Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Water From The Rock
Water From The Rock
Editor-in-Chief:
Br. AMEstan
Publications Commission:
Br. Emili Tur, Br. AMEstan,
Br. Onorino Rota and Luiz Da Rosa.
Original: English
Redactors:
English: Sr. Marie Kraus, SND
Comunications Group:
Br. Joadir Foresti, Br. Jean Pierre Destombes,
Br. Federico Carpintero and Br. AMEstan
Photography:
Br. AMEstan.
Photographic Archives of the Institute of the Marist Brothers.
Photographic Archives of the Fabbrica di San Pietro in Vaticano.
Formatting and Photolithography:
TIPOCROM, s.r.l.
Via A. Meucci, 28 00012 Guidonia (Roma)
Production and Administrative Centre:
Piazzale Marcellino Champagnat, 2.
C.P. 10250 00144 ROMA
Tel. (39) 06 545 171
Fax (39) 06 54 517 217
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.champagnat.org
Publisher:
Institute of the Marist Brothers
General House Rome
Printing:
C.S.C. GRAFICA, s.r.l.
Via A. Meucci, 28 00012 Guidonia (Roma)
June 2007
MARIST SPIRITUALITY
INDEX
FORWARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2. WE JOURNEY
IN FAITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4
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ROCK
3. AS BROTHERS
AND SISTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
FORWARD
DEAR
BROTHERS
AND
MEMBERS
OF
THE MARIST
FAMILY...
FORWARD
6 June 2007
Feast of Saint Marcellin
Dear Brothers and members of the Marist Family,
Marcellin Champagnats first recruits loved him for the elder brother
and father that he was. That fact is not surprising since the young priest
and his charges shared a great deal in common.
First of all, like the founder himself, Jean-Marie Granjon, the Audras
brothersJean-Baptiste and Jean-Claude, Antoine Couturier, Barthlemy Badard, Gabriel Rivat, and Jean-Baptise Furet were unpretentious
country lads who lived by the work of their hands. Second, for the most
part they were initially unlettered. The founder himself had had his
share of academic difficulties, and struggled in the seminary due to his
lack of preparation.
But the loyalty and dedication of the young men that Marcellin gathered round himself had roots that ran far deeper than similarities in
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background or experience. For the founder was a man who had fallen in
love with God, and with his help his young recruits eventually did the
same. Yes, under his tutelage they grew ever more aware of Gods presence and began to rely on Providence.
He advised each of them also to model himself on Mary, knowing that
it was a sure way for them to center their lives on the Lord. And so they
strove to make her ways their own. Keenly aware of the founders apostolic nature they mirrored his concern for Gods poor and competed with
one another to be of service to them.
In time their way of living the gospel became a reflection of the character and values of the person who inspired them. Years later so many of
them remembered this resolute and courageous man as enthusiastic and
practical, willing to take action, and blessed with a humble spirit. Herein lay the source of the simple and down-to-earth spirituality that he so
freely shared with them.
That spirituality had at its heart Marcellins own experience of being loved by Jesus and called by Mary. Along with the other early
Marists, he believed she was calling their Society to a renewed way of
being Church; at Fourvire they pledged themselves to make that
dream a reality.
The spirituality of Marcellin Champagnat and our early brothers has
been handed on to us as a precious heritage (C, 49). Made contemporary
by each generation it retains its Marial and apostolic dimensions. Our
task is to incarnate this spirituality in the many cultures and situations
in which the Institute finds itself at the moment.
FORWARD
Our brothers gathered in Chapter in 2001 asked the new General Administration to develop a guide that would make the Marist Apostolic
Spirituality of Marcellin Champagnat more accessible to a wider audience. They realized that since the Institutes beginnings this spirituality
has had an appeal not only to Marcellins brothers but to his lay Marists
as well. It is my privilege to introduce to you Water from the Rock: Marist
spirituality flowing in the tradition of Marcellin Champagnat.
This text is the work of many hands and the fruit of a great deal of
consultation. Aware also of the fact that any genuine spirituality is living
and dynamic, we need to keep in mind that what is written in these
pages is not meant to be the last word on the topic. Rather what appears
here is written for our age and time in history.
Though many played an important role in shaping this document and
its contents, one group in particularan international body of brothers,
laymen and women, and other Maristsshepherded the project
throughout. My thanks to all involved and in a special way to the members of that International Commission: Brother Benito Arbues, FMS,
Brother Bernard Beaudin, FMS, Brother Nicholas Fernando, FMS, Sister
Vivienne Goldstein, SM, Brother Maurice Goutagny, FMS, Brother
Lawrence Ndawala, FMS, Brother Spiridion Ndanga, FMS, Brother Graham Neist, FMS, Bernice Reintjens, Agnes Reyes, Vanderlei Soela, Brother Miguel Angel Santos, FMS, Brother Luis Garcia Sobrado, FMS, and
particularly Brother Peter Rodney, FMS, a member of our General Council, who oversaw the groups work.
Marcellins Marist Apostolic Spirituality is a living and dynamic experience of God, contemplative and action oriented at the same time.
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Transformed by the love of Jesus and called by Mary we are sent on mission, announcing Gods Good News to those children and young people
living on the margins of society.
Thus, the title of this text: Water from the Rock. Those who know well
the story of Marcellin will recall that he built the Hermitage by hand
with rock that he had hewn himself. The water from the Gier, a small river that runs through the Hermitage property, was an important second
source of life to the early community. Using the same two images, Water
from the Rock gives Marcellins Marist Apostolic Spirituality its central
and rightful place in the lives of each of us and all those who come to
know and love him as did those early recruits of his so many years ago.
May what you read here deepen your understanding and increase your
faith.
