Mary in the Life of Religious (5)

Evangelical Counsels: Poverty

Mary stands as an example of religious poverty. She is "anawim", i.e., poor in spirit and poor in the presence of God. She finds that her greatest reason for praising and thanking the Lord is in her "being looked upon in her lowly state" (cf. Lk 1:46-55). Furthermore, by describing herself as lowly (=poor Lk 1:48), the Blessed Virgin identifies herself with the poor (Lk 1:52b).

Who are the poor that Mary identifies herself with? The Magnificat, Mary's song of praise, tells us that they are "those who fear God = lowly = hungry = servant Israel". The poor are thus those who recognize God as their ultimate and absolute value; they are those who "put all their hope in God" (Eph 1:12). [14]

To this poor, Mary acts as their spokeswoman. Her "option for the poor" is the fruit of her being "anawim". Religious therefore can find in Mary their model for how they can live their life of evangelical poverty. (They too speak in behalf of the poor; they share in the Church's preferential option for the marginalized and the oppressed). Furthermore, religious can emulate and imitate the spirit by which Mary sings her Magnificat, and then by this spirit, be moved to concretely act in their own particular way (according to their charism), how they are to manifest this in their lives.

Endnotes:

[14] De Candido, Vita Consacrata, p. 1482-1512.

Evangelical Counsels: Chastity

Mary stands also as an example of religious chastity. But as pointed out before, we are not going to consider the exterior aspects of the life of Mary and that of religious because they are very different.  Mary's vocation was not for celibacy but for married life and motherhood: she was the true wife of Joseph and the true mother of Jesus (cf. Mt 1:16 ..."of her was born Jesus"). On the other hand, we know well that the religious' vocation to celibacy excludes married life and motherhood or fatherhood.  Religious embrace chastity in celibacy for the kingdom of God (cf. Mt 19:12). "It makes the human heart free in such a way (cf. I Cor 7:32-35) as to fill it with greater love for God and for men" (PC 12). [15]

So how is Mary a model of religious in the area of chastity? The exemplarity of Mary, as far as the evangelical life of chastity is concerned, is in the line of "total openness and availability, in unconditional love, to God's initiative. "Mary's chastity is openness, emptiness, and availability filled with God. [16] In this, the religious can pattern how they are to live their life of chastity after the example of Mary.

Endnotes:
[14] De Candido, Vita Consacrata, p. 1482-1512.[15] Ibid.[16] Ibid.

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Mary, Model of Religious: Discipleship

Jesus' call for discipleship is for all Christians. Whether a man or a woman is single, married, in the priestly or religious state, all of them are called to follow him. The only difference that exists between the other states and the religious state is that for religious, the call becomes a "radical" call. All religious heed this call by living in a "state of life" that would embody their radical and total option to follow Christ and be his disciple.

The radical following of Christ is the fundamental norm of religious life. But no one followed Christ more radically and more faithfully than Mary. The various texts used for the Mass of religious profession contain precious points of religious spirituality: to follow Christ intimately, to transform life into a perfect gift, to grow in evangelical perfection, to be consecrated to the praises of God, to bear witness to the kingdom of heaven, to serve the brethren (cf. Opening Prayers of the Masses for the religious and for religious vocations). None has outdone Mary in making her life a perfect gift to God (cf. Lk 1:38) or in praising God and in bearing witness to His kingdom (cf. Lk 1:46-55) or in serving the brethren (cf. Lk 1:56; Jn 2:1-15). [12] She is truly the perfect disciple of Christ.

The gospels also present Mary first and foremost as a "Disciple of the Word". The following texts support this point: Mk 3:33-35, Mt 12:46-50, Lk 8:19-21; 11:27-28, and Jn 2:1-11; 19:25-27. Mary is the Perfect disciple because she "hears the Word of God" (Lk 8:19-21); she "keeps the word of God..." (Lk 11:27-28); and "she does the will of God". She is the perfect model of what it means to follow Jesus (Mk 3:33-35, Mt 12:46-50). Also she has shown a radical following of Christ by associating herself with the Mystery of Salvation. From the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11) up to the foot of the cross (Jn 19:25-27), she remained faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ. [13] It is along this line of Mary's spirit of faithfulness and perseverance in following Christ that religious can pattern their consecrated lives after. Pope John Paul II expresses this truth explicitly when he addressed the religious men and women gathered in Bombay on Feb. 10, 1986. He said, "Mary's discipleship shines forth as the foremost example of how your religious consecration is to be lived in faith and love."

