Louise Fleury
Thought of Father Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I. / Reflection 3
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Sharing is learning to give without humiliating; it is learning to receive with simplicity. Reflections on the following thought: |
Start living again (2)
2. Life goes on
1. Goodness will make you a good philosopher. Accepting that you are good makes you feel less vulnerable, and it's no harder to defend a quality than a vice or a fault - you just have to be careful. Here are a few points to ponder:
2. Start life anew every 24 hours by doing your best.
3. Give a warm or friendly welcome today to the person who is just passing through your life and whom you may never see again.
4. That your work, in keeping with your talents and strengths, brings you closer to others and gives you a certain satisfaction.
5. May your tolerance be the guide to your friendships.
6. Cultivate joy and a smile. They are your light, the light that serves you and attracts the attention of others. A smile radiates from your face, giving a glow to the people and things around you. Full-faced smiles convey your joy to others, without diminishing your own.
7. Make plans, create projects. Plans are dreams that you make real, to which you give a body, a soul, a life.
8. If you want to go far, reduce the weight of your luggage. Make do with what you need for today.
Accepting others unconditionally is an open door, which makes it easier to welcome one another.
Excerpt from the “Collection Volontaires de Dieu”, Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I.
Universal face of the institute (2)
Acts of charity in various environments.
My name is Jeannette Amadis, Oblate of the Republic of Mauritius.
In my life, through my commitments, I practice acts of charity in various environments. In my family, I look after my older brother (aged 80), who has Alzheimer's, which requires me to be patient and listen to his needs.
I help out in my parish because I'm a member of the pastoral leadership team. There's always a lot to do, especially when the priest is away, because someone has to lead liturgical celebrations.
Being a seamstress, I'm available to sew clothes as required.
In the Secular Institute of the Oblate Sisters, I'm always ready to give advice. I pray for each member of my family and friends.
I help young people who have material or other needs.I look after the grandchildren in the parish and in the family.
I always maintain a good relationship with neighbours of other religions and other people I meet through “greetings” or “smiles”.
And that's it! All this makes me very happy.
I try to stay alert to the calls of events
In my day-to-day life, I try to stay alert to the calls of events. When I go to meet someone at the Retirement Home (Residence), where my visit is always appreciated, I ask myself: What little thing could I bring a lady to make her happy? Fruit? Homemade jam? One day, I made vegetable soup, so I brought her some. What a joy! I had made her happy with so little. Being attentive to people opens the door to unexpected ideas and pleasures that can be shared.
I'm also involved in an IDM association (burying our dead with dignity, for people who are alone and without financial means). The Town Hall takes care of the expenses, informs the president of IDM of the death, who informs the members of the association. Those who are able to do so accompany the deceased, so that they do not depart alone.
One day, when I was notified of a death, I wasn't available. But when I saw the name of the deceased, I was struck by the fact that she was a nurse's aide in the same clinic as I was, and we bumped into each other from time to time.
So, I moved my appointment to pay my last respects. I was saddened to learn that she had died alone, at home, with no family and no-one to accompany her. But I give thanks to the Lord, because that day there were two members of the association present. I invited the funeral directors to join us before the burial, so she departed surrounded by human brotherhood.
A phrase of Benedict XVI often comes to mind: “To be in the world, with the Heart of God”. To do this, we need to draw as much love as possible from the Heart of Jesus, to rely on the graces He gives us, in complete trust, without worrying about ourselves, with all the obstacles we have created, without reason, to let His Love work through us.
Marie Milan
France
THE END OF A FRUITFUL LIFE - Chapter 4 - Father Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I.
CHAPTER 4 -
The end of a fruitful life
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- A legacy to be shared today, the spirituality of the five attitudes: - A great detachment: join a community of his fellow Oblates at the Queen of Apostles Residence at Cap-de-la-Madeleine: - Easing towards the House of the Father, May 17, 2009 : When Father Parent reached the nineties, his health declined to the point where he could no longer write but he never stopped being an apostle. As often as he could, he would walk on the grounds of the Shrine to recite his rosary. He chatted with the children, the pilgrims and the regular visitors to Shrine. He made friends who accompanied him in the recitation of the rosary. Later, when he could go no further than the veranda of the residence, his faithful friends would go and sit with him there. |
Tribute to Rose Mathieu
I remember very well the first time I met Rose. She was teaching the Volunteers at a weekend meeting in Trois-Rivières. I couldn't help but tell her that her words had touched me and that I liked the way she talked about God.
A few years later, I was asked if I'd like to join the Volunteers of God Central Team. I must confess that I accepted because Rose was there, and I wanted to get to know her better, so I could talk to her on many subjects. I discovered a very open, sensitive woman with good judgment and, above all, a woman of God.
For over twenty years, I worked with her and Danielle, our secretary, to provide the Volunteers with food for thought and inspiring texts in our magazine, Sparks of Life. Rose always collaborated in different projects to give the best to the Volunteer teams and to single people. She was one of us; she never said you, the Volunteers, but often we, the Volunteers.
