Mary, in the Life of Religious (part 8 of 16)

Mary, Model of Religious: Evangelical Counsels

Before dealing separately with the counsels, it is best
to know what the Church has to say about Mary in relation
to her being the model of religious life in this regard.
The main conciliar texts that allude to this are the
following:


"The counsels are especially able to pattern the
Christian man after that manner of virgin and humble
life which Christ the Lord elected for Himself, and
which his Virgin Mother also chose". (LG 46)

"Mary...devoted herself totally as a handmaid of the
Lord to the person and the work of her Son...as
cooperating in the work of human salvation through
free faith and obedience." (LG 56)

The Rite of Perpetual Profession, n. 38(=123) also has
something to say in relation to this:

"Do you wish, with God's help, to embrace forever
the life of perfect chastity, obedience and poverty
which was chosen by Christ the Lord and the Virgin,
His Mother?"

The Council proclaims that Mary is a model for religious
in how they can live their evangelical life of poverty,
chastity, and obedience. However, it would be good to
mention again at this point that Mary's example to
religious, living the evangelical counsels in a
radical way, is not to be seen in its exterior aspects,
but rather in the more intimate dimensions. It is within
this context that we are to examine and explore how Mary
in the profound and interior reality of her life, acts
as a model to religious. (It should be noted also that
a model has its limitations; no model can fit all of the
categorical truths that we find in life because of
reality's ambiguity and complexity.)