4.7 Commitment
STAGE 4: Towards the Likeness of Jesus Christ
MARIAN CONSECRATION TO
CHRIST-WISDOM
THE CAPTIVATING PRACTICE
COMMITMENT
Aim: To commit ourselves to the “apostolic” dimensions of our consecration.
Reading
Fiery deluge of pure love (PM 12; 17): “What, then, am I asking for? Liberos: true servants of the Blessed Virgin who, like a Dominic of old, will range far and wide, with the holy Gospel issuing from their mouths like a bright and burning flame, and the Rosary in their hands, and bay like your watchdogs, burn like fire and dispel the darkness of the world like a sun. Their inspiration will be their authentic devotion to Mary which will be interior and devoid of all hypocrisy, exterior but not critical, prudent and well-informed, tender without indifference, constant without fickleness, holy without presumption. In this way, they will crush the head of the serpent wherever they go […] When will it happen, this fiery deluge of pure love with which you are to set the whole world ablaze and which is to come, so gently yet so forcefully, that all nations […] will be caught up in its flames and be converted? […] Send this all-consuming Spirit upon the earth to create men and women who burn with this same fire and whose testimony will renew the face of the earth and reform your Church”.
Comment
“Through Mary” makes us trusting, trustworthy and discerning people. The interior practice of doing everything through Mary may influence and transform us in our way of relating with and serving others. Basically, this practice makes us trusting, trustworthy and discerning apostles. The experience of the respectful presence of Mary’s spirit in our life, may help us to approach and influence the people we meet with equal “Marian trust and respect”. Rather than controlling people’s lives, by imparting or imposing lessons on them, may we learn instead to trust the Spirit working in them, as Mary did in Cana: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). This is how we become trustworthy servants. Moreover, a continuous experience of the interior practice “through Mary” can acquaint us with the spirit of discernment. As Mary invites us to let go of our selfish motives and to embrace the values related to the wisdom of God, so we grow into persons who – in a world so dangerously enmeshed in confusing values – are able to offer a sense of direction, especially to the youth who need the testimony and companioning of guides that are familiar with the spirit of interiority, reflection and prayer.
“With Mary” makes us mirrors of Marian virtues and attitudes. As she relates to God with “lively faith” and to people with “true attentiveness”, so in our service we learn to be truly God-centred as well as to be “with and for” the others. Like Mary, we learn to maintain a sense of congruence between our words and our actions and we give people the impression that what we preach is what we live. Doing everything with Mary, makes us apostles who can touch peoples’ hearts because our message resonates with their lived experience. Again, this practice may bring us to gain a sense of spiritual depth, of active involvement and of significant creativeness in our apostolate as we imitate Mary’s (1) spirit of “interiority” enabling the wisdom process of “pondering”, (2) her deep commitment to “decisions of world importance”, (3) her ability to make “courageous choices”, (4) her “standing” by the cross, (5) her proclaiming the “rights of the poor”, (6) her “availability” to serve the needs of the larger community. In short, if we earnestly strive to understand who we really are, and how we can wisely do God’s work and serve others, then we may say that we are keenly resonating with Mary’s virtues and attitudes.
“In Mary” makes us zealous and enthusiastic servants, rooted in the wisdom of the heart. First, living “in Mary” draws the attention of the Spirit: “When the Holy Spirit finds Mary in a soul, he hastens there and enters fully into that soul” (TD 36). Those who live in the heart of God through Mary are directly instructed by the Spirit and, in their apostolate, produce the works of the Spirit. Second, living “in Mary” makes us zealous and enthusiastic missionaries: “The true servants of Mary will range far and wide, with the holy Gospel issuing from their mouths like a bright and burning flame and the Rosary in their hands, […] and will burn like fire and dispel the darkness of the world like a sun” (PM 12). Third, living “in Mary” enables us to live with the attitudes of the “heart” and to permeate “with heart” our relationships and service to others. Specifically, we learn to be gracious, compassionate, reflective, interiorly peaceful and free. When we live and serve “with heart” in the spirit of Mary, the love itself that is in our heart reveals to us the best thing we need to do.
“For Mary” makes us do God’s work with unconditional and creative love. Montfort tells us how we can do this.
- “We undertake and carry out great things for Mary” (TD 265). It means to make central in our apostolate, in our own unique way and according to our capacity, all that Mary loved most. Here we may include her special love for the Word of God (“My mother is she who hears the word of God and does it”), for the church (“With them there was Mary, the mother of Jesus”), and for the poor (“God has lifted up the lowly”).
- “We defend Mary’s privileges and uphold her good name” (TD 265). It’s not a question of simply speaking “apologetically” about Mary, but of truly living up to and enriching our apostolate with those virtues that are typically “Marian”. Here we may include: prayer of silence and contemplation, ability to listen from the heart, “sapiential” attitude toward life, living faith, profound humility or ability to understand where we need to be in order to witness the values of the Kingdom, divine purity or continuous striving to discern God’s will, gracefulness, gentleness, etc.
- “We attract other people to this true and sound devotion […] and apply ourselves to spreading it” (TD 265). It means, we “share” with others our “Marian” experience, mainly how it makes Jesus grow in our life.
Thus Montfort concludes: “As a reward for these little services, we should expect nothing in return save the honour of belonging to such a lovable Queen and the joy of being united through her to Jesus, her Son, by a bond that is indissoluble in time and in eternity. Glory to God in Mary! Glory to Mary in Jesus! Glory to God alone!” (TD 265).
Personal Reflection and Sharing
As I am about to make my consecration to Jesus, what related apostolic practices do I intend to commit myself to? With whom? How?
What follow-up do I intend to pursue, after my Consecration, in order to maintain its spirit aflame?
[4-7] CALL RESPONSE COMMITMENT PRAYER