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My Very Dear Brothers,
May the Lord give you Peace!
Hail O Lady, Hail Queen,
Mary, holy Mother of God,
Who are the Virgin made Church,
Chosen by the most Holy Father in heaven
Whom he consecrated with His most beloved Son
And with the Holy Spirit the Paraclete,
In whom there was and is
All fullness of grace and every good.
Hail His Palace!
Hail His Tabernacle!
Hail His Dwelling!
Hail His Robe!
Hail His Servant!
Hail His Mother!
(St. Francis of Assisi, A Salutation of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
The dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception
1. The proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary one hundred and fifty years ago in 1854 brought to a culmination almost 550 years of theological reflection and contemplation- and, to be honest, some bitter quarreling- among Christian philosophers and theologians. Some of the most important of these contributing saints and scholars were members of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. It is, therefore, most appropriate that we pause to commemorate this anniversary, so integral to our history, tradition and identity.
Forty years after the proclamation of the dogma, 1894, St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe was born; now 110 years ago. In 1917, at the age of 23, together with six companions, he founded the Militia of the Immaculata at via S. Teodoro, Rome, then the site of the Order's international college. The founding of the Militia-St. Maximilian wrote and we note below- was akin to opening the second page in the history of the reality highlighted in the declaration of the dogma. With daring conviction he compares the dogma to an architectural blueprint for a house and calls the Militia the house itself; the theological affirmation, then, is the essential prelude to later historical enactment.
One should not think that St. Maximilian is abandoning theological contemplation for pastoral activity; the wider context of his life proves this is not so. Yet, at the same time, our saintly confrere recognizes that every theological reflection must have its pastoral expression to merit the accolade "theological" just as, on the contrary, any pastoral activity must be rooted in solid theology mediator, argues, Scotus, "Christ did exercise the most degree of mediation in relation to a person for whom he was mediator. Now, for no other person did he exercise a more excellent degree of mediation than for MaryBut this would not have been the case, had he not merited to preserve her immune from original sin"
(Ord.3.d/3,q.1). In an earlier writing, he had already stated that whatever is more excellent is to be attributed to Mary, as long as it does not go counter to the Church's teaching and to the Holy Scriptures. And later in his teaching, he taught: "In heaven there is the Blessed Virgin Mother who was never his enemy; neither on account of personal nor of original sin: she would have been, however, had she not been preserved" (In!!! Sent.d.18,q.unica). From Scotus down through Francis of Brescia, whom, our Franciscan Pope Sixtus IV, gave the title "Fortissimus Samson" after a brilliant exposition of the doctrine of the immaculate conception, in his presence and in the presence of all the members of the Roman Curia, and until the definition of the Dogma by Blessed Pius IX in 1854, many others among our more renowned Franciscan theologians became heralds and defenders of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception as formulated by John Scotus.
Alongside these luminaries in the field of theology, other figures stand out in the fertile ground of seraphic holiness such as Joseph of Cupertino. Whenever he even heard the name of Mary Immaculate, he went into ecstasy and rose above the ground. With his simple, yet persuasive words, he enkindled in the hearts of the people a filial love and devotion to our heavenly Mother. St. Francis Anthony Fasani still called today by the people of Puglia the Saintly Padre Maestro, spread devotion toward the unique privilege of the Immaculate Conception of Mary by means of his sermons, which were both learned and yet within the reach of all. (His Novenas to the Immaculate have been recently published by Fr. Francesco Costa, Professor of the Faculty of Theology of St. Bonaventure).
5. The road that finally led to the proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 with the Bull "Ineffabilis Deus" was long and by no means devoid of difficulties, but our Order, convinced that "de Maria numquam satis" (one could never say enough of Mary), never hesitated in its endeavors to promote the cause of this unique Marian privilege. In 1263, the General Chapter of Pisa established that the feast of the Immaculate Conception should be celebrated in the whole Order. It is worth noting here, that notwithstanding the fact that the then Minister General Saint Bonaventure, who as a theologian did not uphold the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, as the Supreme Moderator of the Order did not oppose its celebration. And this feast introduced in the Franciscan Order as early as 1263, was enriched with a proper Liturgical Office and Mass, which was officially adopted in Rome by the Conventual Franciscan Pope, Sixtus IV, on the 27 February 1477. In promulgating the Apostolic Constitution "Cum praecelsa", the Pope affirmed that the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was consistent with the tenets of the Catholic faith. When the adversaries of this Marian doctrine tried to distort the meaning of the above-mentioned Constitution, Sixtus IV vigorously intervened again with the Bull "Grave nimis" threatening with excommunication all those who continued to oppose this doctrine and declaring false, erroneous and contrary to the truth, the opinion that denies that the Blessed Virgin had been preserved immune from original sin in her conception.
After this papal pronouncement, The Universities of Paris, Oxford, Cambridge, Toulouse, Vienna and Bologna required that all the Doctors and Masters should under oath accept and uphold the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, while our friars continue to examine further the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and to promote it with their illuminating insights. All these events were instrumental in making possible the dawn of that unforgettable day of December 8, 1854, on which the Franciscans could hail with humble pride the end of a long battle fought for almost 550 years, a victory greeted with such great joy by God's people, in a way comparable only to that which had occurred at the proclamation of Mary as the Theotokos by the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D.
