May
04
2009
By Anonymous (not verified)
The Marians of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the renewal and reform of our Congregation led by Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz. To mark the year of thanksgiving, which began Dec. 8, we offer you the following in a series of excerpts from Blessed George's Journal that he kept from 1910 to 1925.
October 15, 1910
With all their might the saints struggled to reach perfection, keeping in mind the noble words of Christ: "You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48). The saints tried to achieve this incredibly lofty goal by continually striving to become more and more like Jesus Christ. Therefore, if I really want to follow in the footsteps of the saints, I too must make the goal of Christ's life my own. And the instruments and means that He used must become mine as well.
What did Jesus want most of all? To bring the Kingdom of God into this world, i.e., our holy Church. What way did He follow to achieve this? The way of complete self-sacrifice - of hard work, humiliation, hardship, persecution, and suffering. He followed this road up to the point of laying down His life, of being nailed to a cross. What follows, then? That each of us must freely and with complete self-denial devote and consecrate himself entirely to the Church.
It is in this that I see the core and essence of our vocation: to renounce the self freely and willingly-one's desires, inclinations, comforts, and pleasures; to give up the world - its riches, goods, and vainglory and to devote and give our whole selves - all our gifts and talents both natural and supernatural - to the welfare of the Church - her defense and preservation, her propagation and growth. Please God that I may never forget this.
What would be the best means to attain this goal? It seems to me that a defensive tactic is less effective than an offensive one - outreaching, aggressive, conquering. Animated by the Spirit of Christ, we must try to gather together and organize people of good will - to train and prepare them to work, and then, together with them and through them to bring Christ everywhere, to restore and renew all things in Christ, to encompass all for Christ, to win all for Christ, to attract all to Christ. Lord Jesus, enkindle our hearts with the fire of this zeal. That I shall ask you for.
October 15, 1910
With all their might the saints struggled to reach perfection, keeping in mind the noble words of Christ: "You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48). The saints tried to achieve this incredibly lofty goal by continually striving to become more and more like Jesus Christ. Therefore, if I really want to follow in the footsteps of the saints, I too must make the goal of Christ's life my own. And the instruments and means that He used must become mine as well.
What did Jesus want most of all? To bring the Kingdom of God into this world, i.e., our holy Church. What way did He follow to achieve this? The way of complete self-sacrifice - of hard work, humiliation, hardship, persecution, and suffering. He followed this road up to the point of laying down His life, of being nailed to a cross. What follows, then? That each of us must freely and with complete self-denial devote and consecrate himself entirely to the Church.
It is in this that I see the core and essence of our vocation: to renounce the self freely and willingly-one's desires, inclinations, comforts, and pleasures; to give up the world - its riches, goods, and vainglory and to devote and give our whole selves - all our gifts and talents both natural and supernatural - to the welfare of the Church - her defense and preservation, her propagation and growth. Please God that I may never forget this.
What would be the best means to attain this goal? It seems to me that a defensive tactic is less effective than an offensive one - outreaching, aggressive, conquering. Animated by the Spirit of Christ, we must try to gather together and organize people of good will - to train and prepare them to work, and then, together with them and through them to bring Christ everywhere, to restore and renew all things in Christ, to encompass all for Christ, to win all for Christ, to attract all to Christ. Lord Jesus, enkindle our hearts with the fire of this zeal. That I shall ask you for.
SJBGC
