18 September 2023 · 2023-09 newsletter
There seems to be many types of people who say they ‘know’ Mary with many ways of showing this. Some merely say ‘Mary is part of my life’ but the how is never explained. Others feel close to her because of visits to places she has appeared and only this week I received a bookmark showing the property where people go to honour ‘Our Lady of Knock’ in Ireland. Asking my friend how it affected her, she brushed it aside with a ‘nice place to go’ response. It made me think how far apart in thinking and understanding of Mary we were especially seeing how Mary had a great effect on my life as a non-Catholic child but more so having come in contact with Schoenstatt’s way of thinking and action, thereby deepening my understanding and relationship with Mary to a fuller and more personal one.
The question came to me: “If you had to explain your relationship with Mary as a Schoenstatter, how would you do it?” Everyone’s story is different, but it is worthwhile to explore the answer you might give. Looking at Lumen Gentium Ch. 8 can be a help. It clearly sets out the role of our Blessed Mother in the Church. I would like to add a few thoughts from a Schoenstatt perspective.
When I came to know Schoenstatt Mulgoa, it was an eye opener to find the Mulgoa Shrine as a place of Grace. I see her instrument, Fr. Denis Foley, as introducing me to it. That ‘She’, was locally attached to the place wasn’t hard for me to understand as, similar to the experience of many people, the moment I walked onto the property and into the Shrine I felt ‘At Home’. The first grace of three, freely given – and not asked for – because I didn’t know (understand) this ‘grace’ existed until later. An effect we could say my friend from above didn’t feel at Knock.
Finding out about the Founding Act of 18 October 1914 in the Original Shrine, and the idea of making a mutual covenant of love with Mary seemed to make so much sense in building on the relationship I had already established with Her. New to me was, if I committed to ‘Mary’ as Model and Educator‘, she would be like a true mother to me who would lead me along the right path.
The idea of contributions to a Capital of Grace seemed to resonate as a spiritual and physical task and necessary, rather than the tithing of other denominations. By contributing to the Capital of Grace of the ‘Mater Ter Admirabilis’ my thoughts ran along the idea that the more contributions I made, the more our Mother could distribute the graces won for us by her Son.
I wasn’t a Catholic till I was 23 but had built up a relationship with Mary since I was 8 years old. Since I have not ever been drawn to any other Marian movements or devotions other than Schoenstatt, it was not hard to see that Schoenstatt’s God-willed mission is a chosen work of His and Our Lady as their chosen instrument.
To find a Movement that lauded ‘Mariological Teaching’, especially the idea of Mary as a Mother and Educator and being trained and formed by her was so… what I was looking for and needed when Fr. Denis came into my life. Until then she had basically been my ‘grief counsellor’ so to speak – all one way listening – Her to me! Now I found that we could ‘work together’ to bring her Son anew into the world.
Belief that Mary gives us life, that she is constantly still the Christ-bearer and Christ bringer and all She desires is to give the Saviour to the people anew in every age, is not far-fetched or hard to comprehend when one really studies it and absorbs it.
This thought, which has often been questioned in the course of Schoenstatt’s history, really points to the mission of Schoenstatt and therefore our own mission to be Christ-bearers, Christ-bringers for our time. My question to the doubters of today about the role of Mary would be: ‘How else can Christ be born anew in every age if She does not ‘birth’ him in each one of us? So…
Angela
Let us walk like you through life,
Let us mirror you forever,
Strong and noble, meek and mild,
Peace and love be our endeavour.
Walk in us through our world.
Make it ready for the Lord. Amen.
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