Working with her was easy. She was always in a good mood and ready to take on different challenges to give joy and enthusiasm to all the happy Volunteers living this spirituality of the 5 attitudes of life.
Rose was not only a collaborator for me, but also a great friend. I loved her reassuring, encouraging and comforting presence. I felt respected and loved, and our exchanges were always marked by the pleasure of seeing each other again, eating together, praying and singing the Glory of God.
I must say that I was privileged to have met an extraordinary missionary. During the trips I made with her in South America, I saw how much she was not only appreciated for her simplicity, but also for her love of people who have a thirst for spirituality.
I ask God, the Virgin Mary and all the angels to welcome her with infinite tenderness.
France Robitaille
Watch the beautiful video produced by Esther Acuna in tribute to Rose Mathieu, for her dedication and love towards the Volunteers of God
https://www.facebook.com/esther.acuna.14289/videos/341978895177336
Start living again (1)
“Do you want to be the sower of a day, sow flowers.
Do you want to be the sower of a life, sow a tree.
Do you want to be the sower of eternity, sow goodness.”
Father Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I.
1. You're rich and you don't know it
You can love when you risk loving. Your face becomes full of tenderness, your arms are ready to welcome, your legs to serve. You've got a heart; it's just a question of letting yourself be tamed. You're smart, but it's up to you to believe it first, and others will follow.
Love is your business, your job. You alone are the administrator, the exploiter, the distributor of your personal wealth. If you love yourself well, if you love yourself in truth, others will notice you, observe you and discover in you points that will provoke wonder and admiration.
• To love oneself is to search deep within oneself for one's qualities, to discover one's talents, to pool one's energies, to direct one's dynamism for the benefit of others.
• To love oneself is to seek out the best in others, to divulge the positive values of others, to tame oneself to the best in them.
• Loving ourselves means being attentive to others, discovering their needs, trying to help them blossom by letting them know that they are the agents of inner and outer happiness.
• Loving yourself means building yourself, developing your ability to listen.
Everyone has an energy inside them that we call self-confidence, which we use to encourage others.
Sowing the seeds of peace around you means renewing your heart, your mind and your life.
Excerpt from the “Collection Volontaires de Dieu”, Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I.
In memory of Father Roger Gauthier
A human, a priest, an oblate, a saint!
A human being filled to the brim with the Love of Christ. He got to know Him in his filial relationship with the Father through his own delving into the Gospel. Very early on, Father Gauthier grasped how the heavenly Father loves all his children through all their intellectual, psychological and spiritual faculties.
A priest deeply rooted in his priestly ministry, he is welcoming, available, open and eager to communicate the richness of his priestly heart, loving God more than anything. How many times have I been supported by Father Gauthier, in total amazement at his luminous depth! I was overwhelmed by the accuracy of his reflections and, for him, it seemed incredibly easy, indescribably obvious, to grasp God<s action through the slightest peccadillo of human activity. A wonderful priest with hid heart connected to divine Wisdom!
The word Oblat, the dictionary definition of which is “one who puts the needs of others before his own,” fits him like a glove. We Oblates were privileged to have Father Gauthier at our service, humanly, psychologically and spiritually, for some ten years. He was devoted beyond measure, seeking with all his strength to instruct us in the depths of our spirituality. He wrote study circles of unprecedented richness, preached retreats, led recollections; stopping at nothing for our human, even psychological and above all spiritual growth. Father Gauthier experienced the whole of the human being and knew how to look at the Creator's rich contribution in each of us.
A saint: his invincible faith was in the Church founded and willed by Christ. Whatever happened, Father Gauthier lived with the certainty that, because of Christ, the Church always retained its holiness, and human beings could have recourse to it or adhere to it at any time. I find a resemblance with Pope Francis, who lately has been communicating that the Church is open to all and for all.
Attentive to whomever he had in front of his, his unwavering freedom placed him spontaneously and viscerally in the heart of the person loved unconditionally by the Father.
I would like to draw your attention to Father Gauthier's holiness during the great ordeal of the 1st Advent Sunday in 2015, when paralysis crippled him? Many witnessed his courage to recover as much as he could physically. They saw how, in the midst of all this, he maintained a lively 
sense of hope, and an even stronger sense of JOY of living and loving, through the very great dependence he had on receiving care. In these attitudes, I saw his Oblate heart. In living these five apostolic attitudes, he showed faithful affection for Father Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I., and also for the Institute of the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate.
I think we can safely say that Father Gauthier adhered fully, serenely and peacefully to the loving will of his God. Following the example of Saint Paul, he waited and lived in depth with Christ, 103 years of earthly life offered by the Father.
What holiness!
Father Gauthier, I owe you eternal gratitude for being a wonderful human being, priest, Oblate with the heart of an Oblate, and saint that God gave to His Church.
