Being conformed to Christ with Mary


Being conformed to Christ with Mary
In this wonderful time of year, so close to the end of Advent and the beginning of Christmastime, somewhere in between shopping and the usual hecticness of our lives, in prayer we turn to Mary. Mary's Fiat was to say: "Yes, Lord!" when being asked to bring Him into the world. She, in her mid-teens promised to obey God's wish as stated by the Angel Gabriel, without the slightest hesitation or reserve. Mary had the perfect Christian spirituality. She had the disciple's commitment to become conformed ever more fully to her Master. That level of trust is expected of us, as well. In the beautiful writing of Blessed John Paul II, in "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" (15) we find the words: "15. Christian spirituality is distinguished by the disciple's commitment to become conformed ever more fully to his Master (cf. Rom 8:29; Phil 3:10,12). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Baptism grafts the believer like a branch onto the vine which is Christ (cf. Jn 15:5) and makes him a member of Christ's mystical Body (cf.1Cor 12:12; Rom 12:5). This initial unity, however, calls for a growing assimilation which will increasingly shape the conduct of the disciple in accordance with the “mind” of Christ: “Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5). In the words of the Apostle, we are called “to put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (cf. Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27)." And before the next paragraph in section 15 of the aforementioned document, the Holy Father refers to Blessed Bartolo Longo's writing as continued below. "In the spiritual journey of the Rosary, based on the constant contemplation – in Mary's company – of the face of Christ, this demanding ideal of being conformed to him is pursued through an association which could be described in terms of friendship. We are thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ's life and as it were to share his deepest feelings. In this regard Blessed Bartolo Longo has written: “Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection”. One more thing about two friends spending much time together -- husband and wife very often spend much time together, especially when the marriage is a blessed one. They get used to each others' habits, and they will often be silent, yet together in thought. I've seen it with my parents, with others, and most of all, I have seen it in my experiences in monastic life, where the three monks worked together, in silence, their minds on Jesus and on our Lady (as per discussion afterward). There is a certain beauty in this life, be it in a monastic community, or a marriage of lay people. What about people who live alone, widows, single people? In uniting themselves with Mary, with the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of Jesus, of God, we may turn this time to contemplation or meditation in the prayer of the Rosary, to be very close to her son, Our Lord. Blessed John Paul continues: "In this process of being conformed to Christ in the Rosary, we entrust ourselves in a special way to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin. She who is both the Mother of Christ and a member of the Church, indeed her “pre-eminent and altogether singular member”, is at the same time the “Mother of the Church”. As such, she continually brings to birth children for the mystical Body of her Son. She does so through her intercession, imploring upon them the inexhaustible outpouring of the Spirit. Mary is the perfect icon of the motherhood of the Church. The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary's side as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us with the same care, until Christ is “fully formed” in us (cf. Gal 4:19). This role of Mary, totally grounded in that of Christ and radically subordinated to it, “in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power”. This is the luminous principle expressed by the Second Vatican Council which I have so powerfully experienced in my own life and have made the basis of my episcopal motto: Totus Tuus. The motto is of course inspired by the teaching of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who explained in the following words Mary's role in the process of our configuration to Christ: “Our entire perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creatures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ”. Never as in the Rosary do the life of Jesus and that of Mary appear so deeply joined. Mary lives only in Christ and for Christ!" I will admit, I have never been a close follower of the Rosary as a prayer. Yet, in religious life we prayed the Rosary in common, every day, but when I think of praying the Rosary, and I do so often, I'm often busy with something else. I believe that Our Lord and his Mother invite us to pray the Rosary and that this invitation should be taken seriously. Prayer is, after all, a gift of God, so the invitation to pray is God calling us to His side, to pray. And now that we are closer to Christmas, the Rosary is a prayer we can recite as we are doing other things. Since it consists of five decades, these can be done in between many different things at different parts of the day if we cannot say it in one session. When I drive a long distance, I say a Rosary, but I do not hold a Rosary in my hands, and just estimate which Hail Mary I am on. That works and it does not take my attention off the road, but if the road is very busy, I'll stop praying. Then at home again, there is again time to pray. Our Lord desires our attention, and He will keep us safe. May Jesus, Mary, and St. Francis, always we the high point of your life as Franciscans! Fred Schaeffer, SFO December 13, 2011 By the way, many of us have a favorite Rosary ... In my 20's, I was with the Capuchin Fathers for a while (1959-1961), and in the years following, my Novicemaster gave me a nice Rosary, and I am still using it. I loved the Capuchin Order, and I still do, because in the early years they were very contemplative. This Rosary will always remind me of that wonderful time of my life. I left there because my father passed on shortly afterward and my Mom needed me at home. That often happens when one is an only child. Mom passed on twenty years later. They are at peace now.