Blessings and affection,
11
INTRODUCTION
Marist Spirituality.
Landmarks
of the development
of our spirituality.
How to approach
this document.
INTRODUCTION
Our mandate
In 2001, the XXth General Chapter of the
Marist Brothers requested that reflection on
the subject of our spirituality be encouraged
and that a document, along the lines of the
Marist education document of 1998, be produced.1 In interpreting this mandate, the
General Council saw the text as helping us
to reflect upon and deepen our understanding, appreciation and living of Marist spirituality. The text is not meant to be the final
word on this spirituality, but rather a statement of how we understand it today. Therefore, it is essential that the document tell the
story over time about how our Marist
search for God was born, took root, and
flourished. It would open up the richness of
this spirituality and so better enable us to
offer this gift to the Church and the world.
It would also promote the growth of our life
in faith both personally and in the different
human communities in which we find our-
14
Marist Spirituality
Throughout life, our inner spiritual reality interacts dynamically with the experiences we undergo. On the one hand, what
we term our spirituality is moulded as we
embrace the experiences of our lives. On
the other, this spirituality shapes the way
we understand and relate to the world, to
people and to God.
When we speak of Christian spirituality
we refer to that unquenchable fire that
burns within, filling us with passion for
the building of the Kingdom of God.2 This
becomes the driving force of our lives as
we allow the Spirit of Christ to lead us.
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Landmarks
of the development
of our Spirituality
Marcellin was gifted with a profound
relationship with Jesus and Mary. Our
spirituality began with this gift. Beginning with the early intuition instilled in
him by the Spirit, which was influenced
by his own personality and the events
of his life, he and the first community
shaped a charism*. Thanks to their creative fidelity, this charism began to express itself in a spirituality.
At the time of Marcellins death in
1840, the spirituality was well developed, but not systematised. Soon after,
his disciples began to build up a body
of texts to describe the spirituality. Significant among them were: Life of Mar-
15
INTRODUCTION
16
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ing as a normal Christian way of relating to God. Our present text consciously seeks to incorporate and highlight
the mystical dimension in our spirituality. This Council also asked religious institutes to renew themselves according
to their founding charism. One consequence of this was that it gave impetus
to the systematic study of our patrimony and spiritual heritage.
How to approach
this document
What is new about this text is that it is
addressed to both Brothers and Lay
Marists. It reflects a belief that both
groups share in the common charism that
originated with Marcellin. They live out
of the same spirituality, though in different life circumstances.
INTRODUCTION
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1.
DRAWING
OF LIVING
FROM
STREAMS
WATER
Like Mary setting out in haste to the hill country, each week they
5. went
out into the surrounding hamlets to make Jesus known and
loved. They cared for poor children and welcomed them into their home.14
22
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groups way of living the Gospel was a reflection of the charac6. The
ter, values, and spirituality of its leader, Marcellin Champagnat. His
spirituality was deeply influenced by his own personality. His first disciples remembered with affection the Marcellin they knew: open, frank,
resolute, courageous, enthusiastic, constant and equable.15 His whole life
gave witness of a person with a practical disposition, a man of action,
and of humility. This enabled him to draw together from various
sources a simple and down-to-earth spirituality.16
among the formative influences that shaped his spirituality was
7. Key
Marcellins personal experience of being loved intensely by Jesus
and called by Mary. An incident early in 1823 (Memorare in the
Snow*) was understood by Marcellin and his Brothers as highly significant. Marcellin and Stanislaus were lost in a snow storm. With his companion unconscious at his feet, Marcellin believed that if Mary does not
come to our aid, we are lost. 17
Placing his life in Gods hands,
he prayed the Memorare. His
prayer to Mary was miraculously answered. Marcellin
and his first Brothers saw in
this incident a deeper reality:
God s choice of them to share
in the same mission that was
entrusted to Mary.
Marcellin was also deeply
8. aware
of the love of Jesus
and Mary for others. This in-
23
aroused him to immediately put into action his foundational insight, We must
have Brothers!18 The needs of young people and his responding vision for a
group of dedicated evangelizers was
now confirmed. They would bring the
good news of Jesus to people on the
margins of church and society. He had
been a priest for just four months.
was responding with dedication and in effective practi10. Marcellin
cal ways to the needs that he saw around him. But his response to
the needs of his time was also formed by the Project* shared by the first
Marists who dreamed of a renewed way of being Church, to which they
pledged themselves at Fourviere*. 19 With Jean-Claude Colin*, JeanneMarie Chavoin* and the other founding Marists*, Marcellin shared the
conviction that Mary was calling them together to respond to the needs
of post-Revolutionary France.
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25
are inspired by the vision and lives of Marcellin and his first
15. We
disciples as we journey to God. While we share such a pilgrimage
with many, we are conscious of our own distinctive style. We are gifted
to share in that transforming experience of being, with Mary, loved unconditionally by Jesus. From this flow the particular characteristics of
our manner of being followers of Champagnat.
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Trust in God
relationship with God, combined with
17. Marcellins
knowledge of his limitations, explains his unbounded confidence in God. The depth of this trust amazed
those who worked with him, and scandalized some who
judged his actions as reckless. In his humble way, Marcellin saw God at work, and so acted with courage and
commitment. Let us not offend God, asking him very little.
The bigger is our demand, the more we will be pleasing to God.22
Marcellins oft-expressed invocations If the Lord does not
build the house 23 and You know my God 24 were the spontaneous expressions of this confident trust.
endeavour to develop our relationship with
18. We
God so that, just as for Marcellin, it is our daily
source of renewed spiritual and apostolic dynamism.
This vitality makes us daring, despite our short-comings
and limited resources. Drawing from Marcellins experience we embrace the mysteries of our life with confidence, openness and self-giving.