After the proclamation of the dogma: "the second page" of the history of the Order
6. Did that day signal the end of the journey? Had the time arrived to lay back and enjoy the laurels of victory?
We know from the Protp-Evangelium that God foretold a war between the serpent and the woman, his offspring and her offspring. This battle, definitely won by Christ, the Son of Mary on the cross, did not put an end to the conflict, which the enemy of man continues to wage against the sons and daughters of Adam. Therefore, it would be an irresponsible and foolish act if we were to lay down our arms in the face of such a shrewd enemy. Here is what one of our confreres born 40 years after the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception has to tell us. Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, who joined the Order in1910 and made his simple vows in 1911, states "The struggle concluded in victory. This truth is now acknowledged everywhere and proclaimed a dogma of faith. But is the battle over now?...If we were to build a house would we be satisfied to draw the plans and prepare the project, without thinking how t0 start satisfied to draw the plans and prepare the project, without thinking how to start constructing it? Or is it not the case that we prepare the plans as a necessary first step toward the construction of the house? Therefore, the second phase of our history starts now: we should now sow this truth into the hearts of all men that live and shall live until the end of time and see that they keep growing in sanctity. We have to introduce the Immaculate into the hearts of men, so that she may prepare there a throne for her SonWe see that four years after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady personally requested in Lourdes: 'Penance, penance, penance!' Behold the one who preaches penance to our corrupted world: Mary Immaculate. Let us allow her to preach penance to us and through our Order for the renewal of souls" (Scritti di Massimiliano Kolbe,n. 486, ENMI Roma, 1997).
7. Fr. Maximilian had been thinking about this for a long time. In fact, on the 17th October 197, while he was still a student in the International College in Via San Teodoro, in Rome, together with six student confreres, he founded the Militia of Mary Immaculate. Later he himself explained: "The reason that determined its foundation was the increasingly provocative behavior of the Free Masons and other hostile forces against the Church of Christ in the very centre of Christendom; at the base of it (MI) was the traditional devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Friars Minor Conventual down through the centuries: traditional because it goes back to the very beginning of the Order. Moreover (it is founded on) the spirit of poverty, a distinguishing feature of the Order, based not on the reckoning of income and expenditure, but rather on the trust in divine Providence, thorough the Immaculate, and on the understanding that everyone should receive according to his needs: this is the financial basis; finally, the will of the Immaculate showed us the way to follow" (ibid.n1046). Speaking about the aims of the M.I., he tried to specify them in this way: "the aim of the Immaculate. She, as Co-redemptrix, wishes to bring to all men the full benefits of the redemption carried out by her Son. .Her only wish is to enhance the level of our spiritual life even to the peak of sanctity." And he concluded: "The M.I. is a global vision of the catholic life in a new light, consistent with the ties that bind us to the Immaculate, our universal Mediatrix with Jesus" (ibid.n.1220).
8. The contribution of Fr. Maximilian was not limited to the pastoral field alone. He felt that the Order, now that the Immaculate Conception of Mary cannot be questioned, should deepen the knowledge of the dogma and discover the many aspects of the hidden beauty of this mystery. Thus, he requested of Fr. Leo Veuthey "a truly supernatural person" to make his contribution in this area. And he himself felt that he must study the relationship of the Immaculate to the Most Holy Trinity and in particular to the Holy Spirit, who was given to her from the very beginning of her existence. Conscious of the depth of the mystery of this unique privilege, he wanted to understand it better, in an atmosphere of prayer. He eventually decided to prepare an outline for a book on the Immaculate Conception, which he intended to publish. In this outline we read: "Who are you, my Lady? Who are you, O Immaculate? I cannot scrutinize adequately what it means to be 'a creature of God'. It is beyond me to understand the meaning of 'adopted son of God'. But, O Immaculate, who are you? You are not just a creature, you are not simply an adopted daughter, but you are the Mother of God, not just the adopted Mother, but the true Mother of God. And this is not simply a hypothesis, a probable opinion; it is the truth, an absolute certainty, a dogma of faith (ibid.n.1305).
and further in the outline, he affirmed, in referring to the holy Spirit, is the one who is "an Uncreated conception, eternal, prototype of all other conceptions of life in the universea most holy conception, infinitely holy, immaculate", Maximilian Kolbe goes on to say that since she is his Spouse, it follows that 'Immaculate Conception' is the name of her, in whom he dwells with a love which bears fruit in the supernatural economy" (ibid,n.1318). The Holy Spirit therefore "abides in her, lives in her, and does so from the very first instance of her existence". This indwelling of the Holy Spirit is so intimate and beyond human understanding, that Fr. Maximilian dares to speak of a "a quasi-incarnation", specifying immediately: "in Jesus there are two natures (divine and human) and one person (the Divine Person of the Son), while in our case we have two natures and two persons, the Holy Spirit and the Immaculate; however the union of the divine and the human surpasses all understanding" (ibid,n.1310). Here we have a page of an exceptionally deep theology which merits to be further studied. Reflecting still further on the name, Kolbe writes: "Immaculate Conception does not mean, as some think, that the Blessed Virgin did not have a father on earth. She came into this world as all other babies of the world in a normal family, having both father and mother. She is said to be 'conceived'; therefore she is not God, who had no beginning; nor an angel, created directly by God; nor our first parents who did not come into existence through conception. She is called simply 'Conception', but not in the same way as Jesus, who although conceived, exists as God from all eternity. But she is said to be the 'Immaculate Conception'. And in this she is different from all the other children of Adam. Thus, the name 'Immaculate Conception' belongs to her by right, and to her exclusively (ibid,n.1308). She is the summit of the love which creation returns to God; she is the one free from the stain of all sin, the all beautiful, exclusively belonging to God" (ibid,n.1310).
