HOW CAN WE REFUSE THIS GIFT OF GOD?

Posted on November 23, 2023 by franksantucci

1847 was a year of unexpected expansion for the Oblates in France. Firstly, establishing themselves in Nancy, in north east of the country. Then came the unexpected and providential invitation to open a house for mission preachers in Limoges in the center of France, 700 kilometers from Aix en Provence.

Eugene noted in his Diary:

October 3: What thus does Divine Providence ask of us? The kindness of God! Here is a letter which the Bishop of Limoges wrote to me to offer me a superb establishment in his episcopal city. The house is ready for receiving the missionaries which he is requesting of me…

How can we refuse this gift of God? An establishment in the centre of France, where the people have such a great need for being evangelized.

But, in addition, how to establish a staff in this establishment, at the moment when we are engaged in establishing that of Nancy and when it is necessary to send so many missionaries both to Canada and to Ceylon? There is something therein about which to rack one’s brains.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 3 October 1847, EO XXI

To Fr. Vincens he enthused:

Take out your map and find out where Limoges is located. You will find it in the center of France, touching several good dioceses, but with others as neighbours who have more need for missions than others do: Angoulème, Bourges, etc. I prostrated myself before the Lord when I received the first letter from this good Bishop who was offering us this vast field we are to cultivate with such great advantages.

Letter to Fr Ambroise Vincens, 19 October 1847, EO X n 949

REFLECTION

“We cannot measure Divine Providence by the yardstick of human mentality.” (A.J. Cronin)

This entry was posted in WRITINGS. Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to HOW CAN WE REFUSE THIS GIFT OF GOD?

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate says:
    November 23, 2023 at 12:24

    I feel as if Eugene is speaking to each one of us, as we try to respond to requests that are put before us.

    More God? You want more of us? It seems impossible until we remember and see through the eyes of our crucified Saviour. We pray about it, knowing how we are tired, yet recognizing that God has already and will always fill us with a love that breathes new life and renews each of us our own journeys to Emmaus. There is ahead of us a faint light that beckons…

    Eighteen months ago I felt God calling me to love still more who have so often been relegated to the edges of family and society. I requested permission to begin a new ministry within our own parish, even as I knew that this would somehow happen. I prayed to God and chose five, six and then seven to begin walking together as we accompanied one another on our own road to Emmaus, talking about who is in our lives and walking with God who is forever with us and ahead of us. New people from the area want to join us…

    These are the gifts that God bestows… How can we possibly refuse? As I look back and then forward, I realise that I am following the example of St. Eugene, every time he started and allowed his sons and now daughters to respond to the needs of the poorest, the most abandoned…

    These are but some of the gifts God lavishes upon us: they are a part of the life’s eternal flow. Fear and tiredness an integral part of our being might beckon us to quit, but it then that we are lavished with a love that refills and spills over. Always the Beloved meets our needs and beyond…

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *