Sometime after being installed as Bishop of Marseilles at the end of 1837, Eugene drew up an undated daily schedule aiming at a balance between non-stop demands of activity and the need to be be spiritually replenished so that the day did not to become a directionless filling of activities..
I reproduce the whole program as it gives us a good idea of the importance of “being” in order to “do” for Eugene. His ministry flowed from and was a result of his time of communion with his God.
Morning prayer, oraison, mass, thanksgiving, little hours, Holy Scripture, spiritual reading, Vespers, Compline, rosary, adoration, Matins and Lauds, evening prayers, examen. I calculate 4 and a half to five hours.
Quite frequently as well, nearly every day, administration of the sacrament of confirmation, which can take on average another hour, so now we have nearly six hours for spiritual exercises.
What is left for study when one is the whole day long at the mercy of all-comers? Even so time has to be found for correspondence; two or three hours on Tuesday of each week have to be consecrated to the diocesan Council, Sundays are spent almost wholly in the church.
It is not easy to define the times best suited to each task. If I could get to bed at ten o’clock, I would get up at five, but it is usually nearer midnight than eleven when I get to bed. So let us fix on five-thirty. Let us be in the chapel a quarter of an hour later for oraison, to say mass, make thanksgiving and recite the little hours. It will always be close on eight o’clock when I leave the chapel.
As I am always made to waste time waiting for my dreary breakfast, I will go up to my room instead of going to the dining-room, and I will wait for someone to bring me up my coffee while occupying myself with the reading of the Holy Scripture.
If I could count on no one pushing past my door until ten, I would dispatch a lot of business, write a lot of letters, but experience has taught me that every day one comes up against people in a big hurry and who will not be reasoned with. Even so means must be found to keep them out until that time. From then until dinner [ed. the midday meal] no more rest.
After dinner some moments with the community, then one must escape from the house to work elsewhere. Otherwise the visits start up again and do not finish until evening.
“Daily Spiritual Exercises”, undated page sometime after 1837, EO XV n 189
If each of us were to draw up a similar daily program of “doing” and “being replenished”, what would it look like?
“Rising very early before dawn, Jesus left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”. Mark 1:35-37)
I wonder if Eugene set his schedule not as a way to measure how good he was but rather to use it so as to be able to balance his life – spiritual and physical well-being; the one relied upon the other.
I think of how often we say the Lord’s Prayer during our day; “…give us today our daily bread” This is how we feed our hearts and souls, our beings; more than just being able to receive the Eucharist at Mass. Communion we call it. We enter into communion with our Beloved and this pandemic has helped many of us to find this way.
Following a car accident I needed (and still do) to write things down that I want to accomplish because I am not always able to remember things and appointments. My prayer life is listed on those pages; and what I am not able to accomplish I carry over and write it on the new day’s page. It is a list of notations and they show who I am. During the day I will find time to stop and just be; at night I crawl into His arms so that I can let go and rest.
There is a small joy this morning in reading Eugene’s notes on who he was and even more joy in reading Mark’s description of how Jesus would begin his day. I am allowing Jesus to be my model – something that I have prayed for. I too rise each morning to spend private time with my God.
Look Lord at all you give to me, how you fill me. You save and I serve – a most beautiful balance.