Once Eugene had chosen which Oblates would participate in the parish mission in Allauch, one member of the community remained disappointed at not having been chosen for the team. Eugene wrote to him:
Don’t be anxious, what is postponed will not be lost and as soon as I can arrange a mission in which you can take part, I will not forget you.
Eugene then reminds this recently-ordained priest that Oblate mission is a community effort, and that all those who stay at home are still participating in the active ministry of the others through their solidarity:
In the meantime, our Fathers work for your benefit and on your behalf as for their own, for solidarity is the rule with us, as you know.
Letter to Bernard Vachon, 22 November 1824, EO VI n 158
From our Oblate Rule of Life:
We fulfil our mission in and through the community to which we belong.
CC&RR, Constitution 37.
“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Vince Lombardi
T his speaks to me today and even as I write this I smile at myself because my experience is that if it doesn’t speak to me or give me cause to reflect then perhaps it’s just because I don’t want it to.
Who among us has not at some time in our careers felt hurt and left-out when we were passed-over to be a part of a team working on a special project, one that we felt was so very suited to us, and that might ‘showcase’ the talent that we wanted to share with everyone else. How many of the Oblate priests and brothers on being given their first, second, most recent obedience have not felt hurt, disappointed when being asked to stay where they are or be sent to a “parish position” rather than being sent to a northern mission, or one in another country. Perhaps it is something as small/huge as trying to foster and support a way of living that already exists elsewhere but which leadership seems unable or unwilling to support (this can be anything from a parish ministry up to and including how we live out our membership as part of the Church).
How do we deal with these disappointments, these hurts, with what might be seen as having been ‘passed over’, ignored or slighted (did we even perhaps entertain the idea of being punished?. It’s hard and it hurts. Perhaps the answer or response lies in how we deal with all of it. For myself who has been going through something like this, it has been hard and there has been (and most likely it will sneak in there again) the temptation to quit, to give up. God seems to be working within – that is there in the invitation for me to look a little deeper at who I am in God, and that is incredibly hard (at least for me) – it has absolutely nothing to do with “doing”. I am not quitting or giving up but for the moment my focus seems to have been diverted and who knows perhaps the dream will see the light of day again, perhaps not.
The thought that has come to me this morning is “My grace is sufficient for you…” I had to look it up to find it was from Paul to the Corinthians and then see the rest of the quote; “… for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Again I seem to have taken a fork that appeared in the road that Frank and St Eugene have been leading us. I am grateful.