27
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the foot of the Cross, we are in awe of a God who loves us with22. At
out reserve. We find a God who shares the physical and psychological suffering, betrayal, abandonment and violence experienced by
humanity, and transforms these experiences. There we enter the mystery
of redemptive suffering and learn humble fidelity in love.30 The crucified
Christ is the sign and deepest expression of a God who is love.
the Altar, the Eucharist, we find a privileged place to enter in23. At
to communion with the Body of Christ: to stand as one with all
who are members and to deepen our relationship with the living presence of Jesus in our lives. The celebration of the Eucharist, and prayer in
the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, were intense experiences of God
for Marcellin.31 Experiencing the Eucharist as the source and summit of
the Christian life leads us to the heart of the Marists spirituality.
special Marist places, where we encounter the love of Jesus,
24. These
are also meeting spaces with the poor. At the Crib, we are deeply
32
29
In Marys way
relationship of Marcellin to Mary was deeply marked by
25. The
an affective and total trust in her, as the Good Mother,* because it was her work that he undertook. He wrote once: Without
Mary we are nothing and with Mary we have everything, because Mary
always has her adorable Son within her arms or in her heart.33 This belief remained constant all through his life. Jesus and Mary
were the treasure on which Marcellin had learned to place
his own heart. This intimate relationship helped shape
the Marial dimension of our spirituality. In our tradition, the phrase Ordinary Resource* has come to encapsulate our constant reliance on Mary. The motto attributed to Champagnat by his biographer, All to Jesus
through Mary, all to Mary for Jesus, captures this close
relationship between the Son and the Mother and
our Founder s attitude of confidence in Mary,
which we are invited to live.
34
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Family spirit
and the first Brothers were united in heart and mind.
30. Marcellin
Their relationships were marked by warmth and tenderness. In
their discussions about living together as Brothers they found it useful to
compare the spirit of their community life to that of a family. Like our
early communities, we are inspired by the home of Nazareth to develop
31
those attitudes that make family spirit a reality: love and forgiveness, support and help, forgetfulness of self, openness to others, and joy.38 This style of
relating has become a characteristic of our way of being Marist.
our family spirit develops a spirituality that is strongly rela31. From
tional and affective. Marcellins preferred ways of relating to God
and to Mary were through familial terms: Jesus in his Sacred Heart,
Mary as Our Good Mother. The relationships he encouraged among
the Brothers, and between the Brothers and their students were described in similarly fraternal and loving ways. Among todays Marists,
with the expanded presence of women, the image of sister has enriched
the ways Marists relate, and define their ministry. Essentially, our relationship to one another is being brother and sister.
the followers of Marcellin are present, working togeth32. Wherever
er in mission, this family spirit is the Marist way of communal
living. Its well-spring is the love that Jesus has for all his brothers and
32
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sisters all of humanity. Through this spirit we offer an experience of belonging and union in mission.
A spirituality of simplicity
the heart of Marist spirituality coming from Marcellin and the
33. At
first Brothers is humility. It expresses itself in simplicity of behaviour, most especially in our way of relating to God and to others.
We strive to be persons of integrity - truthful, open-hearted and transparent in our relationships.
attitude grew from the experience of Marcellin and the first
34. This
Brothers. Marcellins formative environment was that of a loving
family in a small rural village. From his mother (Marie-Thrse Chirat*)
he learned to trust in the providence of God; from his aunt (Louise Champagnat*) he learned filial abandonment into the arms of this God. From
his father (Jean-Baptiste Champagnat*) he
learned sincerity and honesty. Through the
joys and struggles of life he learned to be
humble and confident. Aware of his limitations he experienced them as a grace when
he was able to dispose himself with confidence to the will of God. The first generation of Brothers were young men from environments similar to that of Marcellin. All
these providential circumstances developed a spirituality that was uncomplicated
and down to earth. 39
33
34
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35
1
of this ensures that, like Marcellin, our journey with God is
41. All
also one of simplicity. We approach God with transparency,
honesty, openness and trust. We consciously seek uncomplicated ways
to help us in this journey.
42
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37
2.
WE JOU R
U RNEY
IN
FAITH
The angel of the Lord
came to Mary.
Rejoice, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Do not fear, Mary,
the Lord has looked
kindly upon you.
The Holy Spirit
will come upon you.
Blessed are you
who believed.
I am the handmaid
of the Lord let it be done
to me as you have said.
WE JOURNEY IN FAITH
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41
WE JOURNEY IN FAITH
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WE JOURNEY IN FAITH
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45
WE JOURNEY IN FAITH
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prayer becomes, Oh Lord, how great is your love! And with a deep
trust that comes from knowing we are profoundly loved, we
confidently open our hearts to Gods will.
welcome God in this way, we need to develop an
74. To
attitude of openness. With Gods help we grow into
being an attentive listener to life, reflective and perceptive
when reviewing the events of our life, and generous in responding to the invitations of the Spirit contained within
the substance of our days.
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47
WE JOURNEY IN FAITH
divina*
Lectio
or meditating on the Word of God
contact with the Word of God al80. Daily
lows us to connect with our personal
journey from the perspective of the History of
Salvation. It takes us beyond our personal window on life to the larger window of the journey
of the People of God.
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Personal prayer
back on the events of our day, like the disciples of Em82. Looking
maus , we are able to see how God is present during our journey.
61
49
WE JOURNEY IN FAITH
2
Community prayer
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Faith sharing
Accompaniment
51
WE JOURNEY IN FAITH
Celebrating Eucharist
Reconciliation 64
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65
I am the handmaid
of the Lord
let it be done to me
as you have said
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53
3.
