IT IS THEREFORE NECESSARY TO ENTRUST THIS WORK TO THE CARE OF GOD

Posted on March 22, 2022 by franksantucci

The Oblates had been preaching a parish mission in a village of Provence and were experiencing hardships and lack of success. Eugene commented in his diary:

Letter from Fr. Courtès. He gives me the worst news about the mission of Bargemon. Never anything more hopeless. One ought to conclude from it that this poor Courtès is unfortunate on mission. Nevertheless, this is to lose courage a little quickly.

Despite the setback, Eugene recalls his experience that God produces results in every parish mission.

Which is the mission where one does not see those who appeared the most distant at the beginning return to God? One must not, therefore, appear beaten nor to be disposed to cede the field of battle… It is therefore necessary to hand over this work purely and simply to the care of God. Let us wait with patience and resignation.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 16 November 1844, EO XXI

When we are faced with difficulties, let us entrust ourselves simply to the care of God.

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1 Response to IT IS THEREFORE NECESSARY TO ENTRUST THIS WORK TO THE CARE OF GOD

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:
    March 22, 2022 at 10:42

    The word resignation as used by Eugene means more than just to quit and seems to have been used in the sense of patience and endurance.

    That seems to fit with the idea of turning the work and the end results over to God. I am reminded of Blessed Joseph Gerard who seemed unable to get the very people he served throughout his life to be baptised and still he went out in the manner that he had been called to live: to love, and then to love even more. His life seemed to be a matter of handing the care of those he loved over to the care of God.

    I think of the war in the Ukraine and the sense of helplessness that we have here to change it. And while the politicians impose sanctions on Russia, there seems to be little we can do to halt his advance as he systematically destroys everything in his path. It is . too big, too gruesome, perhaps even too hopeless…

    So we pray, so we turn the people of Ukraine over to the care of God and we continue to try to do small actions of love and kindness that will help and ease the suffering of the Ukrainian people. And like Blessed Joseph Gerard we remain faithful to both God and the people we have been sent to serve, just as are the Oblates who have remain in the Ukraine to serve the people who are trapped there.

    Today we are invited to join Fr. Jarek Pachocki OMI in a live-streamed conversation for a Special Edition of #VocationsCafé where he’ll be talking with his classmate Fr. Pawel Wyszkowski OMI, pastor of St. Nicholas Parish in Kiev, Ukraine Streamed LIVE http://fb.me/missionaryoblates #OblateVocations at 10:30AM EDT time. Fr. Wyszkowski will share how he and others are entrusting themselves simply to the care of God.

    Reply

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