Endnotes:

[12] Kaitholil, Hail, Full of Grace, p. 105.
[13] De Candido, Vita Consacrata, p. 1482-1512.

Mary, Model of Religious: Evangelical Counsels

Before dealing separately with the counsels, it is best to know what the Church has to say about Mary in relation to her being the model of religious life in this regard. The main conciliar texts that allude to this are the following:

"The counsels are especially able to pattern the Christian man after that manner of virgin and humble life which Christ the Lord elected for Himself, and which his Virgin Mother also chose". (LG 46)

"Mary...devoted herself totally as a handmaid of the Lord to the person and the work of her Son...as cooperating in the work of human salvation through free faith and obedience." (LG 56)

The Rite of Perpetual Profession, n. 38(=123) also has something to say in relation to this:

"Do you wish, with God's help, to embrace forever the life of perfect chastity, obedience and poverty which was chosen by Christ the Lord and the Virgin, His Mother?"

The Council proclaims that Mary is a model for religious in how they can live their evangelical life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. However, it would be good to mention again at this point that Mary's example to religious, living the evangelical counsels in a radical way, is not to be seen in its exterior aspects, but rather in the more intimate dimensions. It is within this context that we are to examine and explore how Mary in the profound and interior reality of her life, acts as a model to religious. (It should be noted also that a model has its limitations; no model can fit all of the categorical truths that we find in life because of reality's ambiguity and complexity.)

Mary in the Life of Religious (3)

Mary, Model of Religious

Before we affirm Mary as the model of religious life, we should also be aware of the primacy of her being a model of the Church. Mary being a model of religious consecration should not be "plucked out", as it were, or detached and divorced, from the larger context of her being the model of the Church. Catholic faith and devotion throughout the centuries have always looked upon the Blessed Virgin Mary as a type and a model of the Church. That is to say, we see in her what the Church and we, its members should become. In her life, the nature of the Church, especially the nature of our Christian calling, is made visibly present. That is the reason why we look upon her as an ideal for all of us. [8]

Endnotes:


[8] Anthony Malaviaratchi, C.Ss.R., Initiation into Religious Life: A Catechesis for Formation, (Bangalore: Redemptorist Publications, 1985), p. 16.

Mary, Model of Religious: Consecration

The Blessed Virgin is a unique model to the Church. Some members of the Church are called to use the things of this world, in order to love and serve God (laity); and some are called to renounce all things for the sake of God (religious).

In Mary, our model and mother, we see both these ways of showing Christian consecration to God. She is the mother and model of those who use the things of this world as well as those who leave all things for the sake of the gospel. [9] It is from this larger context that we are to see Mary particularly as a model for religious.

The religious have Mary as their model, for she was also totally consecrated to God, being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 1:35), having the Lord with her (cf. Lk 1:28) and being totally in the service of God (cf. Lk 1:38, 48). To God's design Mary said "fiat" (cf. Lk 1:38) by her free and total response to God who calls. Vatican Council II says, the religious "live only for God" (PC 5), even as Mary lived. [10]

Mary's consecration freed her from all interior limitation of spirit and love, and prompted her to the exercise of charity soon after she said yes to God - so she went to help her cousin Elizabeth (cf Lk 1:39-56). Religious consecration too leads to the purification of the heart and to spiritual freedom, and promotes the exercise of charity and divine worship. [11] Thus, we can plainly see that Mary's consecration to God is a type and model of the religious' consecration.

John Paul II also speaks along this line in "Redemptionis Donum". He said, "Among the persons totally consecrated to God, Mary is the first. She - the Virgin of Nazareth - is also the one most fully consecrated to God, consecrated in the most perfect way...If Mary is taken as the first model of the Church at large, more so she is to be taken by you, persons and communities consecrated to God within the Church...Hence I invite you all to revive your religious consecration after the model of Mary, the woman totally consecrated to God." (RD 17)

Endnotes:

[9] Anthony Malaviaratchi, C.Ss.R., Initiation into
Religious Life: A Catechesis for Formation, (Bangalore:
Redemptorist Publications, 1985), p. 17.
[10] Kaitholil, Hail, Full of Grace, p. 104.
[11] Ibid., p. 105.