On 23 December 1809 Eugene made a definitive commitment towards the priesthood by being being ordained to the sub-diaconate. In a conference on that day he linked the commitment to give himself totally to the service of the People of God with Mary’s giving of the Savior in the Incarnation.
These are the feelings which the grace of ordination has given birth to in our hearts. Let us go, my brothers, and place them at the foot of the crib of Jesus who will soon make his appearance. Let us be the first thing that catches his attention at the moment of his birth, and at the very instant that Mary presents the world with its Savior. Let us swear to him with one voice that we will be eternally faithful to the oath we have just taken to give our lives a thousand times over in defense of the inviolability of his Church.
Amen, amen.
Conference for subdiaconate ordination day, 23 December 1809, EO XIV n 65.
“To become the Mother of the Savior, Mary, was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role. The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as ‘full of grace.’ In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 490
I remember the practice that some friends of mine who happened to be nuns had at Christmas of placing a babe (a doll) into a manger on Christmas morning. It was done with reverence and awe and there was a sweetness to it that I did not at the time understand. So I scoffed at it. I understand better now the freedom that they had to do that. This morning when I read the words of Eugene I wanted to at first scoff and realised my defenses were up and had to stop myself and ask why. What was I afraid of?
We all seem to model ourselves on someone or someones, always there is a least one person who has gone before us that we try to emulate as we go through life. We never have to just do it all on our own, dream it up, give it flesh and then follow. We have people throughout time, men and women of the old testament who like us, were waiting for a Savior. Then there are those who stand out, above the rest, like Mary, Jesus, St. Paul, St. Eugene, even the st. Catherines and st Kays, st. Toms and st. Franks, st. Erins and st. Kens. They have many of them, gone before us but there are still many who teach us, show us a way of living and being, who take our hands and walk with us, sharing their wisdom and the many gifts God has given to them. Just as we too, find ourselves sharing who we are with those around us, learning from and with each other as well as those who have gone before us how to make our own oblation, give our all to God.
I used to think that for any/all of us to give of ourselves totally to God we had to become religious or clerics, like I would have to become a ‘perfect’ human being somehow. Impossible – at least for me. How will I present myself before Mary and Jesus and what will catch his eyes as they open? Shall he see me running away or stepping forward in the freedom of his love to give myself over to him in whatever way he has called/calls me? What will my gift, my oblation look like?