ECCE - FIAT

retreat on the unity of the charism

DOCUMENTS FOR THE RETREATANTS

(1st day)

I - GOD'S LOVING DESIGN

PLAN OF THE EXPOSÉ

Cf. 1 Jn 4, 16 - 1 Tim 2, 3 ff.Const. arts. 1 § 1 and 7 § 2.

a) "God is Love. It is his Will that all men and women should be saved and constitute his People".

Our charism has its source in this truly Franciscan conviction, that God is love, and that he wants the well-being of men and women (cf. texts of Mary of the Passion on the Trinity, on God-Love - the account of her first call, etc.)b) "This is why the Father calls us all to be transformed in Christ, through the Spirit".

What constitutes the well-being of men and women, is precisely this "transformation" - in other words, the divine filiation.

This design of God for men and women is found from the beginning of the Old Testament, in the account of Creation: the programme of men and women is to become an "image resembling God," receiving through the Word and in the Spirit the breath of life [cf. Gen 1, 1. 26-30] which makes us children of the Father [cf. Rom 8,14-17]

c) "This [international] fraternity announces and prepares for the fullness of the Kingdom".

At the end of time, at the other end of the journey through humanity, the goal will be achieved: the constitution of a people made up of God's Children, and of brothers and sisters.

In biblical terms, the "garden" of the origins will have become the "celestial Jerusalem", where the "baptised" human culture (urban civilisation), will be in harmony with itself and with the whole universe - garden in the town, or town in the garden? - placed into the hands of the Father by Christ, the First Born of humanity [cf. Rm. 8, 19-23 - Ezk. 47, 1-12 - Rev. 21, 1 - 22, 2].

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TEXTS PROPOSED FOR MEDITATION

O.T. Gen 1, 1-2. 26-30 - Creation of the man and the woman. Dt 6 - "You shall love Yahweh your God". Ezk. 47, 1-12 - The Jerusalem to come.

N.T. Jn 13, 1 - "He loved them to the end". Jn 14, 1-3 - "I will take you to myself." Lk 23, 39-43 - "Today you will be with me in paradise." Rom 5, 1-10 - "We have peace with God through our

Lord Jesus Christ." Rom 8, 14-17. 19-23 - "Children of God and joint heirs

with Christ". 1 Jn 4, 16-21 - God is love and those who abide in love

abide in God..." I Tim 2, 3-6.

Francis - 1st Rule 23, 8."Lord, I pray, may the burning and gentle strength of your love take possession of my soul and snatch it from all that is under heaven, so that I may die for love of your love, as you deigned to die for love of my love" [prayer attributed to Francis].

Mary of the Passion: "He speaks to me..." nos. 2, 23 August 1883, - and 6, 17

June 1885. "Where are you leading me?" no. 46, 15 December 1888,

2nd meditation.

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SOME GUIDELINES FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

What is my relationship with God the Trinity, Love?

How do I see creation, today's world and "the other", is it, to the best of my ability, the way Christ sees them?

How do I live internationality from day to day? Is it a form of mission for me, and under what conditions?

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(1st Day)

COMPLEMENTARY TEXTS

ANCIENT TEXT, BY MILITON OF SARDES

Such is He who made heaven and earth"He is the Alpha and Omega, he is the beginning and the end, inexpressible beginning and incomprehensible end.

Such is the one who made heaven and earth, he who at the beginning fashioned man, he who was announced by the Law and the prophets, he who became incarnate of the Virgin.

He who was hung on the wood, he who was buried in the earth, he who was awakened from among the dead, he who went up to the highest heaven.

He who sits at the right hand of the Father, he who has the power to judge and to save all, he through whom the Father created everything, since the beginning and into eternity.

It is He who is the Christ, it is he who is the King, it is he who is Jesus, he the Guide, he the Lord.

He is risen from the dead, he sits at the right hand of the Father, he bears the Father, he is borne by the Father. To him be glory and power for even."

FRANCISCAN TEXT.

You love all that exists"A voice was praying in the forest:"In your sight the whole world is like a grain of dust that tips the scales,like a drop of morning dew falling on the ground. Yet you are merciful to all, because you can do all thingsand overlook men's sins so that they can repent.

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Yes, you love all that exists, you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence,

for had you hated anything, you would not have formed it.

And how, had you not willed it, could a thing persist,

have been conserved if not called forth by you?

You spare all things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life, you whose imperishable spirit is in all." [Ws 11, 22-26].

"Around Francis, springtime was bursting forth everywhere in the forest. [...]

At Francis' feet the water of a stream, swollen by the recent spring rains, clear and jubilant, leapt and glanced off the blue stones with delicate babbling, like that which escapes birds' nests at this season of the year. On the bank, a chaffinch was shaking itself. Francis looked at it, but his thoughts were lost elsewhere, a shadow of sadness passing over him. He was contemplating this life which was bursting forth around him; he had always been drawn by life, by the beauty and simplicity of its forms, by its mystery, too. Through all these creatures he perceived with emotion the multiform springing of the Father's original goodness. But his gaze trembled at the thought that man, whose right it was to welcome this mystery with piety, could also profane it by giving a helping hand to the one who was homicide from the beginning. Countless little cyclamen were piercing the soil; and their red clumps shone like drops of fresh blood in the sunshine.'God did not make death,' murmured Francis, recalling the passage in the Book: he does not rejoice in the loss of the living.

'He created everything so that it might all continue to exist.'

'Your empire over all things makes you take care of everything.''Putting your strength aside, you judge with gentleness;'

'For you only have to require something and your power is there.'

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In acting thus, you have taught your people that justice must be human."

'Yes, justice must be human!' This last sentence struck the soul of Francis, which began to vibrate for a long time. Only God is just and human, he thought. And why have we separated the just from the human, and purity from tenderness?"

[Extract from: "Exil et Tendresse" - Eloi Leclerc OFM - Ed. Franciscaines, Coll. Présence de St François, no 12. - Ch. 3, p. 41].

TEXT FROM MARY OF THE PASSION

Account, for Padre, of her first call (she was almost 17 years old)."In front of me emptiness was growing. What was worthy of being loved? This problem, which had bothered me from my earliest years, became daily more urgent. For what was this world after all? Nothing but suffering. Soon now I would have to go out into the world. Should I make myself giddy then with pleasure and success?

"Everything in it seemed to me so empty." [...]"Father Lavigne had the original idea of preaching from one of the benches at the back of the church. He began by saying: 'In this chapel there is a soul whom God is seeking. He wants her, He wants her very much for Himself. Now we are all going to pray for her during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament! And I said to myself, without the slightest hesitation: 'It's me he's talking about! It's for me they're all going to pray!" During Benediction I had no doubt at all. Everything was assuring me: 'It's you that Jesus wants.'

"How then can I explain that during the whole retreat, in spite of this conviction, I behaved more childishly than ever, and even distracted the others? There was nothing, absolutely nothing at all in it for God, until the last sermon. But during the final Benediction I think I must have received something like the revelation of St Paul on the road to Damascus, and after this grace I could never detach myself from his Beauty. Since that moment I have never found anything else

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beautiful, good or sweet, except this Supreme Good. I have never loved anyone or anything but Him!

"During that Benediction I was totally overcome by the words, 'I shall always love you more than you will ever love me' and then, the sight of his beauty My heart and soul were so overwhelmed that I staggered and nearly fell. [...] I knew very well at the bottom of my heart that I had gone through a kind of death. [...] "It was 3rd or 4th April 1856.

"I was now on fire with love of God, a love totally sincere and without limit. I sought only for Him; I would have counted no cost to please Him. "

[Text quoted by M.M. Jehanne in: "The Very Reverend Mother Mary of the Passion".]

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(2nd Day)

II - HUMAN HISTORY, HISTORY OF THE COVENANT IN FREEDOM

PLAN OF THE EXPOSÉ

"CONSECRATE THEM IN THE TRUTH: YOUR WORD IS TRUTH. AS YOU SENT ME INTO THE WORLD, I AM SENDING THEM INTO THE WORLD…" [cf. Jn 17, 17-19].

a) "Consecrated through baptism in Christ's death and resurrection, we live the Gospel, taking part in the building of the Kingdom that is already present and moving towards its fullness." [Const. art. 1 § 2].

In order to make the journey from the origins to the fulfilment of the Father's design, there is all God's accompaniment of the human being in his history, accompaniment which is education to freedom in the service of love.

The human being is called to accept God's love in his life, to receive himself from him as son in a Covenant freely entered into. - It is a long, winding road to cover, with its ups and downs. - Drawn by the visible and the tangible, the palpable - "earthy" son of Adam that he is - he has difficulty in accepting that he is not absolute lord of the creation whose stewardship he has received, but of working to establish the Kingdom of the Father in it [cf. Gen 2, 16-17; - 3, 1-7].

