Canonization of MOTHER marie eugenie

a thought from mother marie eugenie

“What is lacking to your sacrifice is lacking to your joy.”

(Instruction. January 5, 1883)

a thought, A Prayer for You

Joy is an important virtue for Marie Eugenie. Not for her the gloomy piety of so many of her contemporaries; instead, she chooses for herself and her sisters the joy that comes with knowing Jesus Christ and seeking to make him better known and loved. Obviously, this can demand sacrifice – and that can often make us self-important. She, however, punctures any ballooning pride in sacrificial behavior. Either there’s joy in sacrifice or there’s nothing.

As we begin the second week of Lent, dear Lord, it could be a temptation to pat myself on the back – I’ve given up this, that and the other thing and stuck with it for almost a week! But Marie Eugenie pulls me back to what matters. She prayed the Miserere (Psalm 51) every Friday morning of her religious life, and so I’ll pray it, too: “my sacrifice a contrite spirit -- a humble, contrite heart, O Lord, you will not spurn.” Amen.

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Saint Marie Eugenie's thoughts, life and spirit continue to inspire us today. They offer us a path to holiness that the Church recognizes as a way to God for women and men of all ages, cultures and times.

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How You Can Become A:

Metz, France: birthplace of Mother Marie Eugenie

Preisch, France: where Mother Marie Eugenie grew up

St. Segolene Church, Metz

where Marie Eugenie made her

First Communion

Paris, France: Motherhouse of the Religious of the Assumption