The Paris (France) community organized a day on February 5, 2026, for the Eymardian family living in Paris and the surrounding area: the Servants, the community of Le Havre (DRC), the community of Rouen (Senegal), and Father Carlos (Congo-Brazzaville).

Father André Guitton began by situating these meditations in their context.

It was while drafting the Constitutions at Saint-Bonnet that Father Eymard had the following idea: that the four communities which exist would form the cenacle of Jerusalem. This is why he sent Father De Cuers and Brother Tesnière to Rome to obtain the Cenacle of Jerusalem. But they returned empty-handed. Father Eymard clung to his idea and went to Rome himself to have it accepted by the Pope (December 1864). But everything took a long time that stretched out over Christmas, Epiphany, the illness of a cardinal.

So he began a retreat until everything would be settled. During this retreat, he wrote three meditations a day. Since the retreat began on the 25^th of January (feast of the conversion of St Paul), he asked himself, like the Apostle, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” The first week was devoted to reflecting on his life and his shortcomings. From the 1st of February onward, this changed, and he no longer focused on himself, but on God’s goodness and grace.

The first meditation, on February 5 (NR 44,21), is very biblical. It does not deal with baptism based on the catechism, but on the Word of God. In speaking of his baptism, Peter Julian goes to the source: he considers the grace of his baptism as the sole source of his life as a Christian, priest, religious, and founder.

In the second meditation (NR 44,22), we find the famous phrase about him being always on the way. This does not mean that he travelled a lot. For this reason we also examined the first meditation of February 1 (NR 44,14). There we read: “all my states, a novitiate.” He considered all the events of his life (as an Oblate, diocesan priest, Marist, founder) and all the problems that accompanied them being positive and growth. He therefore said that he was always on the way.

In like manner he wrote: “I needed Marseille to give me an exclusive love for it, its centre. – Lyon, to give me the opportunity to practice it and set me on the path to the Cenacle. Then, that dear Cenacle, at God’s appointed time.” When he speaks of Marseille here, he is not referring to the Marseille of Father De Cuers, but to the Marseille of his novitiate with the Oblates. Everything was progressing toward “God’s appointed time,” that is, toward the founding of the congregation on May 13, 1856.

He also wrote: “The great error of my life has been to live too much by the mind, through the mind.” Eymard had preached and reflected a great deal, and he often delighted contemplating the beauty of the liturgy. There were limits to all of this. He had given everything with his intellect, but not yet with his heart.

In the third meditation, while considering the possible failure of acquiring the cenacle in Jerusalem he discovers a new reality: the cenacle “in me”, which he would receive on March 21 in making the vow of his personality.

Some comments from the persons present:

• Every time I baptize someone, I think of my own baptism.
• When I enter a church, I always look for two things: the baptismal font and the tabernacle.
• I was baptized at an advanced age, so I remember my baptism very well.
• When I entered the congregation, we began with a retreat with some reflections of Father Eymard. Among other things, today’s text. Since then, I celebrate the day of my baptism every year.

This journey has been very enriching for those taking part. This is, on the one hand, thanks to their reflection on Father Eymard’s texts and, on the other hand, thanks to the lively encounters that took place.

The Paris community