AS
BROTHERS
AND SISTERS
Now I give you
a new commandment:
Love one another.
Love one another,
just as I have loved you.
By this
will everyone know
that you are my disciples.
See how they love
one another.
Champagnat himself, that table may be seen as the embodiment of his efforts to create a community dedicated to the Lord. Furthermore, to share
more intimately with the first Brothers, the Founder abandoned the relative comfort of the presbytery to live with those first Brothers.71 Life-together, expressed through family spirit, is an integral part of his vision.
the core of our being we desire to love and be loved. We long
93. At
for belonging, solidarity, the chance to share our lives and the opportunity to change our circumstances. We unite to create families, to
support each other in our
ideals, to transform our society. Each family, group or
community is uniquely
marked by that which unites
them, that which lies at the
core of their connection.
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79
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blessed with the gift of life and with companions for our mission and our
lifes journey. We proclaim, not just what God has done for each one of
us, but what God is doing for us together, as family and community.
together supports and challenges us to be a community of
107. Life
mission. We listen to the invitations of God that flow through
our shared life and discern our shared response. Based on a common
trust in God, we offer our lives in service. In ministry we find ourselves,
like Jesus, broken open for our brothers and sisters. Truly, we are bread
of life for others as Jesus has been for us.
giving and receiving love, we are challenged to fight our ten108. By
dency to individualism, self-preoccupation and diminishing generosity. The building up of family spirit is demanding. We need to be present to others: attentive to them, able to listen, and give of our time. In this
area, young and old are equal since, in the gift of self, one does not age.
created us as sexual per109. God
sons so that we would find in
relationships with others our true human and spiritual nature.80 Our sexual
desires are an expression of the deepest human longing for union, with
others, and ultimately with God. The
relationship of Jesus with his disciples
and friends shows us the Christian
way to meaningful and mature intimacy and friendship. With Gods
grace we engage in the challenging
61
journey of growing into that inner harmony that attracted people to Jesus - humble and gentle of heart. 81 We cannot grow towards our potential as human beings without being involved with others, and responding to the support and challenges posed by those who share our journey
most intimately.
Brothers and Lay Marists, we try to develop a quality of com110. As
munion that allows families, religious communities and other
forms of community living to become homes where the young are helped
to mature, where we take care of those aging, and are especially kind to the
weak; places where we forgive one another and heal wounds, where we joyfully celebrate the life we share together. 82
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63
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and celebrate the Eucharist, our union with Jesus impels us to full communion,
with ourselves, with God, with one another, and with creation. The deeper we
live the moments of our daily life, and the way we relate to others and the
world, the more meaningful will be our prayer and liturgical celebrations.
89
terms brother and sister express in a very rich way the Marist style
119. The
of relating. Abrother or sister is one who is approachable, unassum90
ing, authentic, attentive and respectful. Brothering and sistering are ways of
relating that affirm others and inspire in them confidence and hope.91
world and its peoples always need hope. We can be both
120. Our
beautifully creative and mindlessly destructive. We may fear the
other. If we then tend to see ourselves as the centre of the universe and
our way as the only true way, conflicts will arise - in families and communities, but also between nations. Living as sisters and brothers offers a
hopeful and caring means by which our differences enrich our communion. Marist fraternity becomes a sign of hope for the world with a growing need for tolerance and peace.
and multi-religious world, there is an urgent
121. Inneeda multicultural
to develop intercultural structures that show how to live this
reality constructively. Communities that are multicultural invite us to share
65
66
in Life, we want to
grow in care for our
planet and all creation.
With others, we foster
the hope that all humankind will come to
appreciate the world as
our home, where nature is delicately balanced. This requires
our living together in
an atmosphere of reverence, mutual respect,
justice and participation.
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94
67
4.
BRINGING G
TO
GOOD NEWS
THE POOR
The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me.
He has anointed me
to bring good news
to the poor.
Go, therefore,
make disciples of all
the nations.
95
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to joyfully announce the news of a God who loves, and the sure promise
that a reign of justice and faithfulness is at hand. She brings to Elizabeth
both her hands for service and her experience of the Spirit.103
Mary in the Cenacle in the midst of the Apostles we - joy134. As
fully, simply and humbly - bring the Good News through our
presence and our faith.
104
106
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him, we want to form our hearts. Learning from him the ways of the
Kingdom, we communicate his message and his way of being and acting through our presence, our words and our deeds.
lives out his mission by both word and witness. In his re136. Jesus
lationships Jesus transcends boundaries of religion and culture.107 In these encounters, he values and affirms, and he challenges.
the people we meet each day we seek to be reflections of
137. For
God. Our desire is to be a visible and permanent memory of the
loving and merciful presence of God in the midst of people: living signs
of the Fathers tenderness.108 In some mysterious way, God works through
us and in us. Despite our limitations, which we well know, our goodness
is able to come through. By being with God we learn our way of being
like him: shepherd, friend, faithful companion.
chose to
138. Marcellin
call the first Marists
at La Valla* Brothers.109 He
believes in the strength of
love that builds fraternity and
heals wounds. Drawn by a
love that knows no bounds,
he feels compelled to be
Brother to all the world. His
vision extends far beyond his
own time and place: All the
dioceses of the world enter in our
plans.110
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of where we
139. Irrespective
live our mission or with
whom, being a brother means
that our relationships are consistently simple, welcoming, and encouraging through compassion, joy
and kindness. We are brothers and
sisters of those we meet along lifes
journey. This is how we live out our
Marist Apostolic Spirituality and
give flesh to our mission.
