St Eugene de Mazenod, OMI May 21, 1861 – His Day of Dying and Rising

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Nearing 79 years of age, Eugene de Mazenod died on this day 159 years ago.  His dying words to brother Oblates at his bedside:  “Among yourselves, charity, charity, charity … and outside, zeal for the salvation of souls.”  For most of his life, including the starting of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate approved by the Church in 1826, the heart of Eugene are in his words to those most in need:  “Let me show you who you are in God’s eyes.”  His single-hearted vision in all of its real-life complexity was to know who we most truly are through the love of one another and therefore to show the same to others – whom we and “you are in God’s eyes.”

In his letter on the occasion of this anniversary,  Father Louis Lougen, OMI,  Superior General of the Oblates, painfully wrote of the world-wide suffering because of COVID-19, including the deaths of several Oblates.   

 “We [see] the excruciating pain caused by the virus and so many people dying alone, in isolation, separated from loved ones, often without the solace of the sacraments. Uncertainty, fear, anxiety and stress; unemployment, no salaries, hunger. The poor hit hardest by the pandemic.”
And then his letter took a surprising turn (at least for me) when Father Louis recalled something a prenovice has said two years ago:    “The Oblates are not a congregation of the past; it's one of the present and future, and even more so, considering the world today. We were born for times like this.”  

 He goes on to say:  “Isn't there a spark of St. Eugene de Mazenod in these words?  We were born for times like this: a period of fear, anxiety, confusion, and uncertainty, in which the most abandoned, the poorest, suffer the greatest hardship. And at the same time, a period offering new insights, new possibilities, new challenges, calling us drastically to wake up and care for our common home and its peoples.”

Today is an Oblate family day both for vowed Oblates and Oblate Associates, similar to remembering the deaths of parents, grandparents, siblings and more.

 It is also a day to gratefully remember Sister Chantelle, core community person at QHP for nearly two years.  Today is the 26th Anniversary of her first vows, 1994, the Feast of Pentecost that year.  The Gospel text she chose for that day of commitment is the very same as Oblates use on our feast days:  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … the Spirit has sent me to bring Good News to the poor …. Today these words are being fulfilled in your presence”  (Luke 4).  Blessing and thanksgiving to both Chantelle, PM and Eugene, OMI this day.

Prepared by Glenn, OMI, May 21, 2020

Comments

  1. JudithMay 21, 2020 at 8:03 PM

    I was very touched by Eugene's words "Let me show you who you are in God's eyes." And to remind myself that I am called to do this each day of my life - in a myriad of ways, showing each person I meet each day, who they are in God's eyes.
    And each of us, baptized in Christ, "were born for times like this." Let us open our minds and open our hearts - indeed our whole Self - to be God's instruments in this new world, however the occasions arise.
    And as we approach the feast of Pentecost, may we be open to the Spirit, within us and around us, sending us forth to be her presence in our world, in the situations of our lives.
    And indeed blessings and thanksgiving to Chantelle and to Eugene, and also to Glenn, who humbly and lovingly shows many "who they are in God's eyes".

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  2. DaveAndKarenMay 21, 2020 at 8:30 PM

    Thanks Glenn. I was also struck by this deep insight - indeed it is a prophetic voice.

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  3. GlennMay 30, 2020 at 12:07 PM

    From Rita and Larry Novakowski, St Davids, Ontario
    “You and your House of Prayer Community are often in our thoughts and prayers especially these days. Your QHP blog is a great way to keep your extended community connected. Our message today is in line with Louis Lougen's words (Oblate Superior General, May 21) about the time in which we are living in as ‘...a period offering new insights, new possibilities, new challenges, calling us drastically to wake up and care for our common home and its peoples.’ ” Rita and Larry alert us to a critical issue at this time in Canada, the proposals for 5G service (the next generation of WiFi service), that the installation of cell towers is moving forward without our realizing the danger these towers may be to the health of humans and other species. For more about this critical issue, there is a link: http://c4st.org/5gappeal/. They conclude: “This time of ‘reboot’ hopefully is helping us to look at the issues that are really important to us so that the world we return to is not the ‘old normal’ or even the ‘new normal’ that we settle for, but a world we create with our most loving and responsible intentions for the good of all. “



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