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The return to God will be made by the unflagging resumption of the Covenant which will be complete and definitive on the human being's part only with the Incarnation of the Son, his Pasch and his parousia, via Pentecost. During this time, it is the task of the baptised - who recognise themselves to be children of the Father in the Spirit - to live the Covenant with the resurrected Christ, in continuing to construct the Father's Kingdom.

b) "As a sign of his covenant with his People, God consecrates us in a religious Institute that is called to play a prophetic role in accordance with its foundation charism. Through our fidelity to this consecration our life bears witness to the primacy of God's love." [Const. art. 1 § 3].

Among the people formed by the baptised, some are chosen to remind them prophetically of their vocation as a people building the covenant in the world. They do this by following the poor, obedient and chaste Christ more closely in a state of consecrated and community life (special covenant). Such is the mission of religious men and women.

c) Among the religious institutes, ours is one of those who are "dedicated to universal mission through contemplation and the apostolate", in priority in underprivileged areas where Christ is less known, and the Church less present. [cf. Const. p. 39 and arts. 4. 36. 45].

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TEXTS PROPOSED FOR MEDITATION

O.T. Ex 3, 1-12 - Vocation of Moses. Jonah 3-4 - The prophet with the pagans.

N.T. Jn 17, 14-24 - "Consecrate them...". Mt. 4, 1-10 - The choices of Jesus in the desert. Mt. 17, 1-9 - Transfiguration. Mt. 19, 10-12 - Celibacy for the kingdom. Mt. 19, 16-21 -The call to leave all to follow Jesus. 1 Cor 7, 33-35 - To be completely attached the Lord.

Francis - 1st Rule 16, 5-21 - "Those who go among the Saracens and other unbelievers"

Mary of the Passion - "Where are you leading me?", no 20 - 30 January 1888, 1st meditation.

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

Is the profession of the evangelical counsels, more than anything else for me, the following of the poor, obedient and chaste Christ? Do I live it in joy, as a gift? Does it seem to me to be a sign which speaks to today's Church and world? Under what conditions?

Do I feel included in the Church's reflection on mission and the changes which this calls for? In the mission, do I see the specific role of religious life to be beside lay people? How do I live mission today in communion with the whole Institute?

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(2nd Day)

COMPLEMENTARY TEXTS

TEXTS FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Consecrated Life"In every age there have been men and women who, obedient to the Father's call and to the prompting of the Spirit, have chosen this special way of following Christ, in order to devote themselves to him with an 'undivided' heart (cf. 1 Cor 7:34). Like the Apostles, they too have left everything behind in order to be with Christ and to put themselves, as he did, at the service of God and their brothers and sisters. In this way, through the many charisms of spiritual and apostolic life bestowed on them by the Holy Spirit, they have helped to make the mystery and mission of the Church shine forth, and in doing so have contributed to the renewal of society. [...]

"The universal presence of the consecrated life and the evangelical nature of its witness are clear evidence - if any were needed - that the consecrated life is not something isolated and marginal, but a reality which affects the whole Church. [...] In effect, the consecrated life is at the very heart of the Church as a decisive element for her mission, since it "manifests the inner nature of the Christian calling" and the striving of the whole Church as Bride towards union with her one Spouse. At the Synod it was stated on several occasions that the consecrated life has not only proved a help and support for the Church in the past, but is also a precious and necessary gift for the present and future of the People of God, since it is an intimate part of her life, her holiness and her mission. [...]

"In the Gospel, many of Christ's words and actions shed light on the meaning of this special vocation. But for an overall picture of its essential characteristics, it is singularly helpful to fix our gaze on Christ's radiant face in the mystery of the Transfiguration. A whole ancient spiritual tradition refers to this "icon" when it links the contemplative life to the prayer of Jesus "on the mountain." Even the "active" dimensions of consecrated life can in a way be included here, for the Transfiguration is not only the revelation of Christ's glory

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but also a preparation for facing Christ's Cross. It involves both "going up the mountain" and "coming down the mountain". The disciples who have enjoyed this intimacy with the Master, surrounded for a moment by the splendour of the Trinitarian life and of the communion of saints, and as it were caught up in the horizon of eternity, are immediately brought back to daily reality, where they see "Jesus only", in the lowliness of his human nature, and are invited to return to the valley, to share with him the toil of God's plan and to set off courageously on the way of the Cross."

[Extracts from the Apostolic Exhortation by John Paul II: "Vita Consecrata", 1996, nos. 1.3.14].

"Revive your total consecration to Christ, in the Church."

"To consecrated persons I would also renew my invitation to look at their future with confidence, by counting on God's faithfulness and the power of his grace, capable of working new wonders. 'You have not only a glorious history to remember and to recount, but also a great history still to be accomplished! Look to the future, where the Spirit is sending you in order to do even greater things.' Vita Consecrata no. 110]"

[Message of John Paul II for the celebration of the 1st Day of Consecrated Life, 2nd February 1997].

From a commentary on "Vita Consecrata".

"[...] This mystery [the Transfiguration] holds a central place in oriental Christian tradition as in the post-synodal exhortation of Pope John Paul II on consecrated life. Vita Consecrata is an invitation to reflect on religious life in the context of this mystery. The document has the goal of "leading to a deeper understanding of the great gift of consecrated life in its three aspects of consecration, communion and mission" [13]."This reflection follows the orientation of Vita Consecrata in considering religious life in the light of this mystery. It invites us to "fix our gaze on Christ's radiant face in the mystery of the Transfiguration [14]. It will also be useful for as long as it urges us to contemplate

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this face and to recognise it in those with whom we live and work, in those whom we bear in our hearts.

"'And he took with him Peter, James and John' [Mk 9, 2 and synoptics]. - It is in the context of our various communities, 'where persons of different ages, tongues and cultures meet together... like sisters', that we learn to love and to put our love to the trial of everyday life. [...] - We hear and receive from the Synod a call to continue the deepening of a spirituality of communion so that our community life may be truly one in which 'dialogue is always possible' [51]. This witness is particularly powerful in international communities where communion often manifests itself in absolute contrast with the ethnic hatred and social divisions in society.

"The Hebrew prophets loved God and their own people passionately. In Jesus, the great Prophet, this double love is eminently manifested. The example of his life and mission urges us to 'look at it [the prophetic word] carefully ... like a lamp which shines on a dark night [...]' [cf. 2 P 1, 19]. From the Synod, we receive the challenge to continue to draw from the Scriptures 'the necessary light for that individual and community discernment which helps [us] to seek the ways of the Lord in the signs of [our] times' [94]. [...]

"Neither fear nor astonishment must prevent us from speaking of that which we have experienced on the mountain. [...] On the eve of this new millennium we commit ourselves anew to speak, to proclaim that which we have seen on the mountain, to our generation and to future generations."

[Extracts from: 'A source of hope' - article by Mary Milligan RSHM, in the UISG bulletin no. 102, 1996].

FRANCISCAN TEXT

Transfiguration

"The human condition, which is that of a pilgrim, does not allow one to set up one's tent and live permanently in the profusion of light. The apostles who saw Christ transfigured, descended from the mountain

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to go to their brothers. Tabor is not the place where one can stay, at least, not without a special grace.

"However, the seeking for interior light, under the inspiration of the Spirit, remains the vocation of everyone. To transfigure the universe, to sacralise it and hasten the coming of the Kingdom is only given to one who is amazed at the presence of the light. 'Concepts create idols of God.' St Gregory of Nyssa says: 'Only amazement grasps something.' Tabor is the mountain of light and amazement." The Transfiguration is one with the announcement of the Kingdom; it is that announcement which suddenly enlightens in its depths, starting from what Jesus lives in the depths of himself, in his relationship with the Father. The transfiguring power of the Kingdom takes place where it is the most hidden."

[Extract from: "Jesus Fils de David", by Frédéric Manns OFM, - Ed. Médiaspaul, 1994, - p. 137ff].

TEXT FROM MARY OF THE PASSION

"I am consecrated, my end is love."

"If you only knew, if you could only understand what it is to be consecrated to God! Consecration is the highest, the most sublime, the most incomprehensible of graces. People have always had an intuition of this consecration. [...]"But one consecration seems to me greater, more magnificent than the others. [...] Never did Mary Immaculate take back one iota of that gift, the holocaust [...]. On the contrary, at the foot of the cross, and even in heaven, Mary's consecration shines out ever more brightly.

"The offering, the consecration of oneself is the most perfect religious act that a creature can make to her Creator. [...] God says to us: 'You are made for love not only in time but for eternity if only you are faithful. I have chosen you for this love, this glory.'

