BEING PART OF THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN A VAGUE AND AMBIGUOUS WAY

Posted on January 29, 2024 by franksantucci

Your Lordship is aware that I am speaking frankly and freely. A Bishop who is as far advanced as you are in the ways of God will understand better than I know how to express the importance of the considerations that I have only indicated.

You are the father, the protector and the counselor of our Oblates; no one should be more concerned than you that they be worthy of their vocation at all times, since it is in this way that they will be able to render themselves truly useful to your diocese where they will certainly do good, as they are doing in every place where they are established.

Letter to Bishop Buissas of Limoges, to whose diocese he had sent Oblates, 20 February 1848, EO XIII n 119

REFLECTION

Eugene expected the Oblates to have a special relationship with the Bishop in whose diocese they ministered, and that the Bishop be their protector. An aspect of this was that the Bishop respect their charism in the ministry entrusted to them.

Until the Second Vatican Council this relationship was blurred in many dioceses, thus in 1978 the Vatican issued a document highlighting the importance of a clear mutual recognition of the respective charismatic roles of the bishops and of religious congregations in their diocese.

“In this hour of cultural evolution and ecclesial renewal, therefore, it is necessary to preserve the identity of each institute so securely, that the danger of an ill-defined situation be avoided, lest religious, failing to give due consideration to the particular mode of action proper to their character, become part of the life of the Church in a vague and ambiguous way.” (The Church document Mutuae Relationes art 11)

Today we are also in the process of reflecting on and correcting the “vague and ambiguous way” in which the lay members of the Mazenodian Family share in the charism and vocation of St Eugene.

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1 Response to BEING PART OF THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN A VAGUE AND AMBIGUOUS WAY

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate says:
    January 29, 2024 at 12:51

    There is small joy bubbling up within me as I read the last few lines of the reflection. I think for a moment of Dorothy Day, Catherine de Hueck Doherty and Chiara Lubich… There are some that are not as well known, but who are a part of this Oblate/Mazenodian Family: some like myself who have heard and said yes to God’s call and Eugene’s invitation…

    “…when his eyes met mine…” Life becomes anything but “vague and ambiguous”. Having been created and called as a lay woman in the Church and whose foundational pillars are those which St. Eugene de Mazenod shared through his charism is experiential.

    Our shared vocation is about so much more than just our gender, our appearance, our cultural heritage and our ‘state’ of life. “The charism of Saint Eugene de Mazenod is a gift of the Spirit to the Church, and it radiates throughout the world. Lay people recognize that they are called to share in the charism according to their state of life, and to live it in ways that vary according to milieu and cultures. They share in a charism in a spirit of communion and reciprocity amongst themselves and with the Oblates.” (R 37a)

    The Oblate Rule of Life is more than just an identity card which will become a passport through life. By living this this rule of the heart we become models of true love and life. This morning my small green copy of the OMI Rule of Life opened to the article on Co-responsibility. I read: “All of us are coresponsible for the community’s life and apostolate. As a body, therefore, we discern the Spirit’s call and seek to achieve consensus in important matters, loyally supporting the decisions taken. Such shared decision-making can best take place in a collegial and trust-filled atmosphere.” (C 73) This is not about taking the spotlight, or trying to convince others that we are better, holier, or smarter than anyone else…

    As committed Lay Oblate Associates, we are not called to challenge the Church, but rather we rejoice in being a living part of her. It will not automatically mean that all struggles and challenges will fade away and rob us of our humanness. Rather it will enhance our experiences of life in God, of loving service to the Church, our community/ies and thos who live on the edges of life…

    Reply

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