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.