"When you think of the Immaculate Conception, you are dazzled by Mary's privilege. But, my children, just think of your own! Is it less great when we consider the distance that separates us from Mary

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Immaculate? The queen is more beautiful than the princess, but the beauty of the princess is also great! Think deeply about this [...].

"I am consecrated to God, my end is love."

.[Extracts from the last talk of Mary of the Passion at Fribourg, October 1904. Quoted in the biography by M.M. Jehanne, p. 555ff]

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(3rd Day)

III - EVANGELICAL SPIRITUAL FAMILYAT THE SERVICE OF THE COVENANT

PLAN OF THE TALK

"REMEMBER HOW GENEROUS THE LORD JESUS WAS: HE WAS RICH, BUT HE BECAME POOR FOR YOUR SAKE, TO MAKE YOU RICH OUT OF HIS POVERTY" [2 Cor 8, 9]

"I TELL YOU SOLEMNLY, IN SO FAR AS YOU DID THIS TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE BROTHERS OF MINE, YOU DID IT TO ME". [Mt. 25, 40]

a) "We realize our vocation within the Franciscan way, living the Gospel in the midst of the world and following in the steps of the poor and humble Christ, in simplicity, peace and joy." [Const. art. 5].

"Answering the same call, we live with the sisters God gives us; our community is a place of mutual conversion and is built up in faith around Christ, Word and Bread." [art. 6].

"As missionaries, ready to go anywhere and to anyone to announce the Good News of salvation, we are sent in priority to those to whom Christ has not yet been revealed and to those among whom the Church is least present, giving preference to the poorest" [art. 4].

Each religious family lives the Gospel by continuing Christ, by incarnating his Word in its own way, according to a particular style or kind of life, animated by a characteristic spirituality: no person, no group can exhaust all the ways there are of living the Gospel.

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By situating ourselves in the evangelical path of the Franciscan family, our Constitutions specify our evangelical spirituality, which is incarnated in a very marked style of life. Among men and women Franciscans of all types, we recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters.

b) Francis leads us all along this path following the dearly beloved Son of the Father, who "rich though he was, became poor to make us rich out of his poverty." Becoming like this, in the Holy Spirit, he reveals to us in all humility, our neighbour, our older Brother, even in suffering and death, God's extreme love for us. And he particularly shows himself in the poor person.

With Francis, poverty is not an ideology (which can lead to "idolatry"). It is a Person: Christ.

The Rule of the Third Order Regular reminds us of this in harmony with our Constitutions.

c) Our Constitutions are impregnated with this spirit. As are the three orientations from the 1996 general chapter: Living justice as artisans of peace, - participating in the encounter of the Gospel with cultures, - collaborating in creating communion in view of the Reign of God.

d) Francis asked his brother "preachers" "to take pains with humility in everything," and to "thank God for everything."

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TEXTS PROPOSED FOR MEDITATION.

O.T. Dt 7, 7-8; - 8, 1-5 - "You are the least of all peoples, [...but]

Yahweh your God loves you" Is 42, 1-3. 6-7 - "Here is my servant". Ps 34 (33) - "I will bless the Lord at all times". Ps 40 (39) - "I waited and waited for Yahweh."N.T. Lk 2, 3-7 - Birth of Jesus Lk 9, 57-62 - Leaving everything to follow Jesus. Mt. 20, 25-28 - The Son of Man came to serve. Mt 25, 31-40 - Jesus identifies himself with the least, his brothers. Jn 13, 12-17 - Beatitude of those who wash the feet of others. 2 Cor 8, 9 - He chose poverty.Francis Admonitions 13. 14. 17. 19. 20. 27. 28 - Beatitude of the

humble and of the truly poor. Letter to all the faithful, 2-3 - The Word of God received

humanity's flesh and our frailty.Mary of the Passion "He speaks to me..." no 49 - 10th August 1883; no 287 - 21

February 1883.

SOME DIRECTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION To what extent do I feel myself to be "Franciscan"? Have I sometimes researched and meditated the Franciscan

orientations from the different chapters of the Constitutions? Is the Rule of the TOR an inspiration for my life? What aspect of Franciscan spirituality attracts me the most,

and is it the one that helps me the most to live contemplation and mission?

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(3rd Day)COMPLEMENTARY TEXTS.

FRANCISCAN TEXTS.

Francis' homily at Greccio one Christmas night

'My friends, have you heard? [...]' This will be a sign for you: you will find a newborn child lying in a manger.’ The Lord of glory, by this sign: a baby, frail and pitiful like every newborn child, the poorest, the most obscure of human children! See God's humility. Oh humble sublimity! On this night, the God of majesty became our brother. He the greatest became the smallest, the last. He approached us under the sign of fragility and tenderness.

"This time, God has revealed to us the depth of his being. In him, there is not only power and sovereignty, knowledge and majesty; there is also infinite innocence, infancy and tenderness. Yes, my friends, God is infancy and tenderness. And it is because he is father, infinitely father. [...]

"Let us stop being afraid. The Angel of the Lord asks it of us. This little child is the Saviour of the world. Saved! We are saved, brothers! Never alone again, never abandoned again in our faults, in our same and our despair. Nothing can ever separate us from the Father's tenderness. [...]

"Yes, indeed, we celebrate this mystery still enveloped by night, and in the hard winter of nature and of humanity. It is still cold on earth. But, all the same, we know that this night, this long night, is a Christmas night, a long nativity which continues and in which we take part. It is the night of the birth of humanity to the life of God. And in that night, there is light: first of all that of this little child who is given to us as a pledge of infinite tenderness, a pledge that is not taken back; and then, each time that someone's heart allows itself to be penetrated by that tenderness, there is a little more light in the night. There is always more light because then the face of the Child appears more in humanity, and the paradise of childhood flowers in the human heart.'"[Extract from 'Exil et Tendresse", by Eloi Leclerc OFM - Ed. fran-ciscaines, coll. Présence de saint François no 12, 1961 - p. 198 ff.]

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"Purified, illuminated and set ablaze by the fire of the Spirit."

This is "one of the most beautiful prayers of Francis and probably one of the masterpieces of the spiritual writings of the XIIIth century. In it we find an admirable synthesis of his whole interior life:

"Almighty God, eternal, just and good, left to ourselves, we are but poverty; but you, because of yourself, enable us to do that which we know you want, and to want always that which pleases you.

Thus, interiorly purified, interiorly illuminated and set alight by the fire of the Holy Spirit,

we become capable of following in the footprints of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,

and, by his grace alone, to come right up to you, Most High, who, in perfect Trinity and very simple Unity, lives and reigns and receives all glory,

Almighty God for ever and ever. Amen."

"Prostrate before the eternal and almighty God, Francis is intensely aware of human limits. Although established at the summit of creation, he remains a being marked by finitude, incapable of entering by himself in relation with the infinite, the invisible reality.

"Only God, through his mercy, can fill this impassable abyss, taking the initiative in this encounter, permitting this dialogue between him, the Creator, and his creature. All is grace. Moreover, Francis asks nothing for himself. He only asks one thing: always to be in tune with the God's desire, with his holy will of love and always to be able to accomplish it. His prayer is only a desire for loving conformity. This can only be a gift of his grace.

“The very granting of this prayer will again be the work of God acting through the three persons of his Holy Trinity. [...] Let us note [...] with what depth Francis describes the Trinitarian structure of Christian life. The Holy Spirit is its dynamic source. He is the inner fire which purifies, illuminates and sets the human heart ablaze. Without getting lost in the subtleties of schools of thought, Francis rediscovers with simplicity the principal characteristics of the interior life often developed by the greatest Christian theologians.

"Purification, illumination and union in love: the essential fruits of the Spirit who, little by little, leads the believer to the heart of God

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who is light and love. Love becomes a path to knowledge and knowledge a path towards love. Moreover, for Francis, this spiritual dynamism is in no way centred on the human person but on Christ, in whose footsteps it is a question of following.

"The spiritual life is an itinerary which follows the Beloved, our Brother and our Lord, whose only mission is to lead us right up to the splendour of the Father."

[Extract from "Christ, notre bonheur", by Michel Hubaut OFM - Ed. Le Sarment/Fayard, 1986 - p. 26ff].

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(4th Day)

IV - IN THE FRANCISCAN FAMILY,"MISSIONARIES OF MARY"

PLAN OF THE EXPOSÉ

Each branch of the Franciscan family is called to live this spirituality according its own charism, bringing its particular note to the harmony of the whole.

What is our part in this? - That of being at its heart, the "Missionaries of Mary" (cf. the genesis of the Institute: 1877, "Missionaries of Mary"; - 1885, Franciscan adoption: "Franciscan Missionaries of Mary").

