{"id":4035,"date":"2019-08-26T05:00:27","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T03:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/?p=4035"},"modified":"2019-06-14T03:06:45","modified_gmt":"2019-06-14T01:06:45","slug":"far-from-you-i-am-missing-something-that-is-essential-to-my-existence-i-am-only-half-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/?p=4035","title":{"rendered":"FAR FROM YOU I AM MISSING SOMETHING THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO MY EXISTENCE. I AM ONLY HALF-ALIVE"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
I am not happy with my position. Need I say it?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Exiled from Marseilles diocese, having been deprived of his French citizenship, constantly maligned in the anti-religious newspapers and political circles, and now far away from the people he loved who were being threatened by the cholera epidemic, to say that he was not happy with his position is rather an understatement!<\/p>\n

The few lines that follow in this letter are a powerful insight into the person of Eugene. At this moment of difficulty he confides in Henri Tempier, from whom he is geographically separated. \u201cSeparated from you, I am missing something that is essential to my existence. I am only half-alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let us recall that Henri Tempier had been the first companion of Eugene at the foundation of the Missionaries in 1816. He was the one who had immediately understood God\u2019s plan in the charism given to Eugene, and together they worked at bringing the Oblates to the same understanding. On Holy Thursday 1816 they had made a vow of obedience to God and to one another to discern and do the will of God. They were each other\u2019s spiritual directors and confessors. They were indeed \u201ctwo souls united\u201d in God, in the Oblate vocation and mission, and in the administration of the Diocese of Marseilles.<\/p>\n

Personality-wise, they were very different. Eugene was the impulsive charismatic visionary with a heart as large as the world. Henri was quiet, reserved, practical, and always deferential to Eugene\u2019s position as Superior General. These two opposites needed each other, and Eugene could never have achieved what he did without the constant support and advice of Henri.<\/p>\n

\n
Although you are often quite moody, and one can\u2019t ever share with you the pleasure of throwing reserve to the winds, of those uninhibited exchanges that are true joy for two souls as united as we are, and although without it being really your fault, I know, but due to your personality, you are always deferring to me, even so I am unable to live without you.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
When I\u2019m – I won\u2019t say separated from you, this often happens we are under the same roof – far from you, I am missing something that is essential to my existence. I am only half-alive and very sad.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Letter to Henri Tempier, 1 August 1835, EO VIII n 530<\/em><\/p>\n

This rare insight into Eugene\u2019s heart makes us understand why he was always inspired by the relationship between Jesus and his friend Lazarus, and held Jesus and his beloved disciples as the model for Oblate life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am not happy with my position. Need I say it? Exiled from Marseilles diocese, having been deprived of his French citizenship, constantly maligned in the anti-religious newspapers and political circles, and now far away from the people he loved … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4035\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}