JMJT! Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
Dear Ones-
How wonderful it is when a modern-day saint reveals through the Holy Spirit truths and practices for our times. St. Maximilian Kolbe is such a saint, who presents a Marian means of living out our Catholic and Carmelite calling to be united to Our Triune God, through complete consecration to Our Blessed Mother, the Immaculata. As a brief overview, St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in 1894 in Poland and became a Franciscan. He contracted tuberculosis and, though he recovered, he remained frail all his life. Before his ordination as a priest, he founded the Immaculata Movement devoted to Our Lady. After receiving a doctorate in theology, he spread the Movement through a magazine entitled "The Knight of the Immaculata" and helped form, a community of 800 men, the largest in the world.
Kolbe's life was strongly influenced by a childhood vision of the Virgin Mary that he later described as follows:
"That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both."
In one of his conferences, St. Maximilian gave the following reason for such a consecration of everything that we have, possess, and are interiorly and exteriorly. "If anyone wishes to contact a President, for instance, or some other high worldly dignitary, he does not go about it by himself; he takes an intermediary with him. The same can be true when we approach God; let it always be with Mary and through Mary. The saints who became holy most rapidly are the ones who were very zealous in glorifying Mary. We who, compared to them, are so much poorer spiritually, should always take Mary with us on the road to perfection."
As Carmelites, we already wear the Brown Scapular as a means of showing our fidelity and coat of arms or flag for Our Lady. She is our Queen and we are Her children who revere Her, belong to Her, and ask for Her guidance and intercession to be pleasing to Our Beloved Jesus. St. Maximilian spells out Our Lady's role as mediatrix, coredemptrix, and distributrix of all graces. In a private letter to one of His brothers, he shares the following, "The union between the Immaculata and the Holy Spirit is so inexpressible, yet so perfect, that the Holy Spirit acts only by the Most Blessed Virgin, his Spouse. This is why she is the Mediatrix of all grace given by the Holy Spirit. And since every grace is a gift of God the Father through the Son and by the Holy Spirit it follows that there is no grace which Mary cannot dispose of as her own, which is not given to her for this purpose." (Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit: The Marian Teachings of St. Maximilian Kolbe: by Fr. H.M. Manteau-Bonamy, OP)
Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity perfectly exemplifies this consecration to Our Lady in a very Carmelite context. She consecrated her entire life and vocation to Blessed Mother. She writes, "On each of Mary's feast days, I renew my consecration to this good Mother. And so I have entrusted myself to her today, and have thrown myself once more into her arms. I have placed my future and my vocation in her care with the most complete confidence." She viewed Mary's whole being as drawn within, and as a perfect illustration of what Carmelites are called to emulate. She united herself to the 'soul of the Virgin at the moment in which the Father was covering her with His shadow, while the Word was taking flesh within her and the Holy Spirit came upon her to accomplish the great mystery. It is the entire Trinity in action, yielding itself, giving itself; and is it not in these divine embraces that the Carmelite's life has to unfold.'
Bl. Elizabeth referred to Our Lady as Juana Coeli or 'heaven's gate' , and sought to imitate Christ by first reproducing Mary. As such, she placed everything in Her hands. What a beautiful means of consecrating herself totally to Our Lady in a very personal and unique way according to God's workings in her individual soul. We can do the same. With Blessed Elizabeth let us pray,
"Mary, O tender Mother, I place myself in Your care,
Hear my prayer,
Bless my resolutions. (May, 1894)
(See The Spirit and Message of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, by Fr. Michael Gaughran, SSC for quotes from Bl. Elizabeth)
With St. Maximilian Kolbe let us pray,
O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to thee. I, N___, a repentant sinner, cast myself at thy feet humbly imploring thee to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to thyself as thy possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases thee. If it pleases thee, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of thee: "She will crush your head," and, "Thou alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world."
Let me be a fit instrument in thine Immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed Kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever thou enters, one obtains the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through thy hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
V. Allow me to praise thee O Sacred Virgin.
R. Give me strength against thy enemies.
Amen.