Cf. table-plan: FMM Charism.

1 - THE ECCE - FIAT OF THE WORD.

"THE WORD WAS WITH GOD. [... HE] WAS MADE FLESH, HE LIVED AMONG US" [Jn 1, 1...14].

"HE SAID, ON COMING INTO THE WORLD: [...] 'YOU TOOK NO PLEASURE IN HOLOCAUSTS OR SACRIFICES FOR SIN; THEN I SAID, [...] 'GOD, HERE I AM! I AM COMING TO OBEY YOUR WILL.'"[Heb 10, 5-7].

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a) What basic intuition summons us to be "Missionaries of Mary?"

That of living the ECCE and FIAT of Mary, response to the ECCE and FIAT of the Word who "gave himself up to the Father for the salvation of the world, in the mystery of his Incarnation and his Pasch; [...] This charism is lived in the fundamental attitude that was Mary's in her ECCE and FIAT: she offered her whole being in complete and loving disponibility, in faith and humble service, so that the Spirit might carry out the Father's work in her." [Const. art. 2].

This text, which is placed at the heart of chapter 1 of the Constitutions, is also the heart of our charism, giving a very strong cohesion to its three aspects: adoration - offering - mission (cf. the nucleus of the atom).

Mary is the one who teaches every human being how to welcome the Father's love in Jesus Christ, in docility to the Spirit; and thus how to enter into the New Covenant which makes us children of God with the Son. For she is mother of Life for everyone.

And our way of "following the humble and poor Christ" manifesting the Father's love, is that of Mary in her (maternal) co-operation with the Incarnation, the Pasch and Pentecost, for the Life of the world.

Her Ecce, her presence to the "Presence", penetrated, irradiated her whole life of relationship with God, with herself and with others; she actively accompanied her

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Son throughout his life in his work of re-creation of the world, from his conception to the birth of the Church.

This is translated for us by Eucharistic adoration, the offering of ourselves in complete disponibility, and the universal mission.

b) Mary's Ecce is the human echo of the Ecce of the Word - its indispensable complement so that it may be accomplished.

In order to understand it, we must first go more deeply into the Ecce and Fiat of the Word, from which it is inseparable and without which it is incomprehensible.

1. Two texts in particular, referring to the eternal generation and incarnation of the Word, will help us do this:

Jn 1, 1-5: John's Prologue.Heb 10, 4-10: "Here I am to do your will".

2. In coming to do this will, Jesus is the New Adam [cf. Gn 3, 9-10. - Jn 17, 4.21].

3. Throughout the Gospels, during his life on earth, the text shows us how Jesus sought only his Father's will in order to fulfil it.

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TEXTS PROPOSED FOR MEDITATION

O.T. - Gen 2, 16; 3. 9-10 - Do not eat of the fruit from the tree

which gives death. - "I was afraid and I hid." Dt 30, 15-19 - "Choose life."

N.T. Jn 1, 1-5. 9-14. 16-18 - John's Prologue Heb 10, 4-10 - "Here I am, I come to do your will." Mk 12, 18-33 - The 1st commandment. 1 Tim 2, 3-4 - "God wants everyone to be saved." Lk 10, 21-24 - " He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said: 'I

thank you Father...'. "

Francis - Psalter (Office of the Passion) - Ps 6 (O all you who pass

by..). Ps 14 (I will give thanks to you, O Lord,...). Ps 15 (Sing joyfully to God our strength...).

Our Father paraphrased.

Mary of the Passion - Meditation for Christmas Day [cf. vol. 5]:"The Word was made flesh. To all who accepted him he gave power to become children of God. Let us be among the privileged ones who say in truth, for the love of Jesus and with Jesus, to the heavenly Father: ' "You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin; then I said, Here I am' [...]"[...] humanity had lost the way, the truth and the life."Emmanuel espoused humanity in order to give us back this way, this truth and this life. The veil was torn, the illusions of the spirit of lies were scattered. Come to me, says Emmanuel, 'I am the way, the truth and the life'."

SOME DIRECTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

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What are the main "idols" of our times, which lead people far from the will of the Father?

What "idols" have I had, or do I have to combat the most, in order to choose and to do the will of the Father?

Do I make the will of God my "nourishment"? - Can I say with the psalm: ' My soul is consumed with incessant longing for your ordinances at all times.' [Ps 119 (118), 20]. What means do I use to seek and discover this will?

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(4th Day)

COMPLEMENTARY TEXTS.

CHURCH TEXTS

Jesus, Son of God, become our reconciliation

" [...] Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, became our reconciliation with the Father. He it is, and He alone, who fully matched up to the Father's eternal love, with that paternity which God has expressed since the beginning by creating the world, by giving to humanity all the richness of creation, by making him 'a little less than the angels' being 'created in the image and likeness of God'. Christ has fully matched up to this paternity of God and to this love, while humanity rejected this love by breaking the first Covenant and all those which God has often offered to humanity since then. The Redemption of the world [...] is, in it deepest roots, the fullness of justice in a human Heart, in the Heart of the first born Son, so that it might become the justice of the hearts of many people, who, in this first born Son, have been predestined from all eternity to become sons of God and called to grace, called to love." [Extract from the encyclical: 'Redemptor Hominis', no. 9].

The Incarnation, mystery par excellence

"According to Saint Paul, the Incarnation is the mystery par excellence: "the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. [Col 1, 26]; who, rooted and anchored in charity, can at last understand "the breadth and length, and height and depth" [Eph 3, 18] of the plan of salvation and the love of God in Christ. Saint Paul also says: "when the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law so that we might receive adoption as children." [Gal 4, 4] The Incarnation is the "hidden plan which the Father so kindly made in Christ from the beginning to act upon when the times had run their course to the

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end: that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head, everything in the heavens and everything on earth." [Eph 1, 9-10].

"Matured in the bosom of the Trinitarian communion, the Incarnation is a gift from the Most High".

[Extract from: "Jesus Christ unique Sauveur du Monde - hier, aujourd'hui et à jamais" - par le Conseil de présidence du Grand Jubile de l'an 2000 - Ed. Mame, 1997].

FRANCISCAN TEXTS

The beloved Son, our Brother

"[...] let us think about [...] the titles that Francis [...] gives to Christ.. They are revealing about [his] interior life. If, for Francis, God is essentially the Father, Jesus is the Son: 'the blessed and glorious Son of God,' 'the most high Son of God.' This Son really comes from above. But the qualification he prefers and which he uses more than a dozen times, it that of 'beloved Son' [...]. A preference which indicates to us his habitual way of looking at Christ, who is never considered alone, but always in his filial relationship with his Father. 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.'"So it is the witness of the Father himself which teaches Francis to look at the person of Christ. Moreover, in his writings he more often returns to the Son's filial obedience than to his poverty. Jesus is first of all the 'beloved Son of the Father' whose essential role and mission is to love and adore the Father. He is truly he who 'always suffices in everything' for the Father.

"Francis uses another title which is also charged with affective density: Christ is our Brother. 'How calming and sweet it is to have such a brother and such a son who has given his life for us and who prays to his Father for us.' Once again, Francis is amazed by this brother whose only desire is to reveal the Father to us and to invite us to share his life in his Kingdom. It is not by chance that the priestly prayer in chapter 17 of St John occupies a privileged place in his writings. He quotes large extracts from it on several occasions. And

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in particular this verse which delights him: 'Father, I desire that those also whom you have given me, may be where I am, to see your glory,' text to which Francis adds each time 'in your Kingdom.' To lead us to the Father's Kingdom, that is really for the Poverello, the unique passion of our brother Jesus Christ."

[Extract from: 'Christ, notre Bonheur', par Michel Hubaut OFM - Ed. Le Sarment/Fayard, 1986 - p.54 ff.].

The Transfiguration

"It was on mountain summits that God manifested his light. What Sinai was to the Old Testament, the mountain of the Transfiguration is for the New Testament. Mountains of light, these two summits have become theological places."To make the ascension consists in undertaking a spiritual pilgrimage in the depths of oneself. Indeed, a treasure of light has been deposited in each Christian by Baptism, which the Fathers of the Church called the illumination. It is a flame which must be revived.

"This interior journey enables the discovery of the true dimension of the divine revelation and the living of the great events concerning God and humanity: the creation of light, the creation of humanity in the image of God-Light, the mutual seeking of God and humanity.

"[...] From all eternity, humanity has sought the light. When he turns towards God, the light reaches him. His soul is then set on fire. The body, which is an earthen vessel, receives illumination as soon as the spiritual body is sketched out. Humanity is born again and becomes a new Adam."

[Extract from 'Jesus, Fils de David', par Frederic Manns OFM - Ed. Mediaspaul 1994 - p. 135 ff.]

