A GENTLE LIGHT WHICH SURROUNDS EVERYTHING, HIS DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN Words of Pius XII during the canonization of Claret 5/7/1950 MY ALL AFTER.

A GENTLE LIGHT WHICH SURROUNDS EVERYTHING,

HIS DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN Words of Pius XII during the canonization of Claret

5/7/1950

MY ALL AFTER JESUS. (Words of Claret close to the end of his life to describe who Mary was for him.)

OF THE MANY ASPECTS THAT CLARET’S LOVE AND DEVOTION TO MARY HAD, WE ARE GOING TO CHOOSE THE WOMAN OF GENESIS AND REVELATION, WHO FIGHTS AGAINST EVIL, BECAUSE IN THIS ASPECT BOTH, THE FOUNDER AND THE FOUNDRESS COINCIDE; AND ALSO, AS IT IS OBVIOUS, OUR SPIRITUALITY AS CLARETIAN MISSIONARY SISTERS.

CLARET ‘S EXPERIENCE OF HIS VOCATION COMES TO HIM THROUGH A TEMPTATION AGAINST CHASTITY.

MARY, BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, WHOM HE DESCRIBES WITH A LUXURY OF DETAILS, MAKES HIM WONDER WHY, EVEN BEING A WOMAN SHE DOES NOT CAUSE ANY TEMPTATION TO HIM.

MARY HAS A CROWN OF BEAUTIFUL ROSES IN HER HAND. CLARET SEES HIMSELF AS A LITTLE BOY KNEELING BEFORE MARY. MARY TELLS HIM:

ANTHONY, THIS CROWN WILL BE YOURS, IF YOU OVERCOME YOUR TEMPTATION, AND SHE PUTS THE CROWN OF ROSES ON HIS HEAD.

LATER ON, THE DAY OF HIS DIACONAL ORDINATION HE UNDERSTOOD THE MEANING OF THE MANY DEVILS HE ALSO SAW IN HIS TEMPTATION. THESE WERE THE EVILS OF THE SPANISH SOCIETY HE HAD TO FIGHT AGAINST, WITH HIS LIFE AND HIS PREACHING.

ARROW IN THE HANDSOF MARY O Virgin Mother of God, mother and

advocate of the poor and unhappy sinners, you are well aware that

I am your son and minister, formed in the furnace of your mercy and love.

I am like an arrow poised in your mighty hand. Release me, my Mother, with the full force of your arm against Satan, the prince of this world.

May the victory be yours, my Mother; you shall overcome

(PRAYER HE SAID BEFORE STARTING ANY MISSION. Autobiography 270-271).

THE IMMACULATE VIRGINVICTORIOUS OVER EVIL

“REJOICE, VIRGIN MARY! YOU ALONE HAVE DESTROYED ALL THE HERESIES THAT SATAN HAS INVENTED UP TO THE PRESENTAND YOU WILL ALSO DESTROY ALL THE HERESIES UNTIL THE END OF TIMES.” THUS THE WORDS THAT GOD SAID TO THE SERPENT WILL BE FULFILLEDTHE WOMAN, MARY, WILL CRUSHYOUR HEAD, YOUR VICES AND ALL YOUR LIES. WE WILL OVERCOME WITH THE HELP OF JESUS AND

OF MARY HIS MOTHER. (From his pastoral letter in the occasion of the declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854)

MARY IN THE LIFE OF

OUR FOUNDRESS

MARY IN THE MOST IMPORTANT EXPERIENCES OF MARÍA ANTONIA PARÍS THE PREACHING, SEEN AS A FIGHT

AGAINST THE EVILS OF SOCIETY, AS CLARET UNDERSTOOD THE MYSTERY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

TAKES ALSO A SECOND MEANING FOR MARÍA ANTONIA, THE FIGHT AGAINST THE EVIL WHICH IS FOUND IN THE CHURCH – EVERYTHING THAT DOES NOT ALLOW THE CHURCH TO BE THE VISIBLE PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD.

MARY IS NOT A SIMPLE DEVOTION FOR MARÍA ANTONIA PARÍS, SOMETHING PARALLEL TO HER OTHER DEVOTIONS.

MARY BELONGS TO THE VERY CORE OF HER CHRISTOLOGICAL-ECCLESIAL SPIRITUALITY.

MARY IN THE INITIAL EXPERIENCE MARÍA ANTONIA UNERSTANDS THAT THE

LORD WANTS THE NEW ORDER TO BE CALLED “APOSTLES OF JESUS CHRIST IN IMITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY”

THIS TITLE NOW HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO

RELIGIOUS OF MARY IMMACULATE CLARETIAN MISSIONARY SISTERS

MARY IN THE CHARISMATIC FOUNDATION OF THE INSTITUTE

WE CALL CHARISMATIC FOUNDATION THE VOW THAT THE FIRST FIVE SISTERS PRONOUNCED. IT WAS A VOW TO NEVER SEPARATE AND TO GO WHEREVER OBEDIENCE WOULD SEND THEM. THEY MADE THE VOW BEFORE THE STATUTE OF OUR LADY OF THE CLOISTER IN THE CATHEDRAL OF TARRAGONA, SPAIN, THE DAY OFTHE ASSUMPTION OF MARY, 8/15/1851.

