EUGENIO BORG
1886-1967
Eugen Borg died on March 12th, 1967, aged almost 81 years. He had the privileged grace of bieng formed to holiness by our Founder himself. He was speciafically chosen by Fr Geroge Preca from among his first group of youths to be his right hand in founding the new Society of Christian Doctrine. Eugene became the first Superior General of the Society. He was fully imbued with the genuine spirit of the Founder. A Dockyard skilled pattern maker, "Mr Eugen" was respected by all and his holy zeal shown through. Eugen Borg wrote this letter (reproduced here in translation) to Paul Carbun of Sydney just when the Soceity was starting in Australia. This letter was first printed in issue no 12 of Preca Calling.
A Letter from the
First Superior General of the Society
Dear Brothers in Jesus Christ.
Peace be with you
It is with great pleasure that I write to you. I have only one aim in mind: exhorting you to strive solely to become ever more like our beloved Jesus Christ. Was it not St Paul who told us that “the ones whom God has chosen specially long ago, He intended them to become true images of his Son?” (Rom 8:29)
So I exhort you not to seek to be honoured or renowned, for Jesus Christ did not seek these things. On the contrary He despised them. Nor to seek unnecessary comforts of the body: Christ, since his birth, taught us by word and example how to practise the beautiful and necessary virtue of self-denial, especially when He told us, “Enter by the narrow gate,.. it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Mt 7:13-14).
Dear Members, self-denial is the virtue for bold and combating people. Self-control, especially in sensual appetites, has the privilege that, although we deny ourselves of some satisfactions, especially those prohibited by God, our hearts are filled with spiritual sweetness which surpasses by far sensual pleasure. In fact, St Philip Neri, who used to experience a lot of these spiritual consolations, especially going to bed, used to pray to God: “Now enough! Let me sleep!”
I want to make you understand this in order to have courage during trials so that you will never give in to any temptation. Remember always the words of St Paul, “Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of Christ...” (Rom 8:35). Can this temptation or this suffering separate us from God? No, for everything passes away; eternity alone remains for ever.
Dear Members, we should never, however, seek to have spiritual consolations. When God sends them, we welcome them with wide open hearts, as Kempis tells us. But when we are denied them, we should not give up all duties that God wants of us. Remember that the more consolations we get, the less pleasure is offered to God, and the less we take for ourselves the more is taken by God.
So, let us seek this alone, and only this: to love God with our whole heart, and make others love him because God deserves to be loved. This is our greatest duty: to use all our strength so that on that Day of Judgment we will have the greatest pleasure of seeing that enormous quantity of the blessed on the side of the Just, waiting for that sweet and gentle word uttered by the blessed and adorable voice of our beloved Jesus Christ: “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34). Our greatest joy, however, does not lie only in this, but because Jesus is the more glorified the greater the number of the righteous on his right side!
Therefore, work as much as you can, and teach catechism to all for those who teach will shine like stars in heaven (Dan 12:3).
Your faithful and humble servant
(Photograph and original letter and transcription found in Ewgenju Borg P.E.P 1886-1967, Gorg Borg, SDC, Malta. 1986 pp. 128-30, 139
C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s : We would like to congratulate Henry Brincat on his golden jubilee as SDC Member. Henry was incorporated in December 1952 in Malta. Presently he is activly serving in Brompton Centre South Australia. Brompton Members together with KEG Member Tonio Caruana and John Micallef, celebrating Henry's 50 years in the Society.
