Prayer used by St. Eugene de Mazenod before Meditation

O Mary Immaculate, faithful adorer of the Father, Mother most admirable of the Son, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, inspire within me the same sentiments that were yours while pondering the revealed mysteries which you treasured in your heart. Grant that I may ever live in union with your Son, my Savior, together with all who, by meditation, give honor to the most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Oblate Text

Our Lord Jesus Christ has left to us the task of continuing the great work of the redemption of mankind. It is towards this unique end that all our efforts must tend; as long as we will not have spent our whole life and given all our blood to achieve this, we can say nothing; especially when as yet we have given only a few drops of sweat and a few spells of fatigue. This spirit of being wholly devoted to the glory of God, the service of the Church and the salvation of souls, is the spirit that is proper to our Congregation, a small one, to be sure, but which will always be powerful as long as she is holy, (To Father Tempier, August 22, 1817).

From the Gospel according to John:

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.” (12: 23-26).

Reflection:

Article 2 of the OMI Rule of Life defines oblation as, “the unreserved gift we make of ourselves.” A pilgrim not only makes a commitment to be on the journey of holiness, but also makes a unique gift of self, often requiring sacrifice. St. Eugene understood oblation as a participation in the oblation of Christ, the Savior. As we journey through the season of Lent, we are challenged to be as the grain of wheat that must die for it to give much fruit. With St. Eugene, we share in the oblation of Christ who gave his life so that the world might share in his life. Today’s Oblate text clearly expresses the zeal St. Eugene wished to instill in his missionary family. We are not to be lax in our preaching the message of redemption, nor our willingness to live our oblation in our proper states of life. Our pilgrim journey must be full-hearted. Several times, in his writings, St. Eugene reminded his missionaries that he did not want half efforts. He desired missionaries that would give their all, who were filled with fire, zealous, and ardent in their desire to share the love of Christ, the Savior, totally devoted to preaching the depth of Christ’s love expressed in his gift of self on the cross. During Lent, we are called to reflect on the many ways through which we can, through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and penance, find the ardent zeal to journey as pilgrims of holiness. If we have not managed to spend all our efforts in making known the love of Christ, the Savior, then Lent can become the opportunity to reevaluate how with Him, we can die to self as grains of wheat that the resurrection of Christ may bring life to all those, we encounter on our pilgrim journey.

Reflection Questions:

1. In what ways does Lent offer you the opportunity to live more authentically your oblation as a member of the Mazenodian Family?

2. Where do you feel St. Eugene challenges you most to cooperate in the unreserved gift of Jesus Christ on the cross?

Concluding Prayers