Continuing to reflect on Eugene’s letter of invitation to Hilaire Aubert, we come across a central concept of Eugene’s thought and action: that of forming a group that would be a life-giving cell in the world. He uses the word noyau, which refers to a group that is a source of life to others, like a nucleus in a group of cells, or the seed in a fruit, or the core of something that has life. When he started his youth congregation in Aix, it was for them to be yeast in the society of Aix. Similarly, the Missionaries were meant to be the same: an select group of persons who would be a source of life for others.
In order to be a life-giving force in France, the Missionaries would have to have a quality of life that would be a life-giving to others. They needed to aim at becoming saints by living the commandment of love, according to a Rule and with a transparent lifestyle like the apostles. In order to be a life-giving force in the world of today, we as members of the Mazenodian family, lay and religious, are called to a particular quality of life so as to be a nucleus in society.
Ah! if we could form a nucleus, there would soon cluster round it the most zealous elements in the diocese.
Think a while about that before the good God. You know that we must have, in order to do any good in our regions, people of the country who know the language.
Oh! do not doubt that we will become saints in our Congregation, free but united by bonds of the most tender charity, by exact submission to the Rule we would adopt, etc. We would live poorly, apostolically, etc.
Letter to Hilaire Aubert, priest and director of the Seminary of Limoges, 1815, O.W. VI n 3
(Note: Hilaire Aubert never joined the Missionaries of Provence)
One of those WOW moments for sure. The title simply jumped out at me, – no nice soft invitation here – I was hooked and grabbed. Though none of it is new, I still read it over a couple of times . I love what Eugene says, about the Congregation, “…we will become saints in our Congregation, free but united by bonds of the most tender charity…” I take that to mean all of us who have responded to the invitation to be members of the his Mazenodian family.
As Frank has said, it speaks to all of us who play a part in this Family, “who are called to a particular quality of life so as to be a nucleus in society.” And it is so very appropriate today, the Feast of the Holy Family!
Of course I do not ever forget my family, my siblings who though very far away will never be replaced in my heart – I love them so dearly. And there is my parish, who have been my lived family for more than 30 years. Hard to believe, but I love them as I love by siblings, they are each and everyone of them special and dear to me. Their lives and who they are, they are incredibly important and a part of me. And then there’s this Mazenodian family that I have been adopted into, and that’s where I find myself living and loving wildly and unabandonedly, becoming more and more alive. If ever there was a doubt as to where I belonged, all I would need to do is look and see how very much I am coming into being the person that God created me to be – all of it as an Oblate Associate in the Mazenodian Family. “…united by the bonds of the most tender charity…” – that was my experience in meeting some of the Associates in the Czech Republic two months ago, whom I recognized instantly and loved immediately (it was like the love was there before we met). I did not know that my heart could love so much, and it just continues to grow. With the love that I have for the Associates here, that I know and am with, with each one as we meet. When I see their faces before, me particularly in prayer, it is like there is a softening of my heart, they are that special. You are that special. We are family and I dare to say a holy family.
And so on this 5th day of Christmas, on this the Feast of the Holy Family, as members of this Mazenodian family, may we continue to be a “life-giving nucleus, that will be a source of life to others”. That can be our gift to each other as we celebrate this feast, as we reach out in our many ways to the most abandoned, who also join us in our hearts. Family.