111
75
new challenges in life and widening their understanding of themselves, of others, of the world, and of God.
seeking to be present in the world of
143. Inyoung
people, at times we will encounter injustice, suffering and sometimes evil. Jesus invites us
to incorporate these experiences into our lives as a
sharing in his Paschal Mystery - the unity of Good
Friday and Easter Sunday, the paradox of failure producing life, life drawn from suffering.
Jesus and living out our mis144. Insionfollowing
we are inspired by Marcellins passionate and practical approach. With a heart for poor
children and youth, Marist apostles seek concrete responses to their painful reality.
carry out this mission in a variety of
145. We
ways. In all of them, we seek to kindle the
faith of people, and we give special value to initiatives that promote life and justice.
us, education is a privileged place for
146. For
evangelisation and human promotion.
114
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Spirit speaks Gods love ever afresh into our world. Like
148. The
Champagnat we desire to be continually open to its movement
and urgings. The dying Jean-Baptiste Montagne* impelled Marcellin to
begin his project of having Brothers to teach the deprived children of the
rural areas.117 Who are our Montagnes? Who today compels in us an apostolic response? These are leading questions in our ongoing discernment.
we direct our journey to those places where others would pre149. So
fer not to go, to enter into the suffering there, like Mary at the foot
of the Cross, and to be a presence and service that remains faithful, despite its risks. This experience urges us to move ahead, with courage and apos-
77
4
tolic zeal to difficult missions, to marginalised areas, and unexplored surroundings, where the seed of the kingdom has not yet taken root.118 When
our mission is concluded, we move on to new places that require our
presence.
is this dimension of Marist spirituality that has inspired
150. Itthousands
of Marists to generously answer the call of Mission
Ad Gentes. Their availability and continued creative fidelity are essential in the ongoing renewal and vitality of Marist life and mission.
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119
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WE
SEE
DREAM
NEW VISIONS,
NEW DREAMS
122
Carried
on his shoulders.
Filled with joy.
Seeing new visions,
dreaming new dreams.
Our souls
glorify the Lord.
Carried on his
shoulders
123
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83
125
84
Like St. Marcellin, seeking out the poor Montagnes* of his day,
we endeavour to become effective Marist educators of faith
today: we open new ways that enable youth to be transformed
by the experience of knowing and loving Jesus.
Like St. Marcellin, moving
from hamlet to hamlet on the
hills of the Pilat*, we readily
carry the gift of education
and Marist presence to places
and situations that might require abandoning securities
and even risking our lives.
Like St. Marcellin, humbly
anchored on the rock of
Gods unconditional love, we
actively engage in creating
new paths of inter-cultural
and inter-religious dialogue.
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REFLECTION QUESTIONS
We Journey in Faith
1. Can you recall incidents in your life which gave cause
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
to questions about God and faith? How have these doubts shaped
your spirituality?
Where is it easiest for you to encounter God? What obstacles
do you experience on the journey of your encounter with God?
What most nourishes your spirituality at this stage of your life?
What symbol or image would you use to express who God
is for you, and the nature of that relationship?
In your world, what are some of the footprints of God ?
What feeling is now welling up in you?
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2. Can you relate some examples of how your own spirituality has
3.
4.
NOTES
Introduction
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We Journey in Faith
43
48
Constitutions 11.
Cf. Letter to Br. Hilarion, Paris 18
March 1838 (Letter No. 181).
50
Marist Apostolic Spirituality No. 14,
from Proceedings of the XIXth General Chapter
(Rome, 1993).
51
Luke 1: 30.
52
Cf. Luke 1: 48-50.
49
91
NOTES
53
Luke 1: 48.
Luke 1: 35.
55
Cf. Luke 2: 19 and 51.
56
Constitutions 168.
57
Marist Apostolic Spirituality No. 29,
from Proceedings of the XIXth General
Chapter (Rome, 1993), Constitutions 43.
58
Life, Part 1, Chapter 6, pages 58-59.
59
Marist Apostolic Spirituality No. 26,
from Proceedings of the XIXth General
Chapter (Rome, 1993).
60
Constitutions 71.
61
Cf. Luke 24: 13-35.
62
Constitutions 73.
63
Cf. Constitutions 57 and 69. See also Br.
54
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78
Constitutions 21.
John 13: 34.
80
Cf Br. Sen Sammon, A Revolution of
the Heart: Marcellins spirituality and a
contemporary identity for his Little Brothers of Mary. Circulars Vol. XXXI, No. 1
(2003) page 51.
81
Matthew 11: 29.
82
Choose Life - the message of the XXth
General Chapter No. 24 (Rome, 2001).
83
Br. Sen Sammon, Marvellous Companions: community life among Marcellins Little Brothers of Mary. Circulars Vol. XXXI
No. 2 (2005) page 64.
84
John 2: 1-11.
85
Cf. The Memorare, in Life, Part 2,
Chapter 7, page 343.
86
Cf. Luke 15: 11-32. See also Br. Sen
Sammon, Marvelous Companions: community life among Marcellins Little Brothers of Mary. Circulars Vol. XXXI No. 2
(2005) page 66.
87
Cf. Choose Life - the Message of the XXth
General Chapter No. 20 (Rome 2001).
88
Cf. Br. Charles Howard, Marist Apostolic Spirituality. Circulars Vol. XXIX,
No. 8 (1992) pages 466 and 469.
89
John 13: 35.
90
Cf. Constitutions 3. See also Br.
Charles Howard, Marist Apostolic Spirituality. Circulars Vol. XXIX, No. 8 (1992),
79
93
NOTES
page 458-459.
91
Cf. Vita Consecrata No. 60.
92
Cf. Vita Consecrata No. 51 and Br.
Charles Howard, Marist Apostolic Spiri-
94
104
Luke 4: 18.
Life, Part 2, Chapter 6, page 330.
