Father Adrien Telmon, one of the Oblate pioneers in Canada, was a whirlwind of activity! Highly talented, creative and impulsive, he zealously threw himself into countless missionary projects in France, and now in Canada. Eugene was concerned for his welfare.
I come back to your health. I see with deep sorrow that it is considerably weakened by the excess of work you have taken upon yourself. You have never known how to be moderate, my dear child. Yet you know the value I set on your existence and all I hope from your zeal and intelligence. Why make yourself incapable of acting for lack of measuring your strength?
– Eugene de Mazenod to Fr. Adrien Telmon in Canada
REFLECTION
“If you don’t take a Sabbath, something is wrong. You’re doing too much, you’re being too much in charge. You’ve got to quit, one day a week, and just watch what God is doing when you’re not doing anything.” (Eugene H. Peterson)
Lord, in our zeal to do good, help us to avoid burnout by listening to our bodies.
Fr. Frank Santucci OMI currently holds the Kusenberger Chair of Oblate Studies and is assisted by Fr. David Muñoz OMI. They are teachers at OST, and have Oblate and lay students following their online courses in many parts of the world. They are involved in promoting St. Eugene de Mazenod’s charism, spirituality and mission at many levels in the United States and throughout the countries where the Oblates and lay members f the Mazenodian Family are present. Father Frank has been producing these daily guided readings to the writings of Saint Eugene de Mazenod since 2010. They are published in English, French, Spanish and Polish, visit: http://www.eugenedemazenod.net/