Father Gauthier once wrote: “When they tell you I’ve passed away, don't believe them! I will NEVER die!” I GIVE ETERNAL GRATITUDE for nourishing our bond with you to such an extent. You are ALIVE...
For absolutely EVERYTHING: THANK YOU INFINITELY!
Marie-Jeanne Aucoin
A brief portrait of Father Gauthier
This will be a brief portrait of Father Gauthier, not from what he did, but from the privilege I had of seeing and loving him over the past 50 years. My notes will allow me to do it in a few minutes; otherwise, I could talk to you for hours.
Ten years ago, I said to him, “I love you so much; don't ever die.” He replied, “Don't worry; I'll wait until you're ready.” And he kept his word. I was ready only in the last two months, and he knew it. He was the greatest gift the Lord ever gave me.
An Oblate from Amos said to me last night: “He was a walking saint.” I added: “A gifted communicator and human relations expert.” I never saw him trying to look good, to place himself above others or ahead of others. For him, relationships came before protocol or principles. He remained himself in his simplicity and his genius for relationships. I'm in a good position to see that in his approach, he surpassed every psychologist I've ever known.
His frankness was another one of his values. To get closer to the truth (and he never said he possessed it), he was capable of becoming angry at an injustice, capable of denouncing, if necessary, in order not to leave a situation ambiguous. He was well aware of falsehoods and distorted words. However, after listening carefully, he did not pass judgment, but tried to gently guide towards greater truth, while letting the Holy Spirit flow freely.
All the people who spoke to me about him as a guide felt unique and loved, whether they were couples in the region, other lay people, priests or Oblates.
When I followed the Exercises of St Ignatius, which he led in La Pocatière, I was 30 years old, and it was a real conversion. Christ became very present in my life, a loving presence that He never ceased to show me, above all, in the person of Father Gauthier.
Father Gauthier also knew how to have fun. He had a great sense of humor, was not scandalized by more daring speeches and laughed heartily. He also knew how to make us laugh, and was just as good a comedian at social evenings, as he was at large Oblate festive gatherings. He wasn't afraid to imitate characters by singing like them.
One day, before his paralysis, we were at the top of the stairs here at Richelieu, and I challenged him, saying, “First one down!” He raced down the stairs and got there before me.
In short, Father Gauthier knew how to love, welcome, accompany and advise with wisdom, without giving orders, with intelligence and sincerity.
He is now capable of autonomy again, able to speak and walk like an angel.
Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher wrote:
“Love all the days the Lord gives you.” Father Gauthier loved for 35,595 days. That's why he never lost his SMILE.
He will always be my great friend and advisor.
By Janine Giguère, to the Oblates, October 6, 2023
Foto del sitio web de Saint-Ignace de Loyola :
https://www.jesuites.com/exercices-spirituels/
THE PUBLICATIONS Ch. 3 - Father Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I.
CHAPTER 3 - The publications
The spiritual author
The biographer
Father Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I.
Speaker and author well known to thousands.
Writing bearing concrete messages.
Many books on spirituality and human relationships.
For more information on publications in French: https://www.ommi-is.org/fondateur/livres
In English: https://www.ommi-is.org/en/the-founder/books
Time of grace
Our Oblate team, geographically dispersed from Ontario to Western Canada, meets regularly once a month via Zoom. But once a year (except during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic), we meet in person for a weekend at Still Point House of Prayer, a six-bedroom house run by the Sisters of St. Joseph and located in Calabogie, Ontario, an hour's drive west of Ottawa.
Situated in the countryside, at a point on the Madawaska River, the air is fresh and the environment calm. In the midst of nature, the presence of the Creator is tangible.
This year, the team booked from Friday, July 21 to Monday, July 24. The fact that there were six of us meant that we alone occupied the entire house, and we were exempted from the rule of silence. Why so? Because we rarely have the opportunity to meet in person. Our aim was not only to pray, but also to socialize, to get to know each other more in person, and to strengthen our bond of belonging to the team and to the institute. Our theme for the weekend was "Back to our roots with the Constitutions." Each of us prepared a reflection on one of our Attitudes to Life. And we took turns leading either morning or evening prayer.
Leisure moments and time spent around the table were filled with joy and laughter. Meals were served by the plate, adorned with tiny wild violets and green leaves gathered from nature by the kitchen personnel.
This weekend was special in light of two major events: firstly, the team member from Regina, Saskatchewan came, so the team was together in person for the very first time. Secondly, after a two-year process, two of us changed our vow renewal date from December 8 to August 15, allowing, for the first time, the whole team to renew together and be each other's witnesses.
On the day of departure, each left with a joyful heart, thankful for the stronger bond created between us and grateful for this time of grace spent together.
Louise Lalonde
Thought of Father Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I. / Reflection 2
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Charity is radiating in one's milieu the flame that blazes in our heart. Father Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I. Reflections on the following thought:
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