106
Cf. Choose Life the Message of the
XXth General Chapter No. 18 (Rome,
2001).
107
For example, with the Samaritan
woman - John 4: 7-27.
108
Constitutions 21.
109
To understand the use of the term
brother see the Introduction of this
document in the section How to understand and to use this text and also
paragraph No. 119 in Part 3.
110
Letter to Bishop de Bruillard, 15 February 1837 (Letter No. 93.)
111
Cf. Constitutions 82.
112
This has become a quite common expression among some Christian groups
since John Paul II used it to invite young
people to be sowers of hope on the II
World Youth Day in 1987 in Buenos
Aires. Subsequently, Br. Charles wrote a
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page 107.
Life, Part 1, Chapter 7, page 71:
However I want the fruits of your zeal
to be dedicated to the most ignorant
and the most deprived children.
118
Marist Apostolic Spirituality No. 16,
from Brothers in Solidarity - Proceedings
of the XIXth General Chapter (Rome,
1993).
119
Matthew 28: 18.
120
Cf. AnglicanRoman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) Mary:
Grace and Hope in Christ (2005) No. 5.
121
John 2: 5.
117
126
123
127
Cf. Joel 3: 1.
Cf. Luke 15: 5.
124
Cf. Luke 15: 5.
125
Cf. Joel 3: 1.
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CHARISM
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FOURVIRE
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References:
http://www.champagnat.org
Br. Jean-Baptiste, Life of Joseph-Benot-Marcellin Champagnat (Bicentenary
Edition) (Rome, 1989), Part 1, Chapter 3, page 30, note No. 35.
MARIE-FRANOISE PERROTON
PIONEERS OF THE
MISSIONARY SISTERS OF
THE SOCIETY OF MARY
Unlike most religious congregations, Marist Missionary Sisters do not
claim any founder or foundress except, perhaps, Our Lady herself. Rather,
they claim eleven Pioneers, exceptional women who went out on mission
in a way that was unheard of for women of their times. These Pioneers
began their missionary efforts in affiliation with the Society of Mary.
At the time of its recognition as a congregation in 1836, the Society of
Mary was given the responsibility to evangelize the islands of Oceania
and four Marist priests set out for the Pacific. A few years after the
martyrdom of St. Peter Chanel (Marist) in 1841, the people on the island
of Futuna became Catholic. It was a letter from two women of the Island
of Wallis asking for someone to come and help them and their children to
develop as good Christians that inspired the first Pioneer, MarieFranoise Perroton, to leave France and travel to the Pacific.
As Marie-Franoise Perroton stepped aboard a trading vessel headed for
the Pacific in 1845 at the age of 49, she took the first step towards the
establishment of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary (smsm).
Her great desire was to be missionary, happy to be associated with the
Society of Mary and perhaps eventually she would become a religious.
Marie-Franoise arrived in the Island of Wallis in 1846 and served the
people there for some years before going to a nearby island to continue
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her ministry. After twelve years in Oceania, she rejoiced in the day when
other women from France joined her. Between 1857 and 1860, ten other
women joined Marie-Franoise as missionaries in Wallis, Futuna, New
Caledonia and Samoa. It is these eleven women, the so-called Pioneer
sisters, who were there at the origins of the SMSM congregation.
Although the Pioneers were lay women, their desire to be missionary,
Marist and religious was evident.
Women from the islands of the Pacific joined them in the early years of
their missionary activity. And, over time, women from many other
countries followed in their footsteps. After years of development and
being held together as a loose affiliation of missionary women, the
congregation finally received official Church recognition in 1931 and
became known as the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary. It was
then that the movement launched by Marie-Franoise Perroton came
into its own.
Reference:
http://www.maristmissionarysmsm.org
GOOD MOTHER
Good Mother was the preferred title Marcellin Champagnat gave to Mary.
Among the different statues of Mary that Marcellin had with him and that
accompanied him during the birth and the development of the Institute,
there is a special one: the statue of Mary, the Good Mother. The statue,
showing Jesus in the arms of Mary, is an image of tenderness, and of the
loving presence of Mary. The child Jesus, calm and confident, is in attitude
of total reliance on Mary. This attitude of trust is fundamental in
Marcellins life and spirituality.
The image was quite popular in France during the XIXth century. The title
is not original to Father Champagnat. It was a name very popular in the
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France of his time. But he made it his own and came back to it again and
again in his writings.
References:
www.champagnat.org
Life, Part 1, Chapter 13, page 142 and Chapter 22, page 238.
Bro. Alexandre Balko, Repensons nos origines (Rome, 2001), Chapter 3.
JEAN-BAPTISTE
CHAMPAGNAT
Jean-Baptiste Champagnat, father of the future saint, was one of the better
off peasant landowners and a man of some education. At first, he
welcomed the Revolution of 1789, both for its ideals and for what he stood
to gain from its success. In time, however, it was apparent that his ardour
for the movement had cooled, and he rejected its excesses. They were
many: the beheading of a King, a burdensome policy of military
conscription, orders to hunt down priests and fugitive soldiers.
Throughout the revolutionary period, Marcellins father held several
important government positions in the town of Marlhes and
distinguished himself as a person of patience, moderation, and political
know-how. No one was killed, no one was taken away, the local church
was neither burned nor sold. As a thinker, revolutionary, government
official, tradesman, and farmer, what gifts did Jean-Baptiste pass along to
his son? Discernment, compassion for others, diplomacy, a head for
business, the skills of a labourer.
Reference:
Br. Sen Sammon, Saint Marcellin Champagnat The life and Mission
A heart that knew no bounds (Rome, 1999), pages 11-12.
