Saint John Eudes
Jean Eudes was born on November 14, 1601 in Ri, near Argentan. Ordained a priest in 1623 for the Society of the Oratory of Jesus of France, he later founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary and the Order of Our Lady of Charity. He died in Caen in 1680, and was canonized in 1925. He is celebrated every year on August 19. Let us embark on a journey to explore the life, journey, and the wisdom Jean Eudes can still impart upon us today.
At the end of this article on Saint John Eudes, we also invite you to discover other figures of holiness in the Guide to Saints on Hozana.
What can we learn from Saint John Eudes?
Saint John Eudes, a formidable apostle of the Sacred Heart!
Entirely dedicated to Jesus, Jean Eudes is notably recognized as the initiator of the liturgical worship of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. According to Jean Eudes, the hearts of Jesus and Mary constitute a singular heart. He expressed that “the Heart of Mary is Jesus”. In 1648, in Autun, Saint John Eudes established and presided over the inaugural liturgical feast of the Heart of Mary. Following this, in 1672, he became the first to compile an office and a Mass dedicated to the Heart of Jesus. John Eudes, canonized in 1925 (on the same day as Jean-Marie Vianney, also known as the Holy Curé of Ars, and in close proximity to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux), was honored with the title “Father, Doctor, and Apostle of the Liturgical Cults of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary” upon his canonization. It is for these compelling reasons that Saint John Eudes is regarded as a remarkable apostle of the Sacred Heart. Presently, devotion to the Sacred Heart encourages each Christian to contemplate the loving heart of Christ, which unveils the heart of the Father.
Saint John Eudes, a builder
We can also present Saint John Eudes as a genuine builder as he established two communities. Indeed, on March 25, 1643, he founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, also known as the Eudists. This congregation is now an international society of apostolic life, primarily comprising priests, in approximately 20 countries across four continents. Furthermore, sensing a calling to assist women in leaving prostitution and libertinage, Jean Eudes also established the Institute of Our Lady of Charity, a female religious congregation dedicated to supporting women in distress, particularly prostitutes. This institute merged with the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in 2014. Lastly, to effectively educate the priests of his era, he played a role in founding various seminaries, including those in Caen and Rennes.
Saint John Eudes, a formidable missionary and preacher
A true preacher and tireless missionary, Saint John Eudes will dedicate himself to interior missions. Moving on foot, on horseback, or by car, he preached no less than 117 parish missions until 1676. Ranging from a few days to a few weeks, the purpose of these missions was notably to reveal to Christians that, following their baptism, they were called to continue the life of Jesus. Preaching and mission were central to these missions. Lasting from a few days to a few weeks, they especially emphasized the aim of Christian life, which is holiness: “To be a Christian and to be a saint are the same, it is to profess Jesus Christ.” A renowned preacher, he authored numerous works and documents, which we encourage you to explore further in the article.
Saint John Eudes, an apostle of mercy
The foundation of the Our Lady of Charity Institute for women in distress, the establishment of seminaries for the training of priests, and its numerous missions including confessions in parishes are examples of actions that also made Jean Eudes a man of mercy.
Spirituality: What can Saint John Eudes bring us today?
The rediscovery of the dignity of baptism
Jean Eudes invites the baptized to rediscover the grandeur and dignity of their baptism. He speaks of baptism as the source of union with Christ, and as a covenant between man and God where each baptized individual is called to “form Jesus within him.” He will also demonstrate how baptism obligates us to renounce all that impedes the life of Christ within us in order to solely adhere to Him. Jean Eudes will also demonstrate that following baptism, “the Christian life is the continuation and fulfillment of the life of Jesus Christ.”
The spirituality of “Forming Jesus in us”
For Jean Eudes, “the work of works is the formation of Jesus in us.” To form Jesus is to enable Him to live and reign within us. On this matter, he articulated: “It should be our aspiration, our meticulous attention, and our primary preoccupation, to cultivate Jesus within us, that is to say, to enable Him to live and reign within us.” In his writings, Jean Eudes thus enjoins us to contemplate Jesus in all things “for He pervades all things, being the sanctity of the saints.” The cultivation of Jesus within us is facilitated by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Cultivating Jesus within oneself is to increasingly allow Christ to live in us, as articulated by Saint Paul in the Epistle to the Galatians: “I live, yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:20).
The inseparable link between baptism and holiness
Saint John Eudes recalled the connection between baptism and holiness. He stated that holiness is the calling of every baptized individual, “Whoever has been baptized is obligated to be holy,” or even that “to be a Christian and to be holy are one and the same, it is to profess Jesus Christ.” He also reminded us that every Christian is summoned to follow Jesus, the epitome of sanctity: “Whoever bears the Christian name is compelled to follow Jesus Christ in the sanctity of their life and conduct.” Additionally, he emphasized the significance for every baptized person to collaborate with Christ. Concerning this, in the publication My Life is Christ - Saint John Eudes and his Message, authored by Robert De Pas, he affirmed that “the holiest task you can undertake in the world is to labor with him for the salvation of souls.” Lastly, he underscored the importance of being receptive to the Holy Spirit, as he is “the primary agent of holiness and the Church's mission.”
To deepen your knowledge of Saint John Eudes
Some books
A talented preacher and writer, Jean Eudes has written numerous books and documents. Here is a list, obviously very incomplete, of some books on Saint John Eudes, which you can consult or obtain.
· The exercise of piety (1636)
· The life and kingdom of Jesus in Christian souls (1637)
· The testament of Jesus (1641)
· The catechism of the mission (1642)
· Warnings to missionary confessors (1644)
· Devotion to the Most Holy Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (1654)
· Man's covenant with God through holy baptism (1654)
· The manner of well serving the Mass (1660)
· The Good Confessor (1666)
· The admirable childhood of the Most Holy Mother of God (1676)
· The Apostolic Preacher (1685)
· The Admirable Heart (1680)
Some excerpts from the work of St. John Eudes
Excerpt from The Life and Kingdom of Jesus in Christian Souls
“Christian life is a continuation and fulfillment of the life of Jesus; all our actions must be a continuation of the actions of Jesus; we must be like so much of Jesus on earth, to continue his life and his works, and to do and suffer all that we do and suffer, holy and divine, in the spirit of Jesus, that is to say in the holy and divine dispositions and intentions with which Jesus behaved in his actions and his sufferings. ”
The sacred practice of prayer must be ranked among the primary foundations of Christian life and holiness because the entire life of Jesus Christ was nothing but a perpetual prayer, which we must perpetuate and embody in our lives as something so crucial and absolutely essential that the ground beneath our feet, the air we breathe, the bread that nourishes us, and the heart that beats in our chests are not as vital for human life as prayer is for a Christian to live in a truly Christian manner. ”
Excerpt from the Kingdom of Jesus
Therefore, it must be our desire, our care, and our primary focus to cultivate the presence of Jesus within us. This entails enabling Him to live and reign in us, and fostering the presence and reign of His Spirit, His devotion, His virtues, His sentiments, His inclinations, and His dispositions within us. ”
Other quotes
“The Sacrifice of the Mass is such a great entity that it would require three eternities to offer it adequately: the first to prepare for it, the second to conduct it, the third to give rightful thanks.” ”
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