Eugene describes his last visit to his dying nephew.<\/p>\n
Not being able to prolong my stay in Avignon, I had to part from Louis, my heart distressed and without hope of seeing him return to health. This blessed infant wanted to converse a few moments in particular with me…<\/strong><\/p>\n
May the Lord deign to accept, in expiation for my sins, all the cruel pains which I endure on the occasion of all these worthy recipients of my tenderness. Who could tell what I was suffering in this discussion during which this blessed child maintained an angelic calm and serenity which did not leave him. As for myself, “I die each day “[ed. 1 Cor. 15: 31].; in all the power of these words, this is the exact truth.<\/strong><\/p>\n
I embraced him, perhaps for the last time; I blessed him and, doing an extreme violence to myself, I tore myself away from him, in all likelihood to never see him again. My sister did as much and with the same strength of spirit, concentrating in her heart all her grief so as to spare the sensitivity of her son, who, on his part, controlled his emotions, interiorly offered his sacrifice to God, just as we ourselves did, and did not manifest exteriorly anything of what was happening in his soul. Oh! Calvary of my God! Oh! Virgin Mary! And in three days Jesus Christ had to come back to life. Our grief must last as long as our pitiful life! “May your will be done!”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Eugene de Mazenod\u2019s Diary, 8 February 1842, EO XXI<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eugene describes his last visit to his dying nephew. Not being able to prolong my stay in Avignon, I had to part from Louis, my heart distressed and without hope of seeing him return to health. This blessed infant wanted … Continue reading