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(5th Day)

2. THE ECCE-FIAT OF MARY , RESPONSE TO THAT OF THE WORD.

PLAN OF THE EXPOSÉ

"BEHOLD THE HANDMAID OF THE LORD: MAY IT BE DONE TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD" [Lk 1, 1-38].

By Mary's Ecce, response for the whole of humanity to the Ecce of the Word, the transformation of the world is made possible, sharing in the divine sonship. No other account besides that of the ANNUNCIATION could make us understand it better: Lk 1, 36-38. That is where it all begins.

a) Mary does not assent to God's will, to the Incarnation of the Son in her, for herself alone, but she represents her whole people.

"Daughter of Zion", she comes at the culmination of the long history of the Old Covenant, which was preparing this event and gradually forming the people to a better understanding of God's plan in order to enter into it: following after holy men and saintly women, witnesses and prophets.

At the end of this long succession of generations, Mary finds her place among the little group of "Anawim". In solidarity with the people, she has been prepared to receive from the Holy Spirit the gratuitous fullness of grace, in view of her divine maternity.

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This event had also been prepared in the course of history, by divine intervention in miraculous maternities: those of Sarah mother of Isaac, Hannah mother of Samuel, Elizabeth mother of John the Baptist. - And more than Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel, she deserved the title of "mother in Israel"!

In Israel at this time, many women who got married hoped, perhaps, to become the mother of the promised Messiah - already foreseen from the beginning and awaited for long ages.

When the angel spoke to Mary, it was in this sense that she could understand that which was announced to her, in the line of 2S 7, 16; - Is 7, 14 and Dan 7, 13-14. But, with the Anawim, she also knew that this Messiah, "son of the Most High", must be the "goël" of his people; the gentle and non-violent Messiah, humiliated and suffering, the friend of the small and poor. [cf. Is 42, 1-4; - 52, 13-53, 12]. However, "poor little one", she does not feel worthy of this maternity: she recognises herself as only a "handmaid". And that is when she becomes "mother of God".

b) Even more, in this re-creation, Mary receives the plan of God in the name of the whole human community. She is the new Eve, mother of all the living." Where Eve presented man with the fruit of death received from the "serpent", Mary presented him with the Fruit of Life received from God, so that he could nourish himself on it and have access to the eternal life which has the Father as its source. Having become mother of God, at the same time she

becomes the "mother of the Church," yet to be born.

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She is "the Woman" par excellence, whose vocation is to welcome the Holy Spirit in order to transmit Life, to nourish it and to make it grow.

Together Adam and Even received the world in stewardship in order to develop it. Mary, too, is not alone when she gives it the Fruit of Life: she is Joseph's bride, and, while not participating in the biological generation of Jesus, he receives him from the Father, through her and with her: unique paternity [cf. Lk 1, 27-34. - Mt. 1, 18-25].

c) Two of today's texts can make us reflect on the exemplarity of Mary's vocation for the Church, for every Christian life, and above all for women:

A text by Cardinal Martini who, after a meditation on Mary with some young people from Milan, concluded with them: "It is the Lord who asks us to go more deeply into the mission of women as essential for the solution of so many problems in our society."

And a text by Fr Christian de Chergé, a Trappist massacred in Algeria with six of his brothers in 1996, which presents life, not as something to be built, but as a series of births.

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TEXTS SUGGESTED FOR MEDITATION

O.T. Gen 3, 15 - "I will make you enemies of each other: you and

the woman..." Is 60, 1-4. 19-22 - "Arise, shine forth ..." Zeph 3, 14-20 - "Shout for joy, daughter of Zion..."

N.T. Lk 1, 26-28 - Announcement made to Mary. Mt. 1, 18-25 - Announcement made to Joseph. Gal 4, 4-7 - God sent his Son, born of a woman.

Francis Salutation of the Blessed Virgin.

Mary of the Passion - "As soon as the humble virgin had spoken thus, she became

Mother of God; it was acquiescence to the sovereign will which made her fruitful, by virtue of the Holy Spirit. Never was defeat more humiliating for Satan. According to God's word, a woman, a simple creature, crushed his head. "Snatched from hell by Mary's obedience, let us sing like Deborah and Judith: 'Dead, dead were Israel's villages until you rose up, O Deborah, you rose up, a mother in Israel.' [Judges 5, 7-8]. 'Praise God! Praise him! Praise the God who has not withdrawn his mercy from the House of Israel, but has shattered our enemies by my hand tonight!' [Judith 13,14]" [Cf. Meditations vol. 2, 25th March, night of the Annunciation].

Customs Book I, 25 March, Directory.SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

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Who is Mary for me?

Where do I place her in the history of salvation?

To what extent is Mary's response to the Ecce and Fiat of the Word a challenge for my life as Franciscan Missionary of Mary?

Is my life, like hers, entirely focused on the fulfilment of the Father's plan of salvation, by welcoming the Word and docility to the Spirit?

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(5th Day)

COMPLEMENTARY TEXTS

BIBLICAL TEXTS FOR MEDITATION

"Mary at the meeting point of the two covenants

"Mary, Daughter of Zion and Handmaid of the Lord, seems to us to stand at the point where the two covenants come together. If we could see Mary as God sees her and, above all, see what he sees when he carries out that unheard of initiative which is the Immaculate Conception, we would have the key to the mystery of the contacts between Israel and the Church. Indeed, he chose this young girl in whom were fulfilled the hope, waiting and fidelity of the people of the promise, to prepare them, by virtue of the merits of the One who would be her son, to be the first of the saved, the mother and model of all the beneficiaries of salvation. Fully Jewish and completely new: Mirabiliter creata, mirabilius reformata. Altogether the most accomplished of all Israel's daughters and the eschatological icon of the whole Church and of all Christian holiness. She brings together in the same fidelity the vocation which is that of her people and the vocation of Mother of God."

[Extract from: "Regard d'un chrétien vivant en Israel sur la Mère de Dieu", by Marcel Dubois OP, SIDIC vol. XX no. 2, 1987 - p.19].

Ecce - Fiat

"According to what we sense when reading Luke's Gospel, Mary waits. Her heart has awoken in hope, her own and that of her people, that of all those "who await the consolation of Israel." This waiting is an attention, for she is concentrating on listening, wholly disponible and open with regard to the One who must come. Mary listens and she hears, she recognises He who speaks to her and understands what he is speaking about." He who is from God, listens to the Word of God." She responds and she acquiesces: Ecce. Fiat "Hineni".

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Here I am. The word which is heard is in her invitation and response, she starts from God and returns towards Him. Mary keeps the word, meditating on it in her heart; St Luke returns to this twice. She allows herself to the kept by this word, in a faithful and available heart. Waiting, listening, welcome, openness and response, keeping the word, fidelity to the word such are really our mother's traits and attitudes such as St Luke presents them to us in the Infancy narrative. [Ibid. p. 20].

ECUMENICAL TEXT

"Mary in the confession of faith

"10. The Symbols of faith knew a slow development until the beginning of the third century when we encounter the first Credo of the Church. But, well before then, we see the different elements of the future symbols coming together and being structured in the formulas of different authors. Ignatius of Antioch (about 110) is the first, who gives us several christological sequences straight out of the apostolic kerygma. Now these formulas make the 'veritable' birth of Jesus precede any mention of the PASCHAL mystery: 'Our God, Jesus Christ, was, according to the divine plan, carried in Mary's womb, born of David's blood and also of the Holy Spirit.' In this way the mention of the virginal conception of Jesus, son of Mary, enters into the confessions of faith at the very beginning of the second century: it never leaves them.

"11. Ireneus is the first Father of the Church who suggests explicitly, at about 180, the presence of Mary in the preaching of the apostles. Indeed, his exposé of the apostolic kerygma contains the following lines about Eve and Mary: ' It was necessary [...] that a virgin, making herself the advocate of a virgin, should destroy the disobedience of a virgin through the obedience of a virgin."12. It is Ireneus's authority and honesty; his reliance on the tradition of the Churches of Asia Minor and namely of Polycarp; the presence of the same theme of Mary and Eve on two occasions in his great work Against Heresies; which encourages us to trust him when he

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places Mary in the economy of salvation in the name of a presentation of the preaching of the Apostles. For the Bishop of Lyons, the articulation of faith in Christ implies the virginal conception, and Scripture, in its very development, attests the recapitulation of Adam in Christ from the life of Mary right back to Eve. Such is the apostolic faith that the Church proclaims, teaches and transmits'."

[Extract from: 'Marie dans le dessein de Dieu and la communion des saints', par le Groupe des Dombes - Bayard Editions/Centurion 1997 - p. 19s].