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JEAN-CLAUDE
COLIN
A French Priest who became the founder of the Society of Mary (Marists).
Colin was born on the 7th August, 1790 at St-Bonnet-le-Troncy, in the
Rhone dpartement of France. His father had sheltered priests during the
turmoil of the French Revolution. Both parents died when Colin was only
four years old.
With his brother Pierre, Colin attended the minor seminary at SaintJodard, he also spent time at Alix and Verrires where he was a
contemporary of Marcellin Champagnat and John Vianney. In 1813 he
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JEANNE-MARIE
CHAVOIN
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LA LOUVESC
The small town of La Louvesc was a place of pilgrimage in the times of St.
Marcellin as it continues to be today. People would walk or travel to La
Louvesc to pray at the shrine of St. John Francis Regis who died there after
a good number of years of being the apostle of the region. At the time of
Fr. Champagnat, the small church where the Saint had been buried had
been converted into a basilica by the same architect, Mr. Bossan, of N.D.
de Fourvire.
Marcellin seems to have had a special bond with his mother: he was the
last surviving child, and seems to have been marked out from an early age
for something special in terms of the service of God. When he decided to
study for the priesthood, Marie-Thrse approved of and supported his
determination: she sent him off to her son-in-law for some elementary
education; and when it was apparent he was not succeeding in his studies
she encouraged him to further prayer and devotion, and took him on a
pilgrimage to the shrine of St John Francis Regis, at La Louvesc, 40
kilometres away. They walked! They were to make that pilgrimage again
after his first dismal year at the seminary.
La Louvesc is also the shrine where Fr. Champagnat went when Fr.
Bochard, Vicar of Lyons dioceses, tried by every means to unite the
Congregation of Brothers he had founded with the Brothers founded by
Marcellin. Fr. Champagnat was not of this idea and things were not easy
for him. At that time he himself made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St.
John Francis Regis at La Louvesc, interceding with him for the necessary
light and strength.
References:
http://www.maristoz.edu.au
Life, Part 1, Chapter 11, page 112.
Br. Jos Diez Villacorta, Lugares Maristas (Buenos Aires, 1999), pages 26-27.
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LECTIO DIVINA
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Lectio
Read the passage slowly several times.
Meditatio
Reflect on the text of the passage, thinking about how to apply it to
ones own life. Pay attention to any phrase or word that seems to be of
particular significance. This should not be confused with exegesis; but
is a very personal reading of the Scripture and application to ones
own life.
Oratio
Respond to the passage by opening up ones heart to God. This is not
primarily an intellectual exercise, but more the beginning of a
conversation with God.
Contemplatio
Listen to God. This is freeing oneself from ones own thoughts, both
mundane and holy. It is about hearing God talk to us; opening our
mind, heart and soul to the influence of God.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectio_divina
LHERMITAGE
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LITTLE BROTHERS
OF MARY
LITTLE VIRTUES
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MARCELLIN
CHAMPAGNAT
GLOSSARY
On the 2nd January, 1817 only six months after his arrival in La Valla, Marcellin, the 27-year-old curate, brought together his first two disciples.
Thus commenced the congregation of the Little Brothers of Mary, or
Marist Brothers.
In 1836, the Church recognized the Society of Mary and entrusted to it the
missions of Oceania. Marcellin took his vows as a member of the Society
of Mary, and sent three Brothers with the first missionary Marist Fathers
to the islands of the Pacific.
A lengthy illness gradually wore down his robust constitution. Worn out
by his labours, he died at the age of 51 on the 6th June, 1840.
Reference:
http://www.deaconlaz.org/marcellin_joseph_benoit_champagn.htm
MARIE-THRSE
CHIRAT
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Towards the end of 1814 Jean-Claude Courveille who had been a student
in another seminary transferred to Saint-Irne in Lyons. Courveille
recruited a group of senior seminarians to his idea of founding a Society
of Mary. He had been cured of semi-blindness after prayer to Our Lady of
Le Puy. In gratitude he had the inspiration and inner conviction that just
as there had arisen at the time of the Reformation a Society dedicated to
Jesus, the Jesuits, so at this time of Revolution there could be a Society
dedicated to Mary whose members would call themselves Marists. He
believed that the inspiration had come directly from Mary herself. The
original dream for the Marist family consisted of one religious
congregation and a lay branch. However, that dream was unrealizable.
In the new Society there was no provision for Teaching Brothers. And this
was the dearest wish of Marcellin Champagnat. He would often say to his
companions: We must have Brothers! We must have Brothers to teach
catechism, to help the missionaries and to conduct schools. As his
companions did not envisage the existence of Brothers in the new Society
they left in the hands of Marcellin the possibility to found them. He
willingly accepted the task.
Today, the term Marist is shared by a number of distinct religious
movements. Officially, there are the congregations of the Marist Fathers
and Brothers, Marist Brothers of the Schools (Little Brothers of Mary),
Marist Sisters and Marist Missionary Sisters. In addition there are Lay
Marist groups. Some Lay Marist groups have a spirituality which
originates in Father Colin. Other Lay Marist groups trace their spirituality
to St. Marcellin Champagnat.
Official approval by the Church for each of the branches of the Marist
family took place at different times. The Marist lay branch received formal
recognition in 1830. The Marist Fathers and Brothers were approved in
1836 and undertook major responsibility for the newly opened areas of
Western Oceania (the South Pacific). The Marist Brothers of the Schools
(Little Brothers of Mary) received their formal approval in 1863 and the
Marist Sisters in 1884. The Marist Missionary Sisters received official
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MARIST PROJECT
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In February 1823, Marcellin learned that Brother Jean-Baptiste in BourgArgental had come down with a serious illness. Concerned about his
condition, the young priest set out on the twenty-kilometre journey
across rough countryside to visit him. Brother Stanislaus was at his side.
