Part Six

Father Luigi M. Faccenda, OFM Conv and founder of our Institute, the Father Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata, names the four pillars of consecration to Mary in his book One More Gift. The pillars enable us to live out our consecration unto sanctity in imitation of the four attitudes of Mary described in Marialis Cultus.  

 

Interior Life

Interior life naturally involves our exterior works because we are not only souls, but bodies. All that goes on in our inner life influences our actions, and vice versa. Contemplation continuously nourishes our action. If we want to be effective witnesses of Christ, we must be contemplatives. What does this look like in daily life? Our interior life becomes contemplative through a life of prayer, especially participation in the sacraments, but including meditation, spiritual reading, the holy rosary, etc. Of course, we do not always have time for much prayer, so it is important to take many pauses throughout the day, especially when we find things becoming frantic. The pause may be long enough just to say, “Mary!” or “Help!”

 

Obedience

Obedience is the total conformity of ones will to the salvific will of God. It consists in allowing the Immaculata to guide our lives freely. We conform to the will of God because that is where we meet Jesus, glorify God, and are literally saved. It is where our happiness and holiness lie. Supernatural joy is found only in God’s will. Often, we do not see the fruits at the time, or even on this earth. But obedience always bears fruit. It is at the heart of being a saint. An important way of living out obedience is attentive listening to the Word of God, the Holy Father, and the Church’s Magisterium. Many of us have bosses, we all have civil authorities, God speaks through friends and family, spouses. The Lord speaks through the events and obligations of daily life.

 

Heroic Charity

Charity characterizes the entire life of Mary, from the Annunciation to Pentecost. She continues to live that charity in heaven, by being our spiritual mother. In our consecration we are called to share in the unlimited charity of Jesus and Mary. This requires a continuous giving of self to be instruments of love and communion. Heroic charity enables us to love without distinction. If we can love like that, always committed to the truth, we can be bring about communion in this broken world. This kind of charity requires an attitude of interior poverty and humility. We must be humble, otherwise we cannot enter this intimate dialogue with the Lord.

 

Suffering Willed Out of Love

Suffering willed out of love is accepting and loving sorrows and sufferings. Love them. We make a total offering of ourselves to God for the redemption of the world through Mary. Love makes suffering bearable, and there is no love without suffering. Therefore, we do not need to look for trials and suffering. Our daily lives are paved with opportunities to love involving sacrifice. It is these that we are called to accept and offer united to the Cross of Christ. Suffering out of love enables us to become attentive to others, compassionate, humble, and ultimately saints