FRANCISCAN TEXT

"The 'Virgin made Church' is invoked by Francis so that in him, too, the conception and spiritual birthing of evangelical truth might be realised. She was present when the Order was founded. Saint Bonaventure wrote: 'Francis stayed for a while in the Church of the Virgin Mother of God, asking with urgent and continual prayers addressed to the one who conceived the Word full of grace and truth that she would deign to be his advocate. And the Mother of mercy obtained through her merits that he too should conceive and give birth to the spirit of evangelical truth.

May we also, like Francis and Clare, in the Mother of the Lord ‘in whom dwelt the fullness of grace and the One who is all good’, conceive and give birth to the spirit of Gospel truth, in order to "fill the earth with Christ's Gospel.'"

[Extract from: "Remplir toute la terre de l'Evangile - From the prophetic tradition," by Fr Hermann Schalük OFM, ministre general, 1996 - Letter to the OFM on evangelisation].

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(6th Day)

2 - ECCE-FIAT IN MY WHOLE LIFE

PLAN OF THE EXPOSÉ

"MARY LEFT IN HASTE..." [Lk 1, 39]."THEY HAVE NO MORE WINE." - "DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU" [Jn 2, 3-5]."WOMAN, BEHOLD YOUR SON." - "BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER" [Jn 19, 26-27].

Another gospel text is closely linked with that of the Annunciation, even to being the second part of a diptych: the account of the VISITATION, in Lk 1, 39-56.

It shows both how the Ecce of Mary would come about, and how it includes all the aspects of her life.

Indeed, the Ecce of the Annunciation which brought about a turning point in the history of the world, also completely transformed Mary's life. First of all, for her equally, it was a "new birth". Her unique project became that of being mother of the Messiah, constantly present to his Presence, maternal co-operator, the discreet but effective "handmaid" of the Father's plan for the world, in his Son. She became "Ecce" in the whole of her existence of presence to God, of self offering in an absolute availability and of presence to others in order to lead them to her Son.

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a) The angel gave Mary a sign: "Behold Elizabeth, your cousin, has in her old age conceived a son, [...] for nothing is impossible to God" [Lk 1, 36-37].

As soon as he left her, she 'went in haste' to the hill country... [...] She entered Zachary's house and greeted Elizabeth" [Lk 1, 39-40].

The first effect of her Ecce was to make her available for the redeeming mission of the son she bore in her, immediately becoming 'missionary' herself.

b) No doubt she went to carry out a duty of mutual help. It all began with her initiative: fulfilling the Law of charity.

The Saviour's presence in her, on whom the fullness of the life-giving Spirit rested, worked the sanctification of John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, who began to prophesy in her turn. In this way, Mary inaugurated a form of mission through life, radiating the Spirit of Christ. We are not the ones who evangelise, this is done by the Lord present in us with his sanctifying Spirit.

c) The result of this meeting of two women in faith, love and self-giving is a concert of blessings: a jubilant "Eucharistic praise, adoring the Lord God who had done such great things for his people and for all believers; who looks after the smallest and humblest in order to set them free.

Such is the goal of the mission of the Son in the Spirit, and of all mission: to lead the world in the glorification of a God who is essentially Father [cf. Const. art. 3].

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d) This double text of Annunciation and Visitation contains the seeds of our triple vocation of self-gift in total disponibility, mission and adoration. Sprung from the Ecce of the Annunciation, the three are inseparable and invoke one another.

e) Mary lived this original commitment throughout her life , in the different developments where one or other aspect would be most marked. But the basic impulse is there, giving great unity to her life. For us, with all the distance which separates us from Mary, the profound orientation will be the same.

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TEXTS PROPOSED FOR MEDITATION

O.T. I s 2, 1-10 - The Canticle of Hannah, mother of Samuel. Jr 1, 4-8 - "Go wherever I send you...".

N.T. Lk 1, 39-56 - Mary's visit to Elizabeth. Jn 2, 1-11 - The first sign: Cana. Jn 19, 25-27 - Mary at the foot of the cross. Rev. 19, 6-7 - The "marriage of the Lamb".

Francis Adm. 18-19 - Compassion for one's neighbour - Refer all

good to the Lord.

Mary of the Passion - "This feast of the Visitation is resplendent with missionary charity; this virtue drew Mary from her peaceful home and led her to her cousin Elizabeth's home for the sanctification of souls, in particular that of Saint John the Baptist. "We celebrate this feast with great love; it is particularly appropriate for us, and on this day we should try to obtain great zeal for the salvation of souls and that forgetfulness of self which does not recoil before any sacrifice in order to do good."On the day of the Visitation, the Magnificat is sung at Benediction to glorify the Blessed Virgin and to ask her for a share of her humility and her love of souls.

"DIRECTORY. - What virtues we have to learn from the mystery of the Visitation! Detachment from places, charity towards our neighbour, a true humility which refers to God all the glory of the work in which we are never anything more

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than the instruments, the pouring out of the creature in love with her Creator!"May my daughters fathom all the lessons of this mystery and may they know how to draw much fruit therefrom for their souls and for the souls of others.

[Customs Book for the Visitation, 2 July, volume 1].

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

On my FMM journey, how have I co-operated, like Mary, with the Ecce and Fiat of "Christ as he gave himself up to the Father for the salvation of the world in the mystery of his Incarnation and his Pasch": by the gift of myself 'in complete and joyous

disponibility' to contemplation and adoration, presence of His Presence

in the Eucharist and in my brothers and sisters who are the 'furthest' and

the 'poorest', to whom He sent me to witness to his Good News? -

[Cf. Const. arts. 2.3.4 and Chap. Doc. 1996 art. 2].

How do I live this charism at the moment? What aspect of it is predominant for me today? And to what is the Spirit specially inviting me in the near future? For me, is it a service of the Church?

How does the spirit of Francis help me to live it?

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(6th Day)COMPLEMENTARY TEXTS

TEXT FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

"Mary, favourite daughter of the Father, - mother, disciple and partner of the Son, - sanctuary of the Holy Spirit "Mary is the woman educated and sanctified by the Trinity. In the angel's salutation to Mary [cf. Lk 1, 26-28], as the new 'daughter of Zion' [cf. Zeph 3, 14; Gal 2, 21; Za 9, 9], she becomes the representative of the whole chosen people, the incarnation of the new Israel, receiving in faith the messianic promise in the name of all the people. God thus returns to live in the midst of his people in Mary, the new ark of the Covenant. God's choice of Mary is based on the extreme gratuity of his fatherly love. 'Full of grace' [Lk 1, 28] is a unique title. The Father has brought together over her the fullness of his love and his holiness. Mary was full of grace a priori, to the extent that she was chosen to be mother of the incarnate Son of God. [...]

The canticle of Mary, the Magnificat [Lk 1, 46-55], could be called the Father's hymn, the canticle of the fatherhood of God, by which God's mercy extends from generation to generation on those who fear him. Besides the humility of the handmaid with regard to God, contemporary re-reading of this canticle stresses Mary's prophetic dimension by which she announces the work of justice - also on the human level - that the coming of the Kingdom of God will establish on earth. [...] - The theme of the Magnificat is fundamentally that of the Father's love for the humble, the poor and the oppressed. With the Magnificat, Mary becomes the sign of the Father's mercy towards all people. The Magnificat is the canticle of the strong woman, who claims the rights of both God and humanity against all history's prevarications. [...]

"The experience of God's fatherhood in Mary recalls to each human being their identity as son or daughter of God. [...] To invoke God as Father [...] is to find again the true face of man and of woman created in the greatest resemblance of God and recreated in the

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Son, as son of the Father. [...] Consequently, each human being rediscovers his or her identity as brother or sister, as son or daughter of a single Father, reunited in the unique family of God. [...]. This is the reason why Mary constitutes 'the great sign of the maternal and merciful face, [which] makes us close to the Father and to Christ as well as to all those whom she invites to enter into communion with them'.

"The more important aspect of the figure of Mary is her intimate union with Jesus, as mother [...], educator, disciple and co-operator with the 'Son of the Most High' [Lk 1, 32], of the 'Holy One', of the 'Son of God' [Lk 1, 35]. The humanity of Jesus comes entirely from Mary [...]. She gave her motherly heart to her Son, surrounding him with love, attention and respect. Mary educated Jesus by her work, by her motherly devotion, and by her commitment to protect him. She educated him by her poor, serene, laborious, simple and chaste life which was full of motherly love. [...]

"Mary's life of union with Christ did not take away the dramatic side of her daily existence, with its joys and, especially, its sorrows. Indeed, the Holy Family put up with persecution, exile, poverty and even mutual incomprehension. [cf. Lk 2, 48-50]. In educating the Son, Mary experienced a real pilgrimage of faith, from the birth to the Resurrection and Pentecost [cf. Lk 2, 19. 51].

