Saturday, 20 October 2012 09:56

ANNIVERSARY OF JULES CHEVALIER, DIED 21st OCTOBER 1907

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The service of the Missionaries assumes many forms. Working as pastors, teachers of religious and secular subjects, tradesmen, nurses, bookeepers and administrators they not only do things that need to be done, but help the people they serve acquire these skills, so that they can take care of themselves and assist others with the same compassion.

The spiritual sons and daughters of Fr. Chevalier realize that salvation for all peoples lies in their knowing and loving Jesus Christ. The words of St. John are always before them: "God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son; anyone who has the Son has life, anyone who does not have the Son does not have life." (I John 5,11)

With Fr. Chevalier they discover the urgency of the task. Christ is not an option for the welfare of people. He alone is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6). There is so much suffering in the world because most people have not yet known God's answer to our misery. This suffering is compounded by those who have heard about Him, but reject him because they never experienced his love from those who profess to be his followers.

The spiritual sons and daughters of Fr. Chevalier know that Compassion is the way to announce the love of Christ to others. Compassion or identification with the people they are attempting to help, is the key to success. He or she must live among them, sharing their 1ife style as far as possible .. sharing their joys and sorrows and serving with the spirit of Christ. The truly compassionate missionary is deeply his/her indebtedness to Christ for everything, especially for forgiveness. He/she, therefore, will never be condescending, harsh, self-seeking, but always strive to be patient, gentle, kind and forgiving. He or she has but one aim: To make people really believe in Christ, because they have experienced his love through those who have come in his name.

What a vocation! How awesome it is to be chosen and sent by God to help others believe in his Son. Yet how necessary it is for their salvation. And how urgent it is, not only for the individuals, but also for society itself. The Christ is not as so many think, an option that can be ignored without serious consequences. Christian evangelization must therefore be seen as something vital and the method of evangelizing through compassion as intimately linked with its success.

To make everyone aware of these truths was the goal of Jules Chevalier. It remains the goal of his spiritual sons and daughters of the Sacred Heart.

Material from an article by Dennis Murphy MSC

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