Mary's Devotion to God's People
Preparation
1. Praise of the Father.
2. Hail Mary.
Text: The Society of Mary exists, not because of the early Marists' concern for Mary or for people's devotion to her, but because of Mary's concern for the Church, because of her devotion to God's people.
Setting: Fr. Jean-Claude Colin, who was among the first group of Marists, described a curious way of thinking and acting. He said, 'I place myself in the home of Nazareth and from there I see all that I have to do'.
Grace: Ask God for a deeper understanding of Mary's faith, so that you might choose her as your model and guide in following Jesus.
Reflection: Ask Mary what she thinks is the meaning of all that Jesus is doing--his preaching, his miracles, the opposition he is experiencing, his preference for outcasts, sinners and the poor. Listen to her response, especially:
1. How she senses in Jesus' life the coming of a new age, the kingdom of God, where the poor, the downtrodden, the outcasts, the powerless, the hungry, the fearful will be lifted up, and God's special love for them will be revealed, and they will be able to walk upright with great dignity as sons and daughters of the Father.
2. How that is the meaning of all that Jesus is doing: healing the blind and the lame, feeding the hungry, breaking the power of evil that binds men and women and leads to despair and death.
3. How she herself feels growing within her a great love and concern for all of God's people, and a feeling that the cares of God himself must become her cares, that she will be called on again, and soon, to care for others as she cared for Jesus. She will have other children, many others...
Conversation: Share with Mary your own feeling that you have experienced her care for you in a special way, and how, as you have been 'conversing with her, there has been growing in you a desire to serve others as she has, to devote yourself to God's people, and to take her as your model and as your companion and guide on your journey in life.
Journal: Record your reflections, and anything you have learned or felt, in your journal or notebook. Do this for each meditation. | |
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