Father Eymard’s Vow of Personality in 1865

On March 21, 1865, towards the end of his 65-day retreat in Rome, Father Peter Julian Eymard made a “vow of personality” to the Lord. We read in his notes:

“One must give to God one’s personality, love God for God and not for self, becoming nothing more than a shadow without name, without propriety, in order that Our Lord may continue in us His Incarnation…”

Eymard’s “vow of personality” – more commonly known as his praxis of “gift of self” defines a life exclusively surrendered to the will of God. It is a conscious act of abandoning our false self to realize and be our true self. It is what Our Savior, Jesus Christ, out of unconditional love, did as he offered himself as a total sacrifice to God for the redemption of us all. Our Lord continues to do this for us in every Eucharist celebration.

Gifting ourselves starts with recognizing that we are all created in God’s image. We were designed to reveal that sacred image through our acts of justice, love, and service. The gifting of self is a constant exercise of emptying one’s whole self – heart, mind, and soul – to allow God’s presence to fill the individual’s being. Father Julian Eymard truly understood, put into practice and promoted living such a life. Through the grace of God, may we, too, be transformed into living our lives as Eucharistic gifts for the entire world in all we do, say, and are.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord Jesus, guide us as we strive to imitate the “gift of self” conviction advocated by our Blessed Sacrament founder, Saint Peter Julian Eymard. May we increasingly empty ourselves and no longer live for ourselves but surrender to the Almighty’s will and freely allow you to live in us! Amen.