A young Marist from the Netherlands writes in his blog recently about how the heritage of Mary and Marist spirituality can be relevant in today's rapidly changing times. Tom Kouijzer, s.m., who professed first-vows in February of last year, discusses the "Age of Mary" as a religious outlook the Marists use to evaluate the time in which they live and that it informs their outlook on the needs of their world. Kouijzer originally posted the article to the Marist Youth International website, which was specifically created for the young people with whom the Marist Fathers and Brothers share their life and mission.
The Marist Fathers and Brothers operate Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy.
An Age of Mary?
By Tom Kouijzer, s.m.
The title, “The Age of Mary,” may not mean much when heard for the first time and it probably sounds quite vague. I first came across the concept of an Age of Mary when I was talking with a Dutch Marist father about the Society of Mary and was inquiring about the background and spirituality of the congregation. One of the books I was given during that encounter was the little booklet “The Age of Mary” by the Dutch Marist father, Jan Snijders. It was the first book I read about the Marists, which makes it very dear to me.
In the publication a number of questions are asked about the relevance of the Marist spirituality for our time. It basically is a book about hermeneutics, how can the heritage of the Marist founders, especially Father Jean-Claude Colin, be relevant for us today. Does the spirituality have a future, does the Society have a future?
These are big question, maybe too big for a simple article. That’s why I want to focus on the choice for the title of his book: The Age of Mary. According to Fr. Snijders, the Age of Mary is a vital key to the Marist spiritual heritage. He writes: “If we skip this theme we deprive our Marist structure of the very thing that can, I feel, hold it together and restore its spark and vigor.”
So what is this Age of Mary?
Basically the Age of Mary is a religious outlook the first Marists used to evaluate the time in which they lived; it is their outlook on the needs of their world. For them it was the very reason to found the Society of Mary. Let us go to the earliest text we have with regards to the forming of the Marist "idea": the “Le Puy Revelation” of which the following words attributed to Mary are important for this theme: “I followed Him to Calvary itself, standing at the foot of the cross when He gave His life for man’s salvation. Now in heaven, sharing His glory, I follow His path still, in the work He does for His church on earth. In this last age of impiety and unbelief, it is my wish and the wish of my Son, that there be another society," one consecrated to me, one which will bear my name, which will call itself the Society of Mary and whose members will call themselves Marists, to battle against hell.”
Tom Kouijzer, s.m., center, professed first vows in New Zealand in February 2013.
It is important to note that Fr. Colin, our founder, emphasized the importance of this statement when he repeated the words to his followers in 1837. He says about the statement “. . .these words presided over the earliest days of the Society.” It is known that Jean-Claude Colin repeated this sentence many times during his life; it was one of the foundations of his vision for the Marist spirituality.
Fr. Colin says that these words “presided” over the earliest days of the Society. Presiding is a very strong word, it means the words are constitutive for the very founding of the Society of Mary and instrumental in understanding her mission and very existence. The new-born Church and the end of times: Mary stands at the beginning and Mary stands as the end. The promise to be there at the end is the very meaning of the term “Age of Mary.” It means that Mary is concerned for us and aware of the challenges we face and that she is involved in facing them with her presence and love.
###
Follow Notre Dame at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.