A few days after the retreat in Aix, during which the community had come to terms with the situation, Eugene spent time with the Archbishop of Aix, and that situation was cleared as well as Leflon narrates
The attitude maintained by the Founder, who was willing to submit to anything to save his Society, and the changing moods of the prelate, who gave in to every contradictory and successive impulse, made it possible on November 8 to ease the painful situation. The Founder’s conversation with the bishop ended with satisfaction on both sides.
In December a second visit, made by Father de Mazenod at the invitation of the bishop, further proved the latter’s change of heart: he “begged the Superior to forget everything,” wrote Father Courtès to Suzanne, “and showered him with politeness.” The bishop, who only a few weeks previously had been threatening to disband the entire Society of the Missionaries of Provence, nonchalantly reversed his stand by requesting the services of one of them as chaplain for the hospital at Aix.
Leflon II p. 250
“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” Napoleon Hill
I wonder what the family and friends of the prelate remembered after this incident? I wonder what the historians wrote about his whole viewpoint and experience of it? Did anyone write or remember it? I ask only because I have been looking at this from the viewpoint of the “victor”, of “righteousness”, you know – who was really right in all of this? I wonder how Eugene viewed all of it? I have the sneaking feeling it was with forgiveness and love, that same forgiveness and love that he was treated to and a part of each day.
I can somehow relate all of this to what is happening in my life today. Different from what Eugene and those early Oblates went through and yet so similar. How am I like that Bishop? How am I like St. Eugene? A little of both I suspect. The tendency, for me, is to want to be either all one way or the other, all good, all not so good [I don’t want to use the word bad]. And that is a heck of a lot easier than being both and.
Forgiveness. That is the word that keeps coming to me over and over this morning. It’s all about forgiveness. Perhaps that Bishop found it hard to say aloud that he might have been wrong [at least not all right]. Perhaps he did all that he could under the circumstances. It’s hard to say “I am wrong”, or that “I made a mistake” and there is a tendency to never to admit to that. I can remember one of my bosses at work several years ago telling me “never to admit to being wrong or making a mistake, to just move on/forward”, he told me that it would weaken me. But the cold hard fact is that I do make mistakes, and I am not always right. For me, I need to be able to say that before I can grow, before I can continue [or begin] to move forward, continue to live and love. And I’d better be able to forgive if I plan on asking for forgiveness. Truth be told I am not sure exactly “how to forgive”. I know that I experience forgiveness from God, from others [of being loved in spite of, or along with]. I know that I need to be willing to let go of “my hurts and grievances” if I am going to forgive [there is no room for false self-righteousness in a forgiving heart].
Another of these days where I seem to have strayed from the writing, but for me a wonderful way to begin Lent.
is the first time i log on
i am no longer with the oblates
i am married priest
handicap – wheel chair
bye
jlh