"[...] As well as being mother, Mary was also the disciple of her divine Son: 'Who is my mother and who are my brothers?' And pointing to his disciples, he said: 'These are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, that one is a brother, sister and mother to me' [Mt. 12, 48-50].

"Not only mother and disciple, Mary is concretely associated with Christ in subordinate maternal service, depending and entirely relative to the mystery of her divine Son. In the miracle at Cana, John the Evangelist presents a concrete example of this motherly mediation [cf. Jn 2, 1-11]. John Paul II makes the following commentary about it:

'[...] There is [...] a mediation: Mary places herself between her Son and the people in the reality of their privations, their poverty and their

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suffering. She places herself 'in the middle', that is, she acts as mediator not only from the outside but from her capacity as mother. [...] So her mediation has an intercessory character: Mary 'intercedes' for men and women.' [Redemptoris Mater no. 21].

"[...] Such a mediation has an ecclesiological horizon, when Mary, receiving the disciple [cf. Jn 19, 25-27], becomes mother of the Son's disciples, mother of the Church. [...]

"If, with regard to the Father, a spirituality of filial being emerges, a spirituality of abandonment to God's merciful and immensely tender providence, then a spirituality of maternal being appears, a spirituality of welcome, tenderness, listening and service of the Son and sons. There is continuity between the two attitudes. [...] Mary [...] intercedes so that all may be the favourite sons of the Father in his Son Jesus Christ.

"The mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God is entirely subject to the virtus pneumatica of the Holy Spirit. From the Incarnation to Pentecost, the Christ event finds its fundamental dynamism in the Holy Spirit. The sacred authors often bear witness giving an understanding of the relationship of the Holy Spirit with Mary, whether in the first chapters of Matthew and Luke, or at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. [...]

"The birth of the Redeemer and the birth of the Church are the work of God's Spirit, and in both cases Mary keeps her role of mother.[Extracts from: "Jesus Christ, unique Sauveur du Monde - hier, aujourd'hui et à jamais", par le Conseil de présidence du grand jubilé de l'an 2000 - Ed. Mame].

ECUMENICAL TEXT

"134. One would not respect [...] Mary if one did not recognise in her a true creature of God, a daughter of Israel fully inserted into the history of her people, a mother who shared the joys and sorrows of motherhood - in everyday existence as in its exceptional circumstances. It is through her human itinerary that this woman opened herself to God's Word. It was on the very path that she was

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called to faith and that she learned to become a disciple, step by step, sometimes in light and often in the night, from the fiat of the Annunciation and the exultation of the Magnificat until the silent distress of Calvary.

"135. Such is the deep humanity of Mary. If she exalts the Most High 'because he has looked on the lowliness of his humble servant' [Lk 1, 48]. her Magnificat is not her own glorification but the praise of the Lord for the marvels he has worked. If Mary, woman among women, nevertheless occupies a unique place in creation, this place is hers by the fact that she was chosen by God to be the mother of his own Son and because she consented without reserve to this choice. [...]"[Extracts from: "Marie dans le dessein de Dieu et la communion des saints" - Dans l'histore et l'Ecriture - par le Groupe des Dombes - Bayard Ed./Centurion, 1997].

TEXT FOR BIBLICAL MEDITATION

"Mary, educator in the faith, in her life as a Jewish woman

"Mary, a woman of whom nothing is said, because she was too ordinary in the extra ordinariness of her existence.

"Woman, she is a woman like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, the 'mothers' of Israel. [...]

"Woman who waited, woman of desire, alive, ardent, filled with the Messiah even before having given birth to him.

"Woman of memory, the active memory of the faith, of hope and of love, who fulfilled the promises and all the Scriptures by giving them body, flesh and blood."Jewish woman, she made her house into a Temple, and her family life a liturgy: 'How fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! [Num. 24, 5]'

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"[...] Educator with Joseph of their child, she is simply God's active will in the fulfilment of his commandments: she made the Torah the tissue of her life, of her years, of her months, of her days, of her hours. [...]

"From his childhood, Mary taught Jesus the foundations of his faith: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is ONE' and: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart..."

"She herself strains with all her being, heart, soul and spirit towards the Unique One. [...]

"She taught him the Ten Words and the whole of the Torah, summed up in the golden rule: That which is hateful to you, do not do it to your neighbour; this is the whole Torah, the rest is only commentary' [Talmud].

"[...] With Joseph, she accompanied him as an adolescent to the Temple. [...]

"Mary accompanied his steps, throughout his infancy, his adolescence, and in a discreet way, was present throughout his adult life, at the fruition of all that she had sowed in his being as man and God.

"As Miriam, his older sister, accompanied Moses in the exodus of the people, Mary shared with Jesus his exodus, his desert, and his entry into the Land; she 'kept all these things' in her memory of faith, hope and love; she watched over their fulfilment; she fulfilled in her own existence the path of her child, right to the end."

[Anne Catherine Avril NDS, dans SIDIC, Vol XXX no. 2, 1987]

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(7th Day)

3 - TO LIVE THE ECCE AND FIAT IN THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST

PLAN OF THE EXPOSÉ

"ALL WERE CONSTANTLY DEVOTING THEMSELVES TO PRAYER, TOGETHER WITH CERTAIN WOMEN, INCLUDING MARY THE MOTHER OF JESUS. [...] ALL OF THEM WERE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT" [Acts 1, 14; - 2, 4]."THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY: COME! [...] - SURELY I AM COMING SOON." [Rev. 22, 17-20].

a) Before dying, Jesus gave Mary as mother to the Church and to the whole of humanity, in the person of John [cf. Jn 19, 26-27]. It is a "test" which finds her available, as before and throughout her life, which has always been "Ecce". It is the transforming stage of a motherhood widened to the dimensions of the world, and the signal of a letting go, a symbol of her universal mission.

b) While waiting, from this body which Jesus has received from her, she receives at the foot of the cross at the same time as the disciple, the gift of the blood and the water on which the Church is going to live: Eucharist, and baptism in the Spirit.

With the whole Church, and like the whole Church which will gather together around the "breaking of the bread" [cf. Acts of the Apostles], Mary will without any doubt participate in the Eucharist.

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For the moment, she awaits the gift of the Spirit that Jesus promised to the future Church, as it was said previously to herself, first fruits of the Church: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, [...] the child to be born [...] will be called Son of God" [Lk 1, 35].

c) Mother still, she is the one who brings together these scattered members of the "total body of Christ", so that, in the strength of the Spirit and purified faith, they may become the Church.

As at the first Annunciation, it is all about a birth, an incarnation of the Word, through the power of the Holy Spirit of whom he makes the gift to those who believe in him. By her simple presence, Mary (she who believed, and who can witness from the beginning), shows how to welcome Him who never stops coming and transforming the world. Without words, she teaches her motherly role to the nascent Church.

d) We have reached the "last times ". The Babel of the world, the Old Covenant brought into being a people of witnesses to the unique God. From this God the Spirit of the Lord would raise up the Messiah. Now, this same Spirit makes the Life of the risen Messiah overflow onto all the nations in a New and definitive Covenant. The little, primitive nucleus of the Church must make it burst forth, grow and ripen until the day of the Lord's Return when, all the peoples having entered into communion with the Father, the Church will go up - with the Spirit who has not left her - to meet Christ the Bridegroom [cf. Rev 22, 16-17. 20-21]. This will be the

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ultimate mutual "Ecce", in the final fulfilment of the Father's loving will.

In the meantime, it is the time of the Church's motherly action - ours. Before the Church, her earthly role fulfilled, Mary can efface herself, becoming the "older sister" whose discreet and exemplary support remain always available for the moment of need.

e) Our fraternal life in internationality is one of the strongest missionary witnesses of the Institute [Cf. Const. art. 7]. It is a veritable challenge for us; and if we live it authentically, it is a sign of the presence of the Spirit, a sign of the ongoing Pentecost.

It seems particularly meaningful in our world of today which is seeking unity, but at the same time tears itself apart by so much hatred, vengeance and war.

Perhaps we should revive the Flame that is within us, as it was in Mary, in order always to be a greater invitation to "contemplation in action", which modern people need in order to be reborn in joy: "Become what you are," a child of God and a brother or sister to humanity.

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TEXTS PROPOSED FOR MEDITATION

O.T. Gen 11, 1-9 - Babel. Ex 19, 1-9. - Dt 4, 10-14 - Jewish Pentecost - Covenant at

Sinai - Holy, priestly people. Num. 11, 24-30 - The Spirit of God descends on the 70

elders of Israel.

N.T. Acts 1, 12-14; - 2, 1-24. 36-41 - Christian Pentecost. Acts 10, 44-48 - The Holy Spirit descends on the pagans. Rev 22, 16-17. 20-21 - "Come!"

