a letter to Fr. Jeancard, in which he discusses Oblate affairs, Eugene has a moment of personal sharing that reveals the level of his suffering.<\/p>\n
\nWhen will my anguish end? Since All Saints 1828, I have not spent a day that has not been steeped in bitterness.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The illness and death of Marius Suzanne and the subsequent sickness and near-death of Hippolyte Court\u00e8s had so weakened him that he had fallen dangerously ill himself and nearly died. Months of slow convalescence in Grans were continued as he transferred to his sister\u2019s home in St. Martin de Palli\u00e9res.<\/p>\n
\nThe past, the present, the future are alike in weighing down my heart; I do not conceive how I can exist. However my strength returns and seems to stay proportionate with my need to sustain such great trials. I have been in pain all the time I have lived … am better since being here; but they nag me to get out of this mood.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
What would I go and do elsewhere? The doctor absolutely does not wish me to be occupied. Ah! if the good God had wished to permit that I die when all accounts had been settled, how much grief he might have spared me,<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
A dark moment of depression in his life, made worse by the serious chest illness of his 19 year-old niece, Nathalie \u2013 the reason why he spent some months at his sister\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
\nbut may his holy will be done, I say this with entire submission, in spite of all the revolting of a nature deprived of all its most legitimate affections. But I have not taken up my pen to discourse with you about my sorrows.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Jacques Jeancard, 26 September 1829, EO VII n 337<\/em><\/p>\n
Even in his darkest moments, Eugene\u2019s faith in the light of the Savior never wavered. He had been embraced by Jesus on the Cross, and he recognized and lived his response of oblation in every situation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the midst of a letter to Fr. Jeancard, in which he discusses Oblate affairs, Eugene has a moment of personal sharing that reveals the level of his suffering. When will my anguish end? Since All Saints 1828, I have … Continue reading