When faced with difficult situations, Eugene turned immediately to Jesus in prayer. He speaks of this gesture in terms of instinctively turning to a friend.
I admit, my dear good Guibert, your letter had deeply affected me. This was to the point that I did not have fortitude enough to write to you and that I needed to pour my heart into the bosom of our mutual Friend, the only confidant I could choose in this anguish
Letter to Joseph-Hippolyte Guibert, 26 June 1823, EO VI n. 109
Writing to one of the member of his missionary family, he is able to speak of “our mutual friend” – the bond that unites all Oblates is that with Jesus Christ, whom we are all invited to consider as our common friend.
Based on this experience of our Founder, our Rule of Life tells us:
We achieve unity in our life only in and through Jesus Christ. Our ministry involves us in a variety of tasks, yet each act in life is an occasion for personal encounter with the Lord, who through us gives himself to others and through others gives himself to us.
CC&RR, Constitution 31
“I am born for God only. Christ is nearer to me than father, or mother, or sister – a near relation, a more affectionate Friend; and I rejoice to follow Him, and to love Him. Blessed Jesus! You are all I want – a forerunner to me in all I ever shall go through as a Christian, a minister, or a missionary.” Henry Martyn
I can almost feel myself slowing down and just sort of being as I read and reflect on this. What a wonderfully perfect way to start the day.
On every levels it is always and only through Jesus that we are connected. Jesus, God, Savior, fully human. Jesus, brother, sister, parent, teacher, friend, lover, spouse. I know of no other way that we could be so connected with each other, except through love, through Jesus. “….each act in life is an occasion for personal encounter with the Lord, who through us gives himself to others and through others gives himself to us.” Again the image of fire, of our hearts reaching out, back and forth. It is not just lines out and back, for it [love, God] is all around us, a part of of our very essence. It is not linear or limited in any way. I am within God and God within me – we are “beloved” [be-love-d]. The divine and the human, all in one.
You [God] are my all. It is in You that I live and breathe and have form. Everything comes from and through You. At my core, my very centre it is You, always with me. You are my beginning and my end, and in the middle is all of my humanity, my frailties and my sin. And still You are here.