In this wonderful time of year, so close to the end of Advent and the beginning of Christmastime, somewhere in between shopping and the usual hecticness of our lives, in prayer we turn to Mary. Mary's Fiat was to say: "Yes, Lord!" when being asked to bring Him into the world. She, in her mid-teens promised to obey God's wish as stated by the Angel Gabriel, without the slightest hesitation or reserve. Mary had the perfect Christian spirituality. She had the disciple's commitment to become conformed ever more fully to her Master. That level of trust is expected of us, as well.

In the beautiful writing of Blessed John Paul II, in "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" (15) we find the words:

"15. Christian spirituality is distinguished by the disciple's commitment to become conformed ever more fully to his Master (cf. Rom 8:29; Phil 3:10,12). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Baptism grafts the believer like a branch onto the vine which is Christ (cf. Jn 15:5) and makes him a member of Christ's mystical Body (cf.1Cor 12:12; Rom 12:5). This initial unity, however, calls for a growing assimilation which will increasingly shape the conduct of the disciple in accordance with the “mind” of Christ: “Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5). In the words of the Apostle, we are called “to put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (cf. Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27)."

And before the next paragraph in section 15 of the aforementioned document, the Holy Father refers to Blessed Bartolo Longo's writing as continued below.

"In the spiritual journey of the Rosary, based on the constant contemplation – in Mary's company – of the face of Christ, this demanding ideal of being conformed to him is pursued through an association which could be described in terms of friendship. We are thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ's life and as it were to share his deepest feelings. In this regard Blessed Bartolo Longo has written: “Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection”.

One more thing about two friends spending much time together -- husband and wife very often spend much time together, especially when the marriage is a blessed one. They get used to each others' habits, and they will often be silent, yet together in thought. I've seen it with my parents, with others, and most of all, I have seen it in my experiences in monastic life, where the three monks worked together, in silence, their minds on Jesus and on our Lady (as per discussion afterward). There is a certain beauty in this life, be it in a monastic community, or a marriage of lay people. What about people who live alone, widows, single people? In uniting themselves with Mary, with the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of Jesus, of God, we may turn this time to contemplation or meditation in the prayer of the Rosary, to be very close to her son, Our Lord.

Blessed John Paul continues: "In this process of being conformed to Christ in the Rosary, we entrust ourselves in a special way to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin. She who is both the Mother of Christ and a member of the Church, indeed her “pre-eminent and altogether singular member”, is at the same time the “Mother of the Church”. As such, she continually brings to birth children for the mystical Body of her Son. She does so through her intercession, imploring upon them the inexhaustible outpouring of the Spirit. Mary is the perfect icon of the motherhood of the Church.

The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary's side as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us with the same care, until Christ is “fully formed” in us (cf. Gal 4:19). This role of Mary, totally grounded in that of Christ and radically subordinated to it, “in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power”. This is the luminous principle expressed by the Second Vatican Council which I have so powerfully experienced in my own life and have made the basis of my episcopal motto: Totus Tuus. The motto is of course inspired by the teaching of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who explained in the following words Mary's role in the process of our configuration to Christ: “Our entire perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creatures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ”. Never as in the Rosary do the life of Jesus and that of Mary appear so deeply joined. Mary lives only in Christ and for Christ!"

I will admit, I have never been a close follower of the Rosary as a prayer. Yet, in religious life we prayed the Rosary in common, every day, but when I think of praying the Rosary, and I do so often, I'm often busy with something else. I believe that Our Lord and his Mother invite us to pray the Rosary and that this invitation should be taken seriously. Prayer is, after all, a gift of God, so the invitation to pray is God calling us to His side, to pray.

And now that we are closer to Christmas, the Rosary is a prayer we can recite as we are doing other things. Since it consists of five decades, these can be done in between many different things at different parts of the day if we cannot say it in one session. When I drive a long distance, I say a Rosary, but I do not hold a Rosary in my hands, and just estimate which Hail Mary I am on. That works and it does not take my attention off the road, but if the road is very busy, I'll stop praying. Then at home again, there is again time to pray. Our Lord desires our attention, and He will keep us safe.

May Jesus, Mary, and St. Francis, always we the high point of your life as Franciscans!

Fred Schaeffer, SFO
December 13, 2011

By the way, many of us have a favorite Rosary ... In my 20's, I was with the Capuchin Fathers for a while (1959-1961), and in the years following, my Novicemaster gave me a nice Rosary, and I am still using it. I loved the Capuchin Order, and I still do, because in the early years they were very contemplative. This Rosary will always remind me of that wonderful time of my life. I left there because my father passed on shortly afterward and my Mom needed me at home. That often happens when one is an only child. Mom passed on twenty years later. They are at peace now.