On their return trip, walking through heavily timbered territory, the two
men were caught in the full fury of one of the regions snowstorms. Both
were young and energetic, but hours of wandering lost on the slopes of
Mount Pilat led eventually to exhaustion. Stanislaus had reached the
limits of his stamina. Night set in; the possibility of death in the snow
increased with each passing hour. Both men turned to Mary for help and
prayed the Memorare.
Within a short while, they spied lamplight, not too far away in the
distance. A local farmer, Mr. Donnet, had left his house to enter a nearby
stable. This particular evening, though, he had taken an unusual route,
especially with the storm underway. By habit, he entered the stable
through a convenient door in the wall of the house. For reasons that can
be explained only by faith, this particular night he braved wind and
snow and chose a route that took him outdoors with his lantern. For the
rest of his days, Marcellin saw his deliverance and that of Brother
Stanislaushenceforth referred to as the Memorare in the Snowas an
act of Providence.
References:
Br. Sen Sammon, Saint Marcellin Champagnat The life and Mission A
heart that knew no bounds (Rome, 1999), pages 44-45.
Life, Part 2, Chapter 7, pages 343-344.
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MISSION
Jesus was sent by the Father on mission. Led by the Spirit he announced
the Good News of the Kingdom, died to bring Gods family together in
unity and to consecrate the whole of the world to lead it to its fulfilment.
In his turn, Jesus entrusted the continuation of his mission to the Church
to the end of time.
The mission of the Church is that entrusted to Jesus followers. According
to the needs of the times the Holy Spirit inspires in the Church people or
groups of people to bring to fulfilment Jesus mission in the world.
Religious Institutes, like the Marist Brothers, receive a specific mission
through the founding charism that was given to St. Marcellin
Champagnat for the service of the Church and of the world.
The Mission of the Marist Institute is defined as the one of evangelizing
through education. Following Marcellin Champagnat we seek to be
apostles to youth and children, evangelizing through our life and our
presence among them as much as through our teaching: being neither
simply catechists, nor just teachers of secular subjects.
References:
Constitutions of the Marist Brothers, Nos. 78-79.
In the Footsteps of Marcellin Champagnat: a vision of Marist education today,
Nos. 75-85 (Rome, 1998).
MYSTICAL
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ORDINARY
RESOURCE
This is another common title for Mary used in the Marist tradition. The
expression Our Ordinary Resource referring to Mary never appears in
the actual writings of Marcellin Champagnat. In this sense the reflections
of Brother Jean-Baptiste in his Life of Marcellin might not be historically
accurate.
Brother Jean-Baptiste presents the following incident. By 1830 the
Congregation was not approved by the Government and the story went
abroad that it would be suppressed. In fact, the Prefect of the Loire was
preparing to close the novitiate. It is in these difficult circumstances, instead
of losing his calm and his courage, Father Champagnat had recourse to the
Blessed Virgin, confiding his community to her. Having assembled the
Brothers, Father Champagnat told them: Dont be frightened by the threats
made against you, and put aside all fear for your future; Mary who has gathered us
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in this house, will not allow us to be driven from it by mens malice. Let us be
more faithful than ever in honouring: she is our Ordinary Resource. This was
the only precaution he thought necessary to take; and Mary, in whom he
had placed all his confidence, didnt let him down: the Prefect was
transferred and the house was in no way disturbed. Afterwards, the
singing of the Salve Regina in the morning was maintained and became
an article of the Rule.
The quotation might not be fully true from the historical point of view.
However the title was handed on to Brothers from generation to
generation so that we may consider it part of the Marist tradition even if
this title in the meaning that it evokes is poorer than the one of Good
Mother.
Reference:
Life, Part 2, Chapter 7, pages 341-342.
PILAT
To care for the La Valla parish, which takes in the slopes and the passes of Mount
Pilat, was one of the most arduous and demanding of tasks. Its two thousand
population was mostly scattered amongst deep valleys or on steep heights. The La
Valla territory really beggars description. No matter what direction you go, there
is nothing but steep rises, sharp descents, crags and precipices. Several of its
hamlets, situated way down in the ravines of Pilat and at an hour and a halfs
distance from the church, were almost inaccessible for want of passable roads.
Reference:
Life, Part 1, Chapter 4, page 34.
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Each evening we take time to look back over the day, thanking the Father
for the ways in which His love has manifested itself, asking pardon for
our failings and renewing our desire to be faithful by giving ourselves to
Him as His sons. (Constitutions 72)
We learn gradually to penetrate beyond the surface of things, to see
beyond the evident to the within, to see as Jesus sees and to sense more
clearly His presence in our lives and His calls, His invitations to us
coming through the experience of daily living. is therefore centred, not
so much on ourselves and our efforts, but on discovering what God is
doing in our lives and the kind of response we are making to Him.
Reference:
Br. Charles Howard, Discernment. Circulars Vol. XXIX, No. 3 (1988),
page 141.
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VATICAN II
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The idea of vocation is central to Christian belief. God has created each
person with gifts and talents oriented toward specific purposes and a way
of life. Particularly in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, the idea of
vocation is associated with a divine call to service to the Church and
humanity through particular vocational life commitments. We may find
these commitments in any way of life: marriage to a particular person,
consecration as a religious, ordination to priestly ministry in the Church
and a holy life as a single person. In the broader sense, Christian vocation
includes the use of ones gifts in their profession, family life, church and
civic commitments for the sake of the greater common good.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocation
119
Saint Marcellin.
If the lord
does not build the house,
in vain do
the builders labour.
All to Jesus
through Mary,
all to Mary
for Jesus.