Francis 1st Rule, chap. 23. Letter to all the faithful - verses 48-62.

Mary of the Passion "Where are you leading me?" 27 May 1903, 2nd meditation

[no. 103]. 29 May 1903, 1st meditation [no. 108].

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SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

Is the communion of saints a living reality in my life? What place has Mary in it?

How, in practice, do I live the "international community" at the different levels of the Institute?

In my opinion, is it a prophetic, missionary sign in the world in which I live - and under what conditions?

Is the Holy Spirit the One I turn to in order to enter into communion with Jesus and with the Father, and with the others? And also to co-operate in the birth of the new People, the Body of Christ?

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(7th Day)

COMPLEMENTARY TEXTS

TEXT FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

"Mary, sanctuary of the Holy Spirit

“The mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God results entirely from the virtus pneumatica of the Holy Spirit. From the Incarnation to Pentecost, the coming of Christ finds its fundamental dynamism in the Holy Spirit. The sacred authors present much evidence enabling us to understand the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Mary, whether in the first chapters of Matthew and Luke, or at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. In Luke 1, 35, the angel tells Mary: 'The Holy Sprit will come upon you; and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.' In Acts 1, 14, the same evangelist, speaking of the church of Jerusalem awaiting Pentecost, wrote: 'All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.' The birth of the Redeemer and the birth of the Church were the work of God's Spirit, and in each case Mary kept her role of mother."

[Extract from: "Jésus Christ, unique Sauveur du monde - Hier, aujourd'hui et à jamais. - Conseil de présidence du grand jubilé de l'an 2000 - Ed. Mame]

ECUMENICAL TEXT

"Mary in the communion of saints

"190 - The third article of the Symbol [of faith] is devoted to the Holy Spirit and the Church. The Church was born of God at Pentecost through the gift of the Spirit. When the disciples gathered in the

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Cenacle wait in prayer for this inaugural moment, Mary was present in the midst of this little community in Jerusalem, which numbered some one hundred and twenty persons [Acts 1, 14-15].

"1. The communion of saints

"191 - The communion of saints is rooted in its centre which is Christ Jesus, under whose authority it regroups the believers of all times, justified by his grace. It accomplishes the unity of his body on earth and in the heavens. Church militant and Church triumphant are mysteriously united in spite of the separation of time and space and the rupture of death: for the one who believes has already 'passed from death to life' [cf. Jn 5, 24. - 1 Jn 3, 14], or, in Pauline terms, 'nothing can separate them from the love of God, neither life nor death.' [Rm. 8, 38-39].

"192 -This communion of the saints is lived in the liturgy which transcends space and time and unites the celebration of the earthly community with the eternal praise of the celestial community. [Cf. the great celestial liturgy of Rev. 4-5]. It is very specially around the Eucharistic memorial of Christ, through which the Church gives thanks and glory to the Father in the Spirit, that the community in prayer associates the memory of the saints of all times and of all places, from Abel, Abraham and Melchizedek, with those men and women who today are still witnesses and martyrs for their faith. In praise more than in affliction, the conformity of these 'with the sufferings of Christ' [Phil 3, 10-11] is celebrated while awaiting their resurrection like the 'first-born' of them.

"193 - Our attention to the liturgical dimension of the communion of the saints allows us to come together with Orthodoxy, for whom the liturgy is the crucible of Marian piety; indeed, it is through icons and liturgical texts, rather than sermons, treaties or dogmas, that one better grasps the spirit of orthodox Marian theology.

"194 - The communion of the saints is thus memory, in the heart of the anonymous crowd that 'no-one can count' [Rev. 7, 9], of 'athletes' [cf. 1 Cor 9, 26] of the faith, who are precursors and models for us to follow: the witnesses of the two Testaments, the martyrs and the

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confessors, and among them the one who was by her flesh the closest to Jesus, the Virgin Mary.

"2. From the undivided Church to the denominational churches

"195 - The first place of Mary in the communion of the saints is the fruit of a long evolution. This precedence is not that of the primitive Church who, confessing Christ as the source of all martyrdom and the head of all martyrs, honoured Steven before all others. He was the first to 'restore to Christ the blood which Christ had poured out for us'.

"196 - The most pertinent text, emanating from the undivided Church, on the place of Mary in the communion of saints is certainly the canon of the Mass evoked by Ambrose, who put at the head of all the saints of whom remembrance was made, the 'glorious, ever Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord Jesus Christ'.[Ambrose of Milan, Of the sacraments IV, 21-29]. This canon is at the origin of what was to become the western canon of the Mass. [...]

"198 - So, Mary took her place, first of all as Virgin, prototype of the consecrated virgins, thanks to the zeal the cloistered nuns had for her, encouraged by the bishops, notably Athanasius and Ambrose. It was from this procession, which she led towards Christ, that Mary became the first of both women and men saints. [...]"

"200 - Among Catholics [the popularity of a great number of saints is] an important sign that Mary does not eclipse the immense 'cloud of witnesses' as shown by the Martins, Bonifaces, Patricks, Yves, Francis of Assisi, etc.

"201 - This popularity of men and women saints, retained by Catholic devotion, must not ignore the corresponding great figures, who participate in the same great crowd of witnesses such as: John Hus and Marie Durand, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, etc. in the Churches issued from the Reformation.

"202 - The orthodox Churches, on their side, venerate saints such as Marie Scobtsova, the starets Seraphim of Sarov, Silouane, etc. and canonise them. But they also clearly affirm the pre-eminent place of

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Mary in the communion of saints. This place is hers without question for the simple reason that Mary is icon of the Church and Mother of the believers. She is the one who, by definition, finds herself at the head of those whom Christ says are 'happy because they hear the word of God and keep it' [Lk 11, 28; cf. 8, 21]. This pre-eminence appears in the fact that Mary is the only human being to be called Panagia, ' the total saint' or 'the most saintly'.

"203 - By glancing at the three articles of the Symbol of faith, we have gone forward with Mary. We have accompanied her, from the humble young Jewish woman of Nazareth to the one who precedes us in the communion of saints, because she was the chosen one of God in order to be the mother of the Messiah.In the Magnificat Mary sang of her unique destiny: she is the humble servant of the Lord, for whom God - holy is his Name! - has done great things; she sees herself called blessed by all the generations for having believed in the promises made to Abraham. By her 'yes' given to the angelic salutation, Mary will see herself becoming the mother of her Lord. Mother and blessed, Mary would not forget either her origin or the greatness of the one who, through her, would take flesh and go beyond all the limits of time and space in him who would be the 'light of the nations' and the 'glory of Israel'."

[Extract from "MARIE dans le dessein de Dieu et la communion des saints', tome 1: 'Dans l'histoire et l'Ecriture'. - Groupe des Dombes - Ed. Bayard/Centurion, 1997].

FRANCISCAN TEXT

The permanent fruitfulness of Mary

For Francis and Clare, 'their contemplation of the mystery of the mother of God constantly enriched their evangelical life and their prayer. She remained the inspiration of their life. Was she not the first to let herself be bowled over by the unforeseen irruption of the Spirit of God in her life? Was she not the first to know the joys and the anguish, the certainties and the questionings of every seeker for God? [...]

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'She lit up the two great poles of the mission of the Church and of each one of us. The first consists in welcoming Christ and the treasures of his Kingdom. The second is the duty to bring forth Christ in the hearts of men [and women] by the influence of our lives. Francis and Clare often compared, with great realism, the Christian mission and the motherhood of Mary. They invited their brothers and sisters to live spiritually that which the Virgin lived in her flesh. [...] According to them, every Christian life, open and faithful to the power of the Spirit, is a theophany of God, bearing life. Did not Saint Paul himself use this language in connection with his apostolate to his brothers when he said: 'I have begot you in Christ!' [...]

'Thus, by contemplating Mary's virginity and maternity, Francis and Clare better grasped the mysterious and secret fecundity of spiritual fatherhood and motherhood. Their consecrated celibacy is not sterility. The multitude of the brothers and sisters that they have engendered over seven centuries shows that the fecundity of a life goes beyond simple carnal procreation. In their eyes, the maternity of Mary largely goes beyond the mystery of the Nativity. She is the living figure of the Church, handmaid and poor, who gives Jesus to the world and effaces herself. With the Virgin, they have discovered the basis of every contemplative and missionary life: love, faith, adoration and poverty. Like the Virgin mother, to live in order to give Christ to the world: there we find all the Marian piety of Francis and Clare!"

[Extract from: "Christ notre bonheur", par Michel Hubaut OFM - Ed. Le Sarment/Fayard, 1986, - p. 174 ss.]

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