9. From these few quotations, we can form an idea of the depth of St. Maximilian's doctrine, a doctrine, which is the fruit of a life of prayer and of unrelenting reflection. as he himself tells us. St. Maximilian appropriated the ejaculation "Dignare me laudare te, Virgo sacrata" attributed to Blessed John Scotus. He never ceased imploring the Immaculate Mother for the grace to know her better and to love her and make her loved more by all men, convinced that no one else held more closely to her heart the cause of Christ Jesus: the salvation of souls through the coming of his kingdom on earth. Therefore, there is nothing presumptuous, wrote St. Maximilian, in asking her to teach us how to love Jesus as she loved him and to ask Jesus to have us love his Mother as he loved her. The proof that we want to be truly her children is revealed in our imitating her attitude toward what she held most dear.
The commitment of the Order today
10. At a distance of one hundred and fifty years from the dogmatic proclamation of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is now our turn and responsibility to continue along the trail blazed by our glorious confreres in the past. We should be willing and able to add our own contribution to its understanding, its promotion and its development.
"Memory is the future" is a phrase I have been fond of repeating lately on this and other significant anniversaries. Or, in other words, the recollection and celebration of past events and the way that we remember them carry in themselves the seeds of our growth. What I hope we shall remember in conjunction with this anniversary is our gratitude to God for giving us Mary, God's Mother, as model and coworker in the plan of our redemption and for having allowed our confreres, past and present, to bring these truths to the attention of the world.
11. More concretely, what else can we do? I suggest the following:
- Pray: that the truth of Mary Immaculate's role in God's plan for the world's salvation might be God's instrument in resolving conflict among the adherents of world religions and be the means of arriving at mutual understanding and harmony;
-Study: continue the theological reflection on Mary Immaculate that culminated in the dogma's declaration but which did not end and does not stop there. Our increasing pastoral mindedness, rather than substitute for theological study and reflection, should encourage us all to greater efforts at securing the foundations of all pastoral work which lie in theology. This includes, of course, selecting and encouraging our best representatives for this type of ministry to the Church, the world and our own Franciscan family;
-Develop: the insights of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe which led him to found the Militia of the Immaculate as a response to the theological reality of the dogma. Page two-the Militia-has itself not been completed and there are pages three, four, etc., yet to be written before they can be read. Let us continue to mine the treasures that lie in the Militia first, though, drawing pastoral consequences according to the signs of the times for today's not that of 1854 or 1917.
12. I call upon all friars, united with their brethren in conventual community on December 8 this year, to re-consecrate themselves singly and collectively to Mary Immaculate. Knowing that all our confreres throughout the world will be making this consecration together should not only help to identify ourselves as a religious family of Franciscan brothers but also help to unite us within that family. In addition, I also invite everyone to consider, in friary chapter, how this anniversary might be commemorated more visibly in our fraternal life and our fraternal works together.
May Mary Immaculate illuminate us, intercede for us, and bring us together with herself before the throne of our merciful God who is One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
May God give us Peace!
Rome, December 8,2004
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Fr. Joachim A. Giermek, OFM Conv
Minister General
Act of entrustment to Our Lady
O Holy Virgin Mary, O All Holy One
Mother of God and our gentle Mother,
Queen of the Order of Friars Minor:
On this solemn day dedicated to the privilege of your Immaculate Conception
We, friars Minor, renew our act of entrustment to you,
So that you may dispose of us and of our Order as it pleases you,
for the glory of God and for the coming of His Kingdom on earth.
We entrust to you our communities, our Provinces, our missions.
Grant that, we may live our Franciscan vocation,
By living faithfully in fraternity and poverty,
By announcing peace and hope to our restless and violent world.
O Immaculate Virgin,
Grant us the grace to work together in the struggle against Evil
That infects hearts and families as well as well as relations among people and nations
and with creation itself.
You are the All Pure One;
You are the victorious Woman
Who, with your Son, crushes the head of the serpent.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
stay with us and assist us with your maternal presence,
so that we in our turn-as individual friars and as an Order-
can be of comfort and support to those we meet on our journey,
until we all arrive one day to contemplate the splendor of your face
And with you, with St. Francis, with St. Maximilian and with all the Saints
adore forever the heavenly Father who had chosen you from eternity to be the Mother of his beloved Son through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Amen