MARY IN THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SPIRIT OF MARIA ANTONIA

DURING HER LIFE MARÍA ANTONIA SUFFERED IN MANY OCCASIONS THE DEEP NIGHTS OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH SHE ASSOCIATED TO THE REDEMPTIVE SUFFERING OF CHRIST, OUR REDEEMER FOR HIS CHURCH, AND TO THE SORROWFUL MOTHERHOOD OF MARY UNITED TO THE SUFFERING OF HIS SON FOR THE CHURCH.

MARY IN THE LIFE OF

THE INTITUTE

• AS IN OUR FOUNDER AND OUR FOUNDRESS MARY HAS A CENTRAL PLACE IN OUR CLARETIAN SPIRITUALITY.

OF THE MANY DIFFERENT ASPECTS THAT WE

COULD REFLECT ON, WE WILL FOCUS OUR ATTENTION IN TWO NUMBERS OF OUR CONSTITUTIONS, WHICH ARE RELATED TO WHAT WE HAVE BEEN EXPLAINING ABOUT MARY IN THE SPIRITUALITY OF OUR FOUNDERS.

THROUGH HISTORY OUR INSTITUTE HAS ADOPTED SEVERAL DIFFERENT NAMES, BUT WE HAVE ALWAYS KEPT THE TWO ESSENCIAL ASPECTS WHICH THE FOUNDRESS UNDERSTOOD IN HER INITIAL EXPERIENCE.

WE READ IN HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY, WHEN SHE NARRATES HER INICIAL EXPERIENCE THAT THE LORD SAYS TO HER THAT THE INSTITUTE HAS TO BE “APOSTLES OF JESUS CHRIST IN IMITATION OF THE PUREST VIRGIN MARY”

TITLE OF THE INSTITUTE

IF WE PAY A CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE TITLE OF THE INITIAL EXPERIENCE, WE DISCOVER TWO MAIN ASPECTS:

APOSTLES OF JESUS CHRISTPUREST VIRGIN MARY

AFTER THE DECLARATION BY PIUS IX OF THE DOGMA OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF MARY, MARIA ANTONIA, WITHOUT LOOSING THE ESSENCIAL POINTS OF THE TITLE, MODIFIES IT AS FOLLOWS:

APOSTOLIC INSTITUTE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF MARY MOST HOLY.

SHE HAS KEPT THE TWO ESSENCIAL TRAITS: APOSTOLIC PUREST VIRGIN MARY – IMMACULATE

CONCEPTION OF MARY MOST HOLY.

IF WE LOOK AT OUR PRESENT NAME WE WE WILL SEE AGAIN THE TWO ESSENCIAL TRAITS:

RELIGIOUS OF MARY IMMACULATE CLARETIAN MISSIONARY SISTERS RELIGIOUS BECAUSE SHE HAS ALWAYS

WANTED US TO BE AN ORDER, AND THE MEMBERS OF AN ORDER ARE RELIGIOUS.

MARY IMMACULATE– PUREST VIRGIN MARY CLARETIAN MISSIONARY, WHICH IS THE

SAME AS APOSTOLIC, BUT ADDING THE NAME OF THE APOSTLE WHOSE SPIRITUALITY WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE.

POINTS OF THE CONSTITUTIONS OF THE RELIGIOUS OF MARY IMMACULATE CLARETIAN MISSIONARY SISTERS

The love for the Blessed Virgin belongs to the very being of the Congregation. Mary must be the great “sign” in our journey: her life poor, obedient and virginal, consecrated totally to the work of her Son, is a roll model for us. “Let those persons who live in this family be aware that all of them must work at acquiring the virtues of our Mother Mary Most Holy.” In loving Her, we love the Lord and collaborate with Her in her maternal role for the people of God.We have Mary as our patroness in the Immaculate conception. This mystery impels us to fight against evil in any of its forms and opens us to joy and hope. (Constituciones 9)

In imitation of Mary Immaculate, the life of

chastity impels us to struggle tirelessly against evil by

cooperating actively to the redemption of humankind.

(Constituciones 31)

FOR US CLARETIANS THE MYSTERY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTIONIS NOT ONLY A MYSTERY OF BEAUTYAND PURITY, BUT A MYSTERYWHICH SUMMONS US TO LIVE ANDTO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL ASTHE FIGHT AGAINST EVIL, SIN IN ALL HIS MANIFESTATIONS.

CERTAINLY MARY IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CREATURE THAT HAS COME FORTH FROM THE HANDS OF THECREATOR. WE SEE THE BEAUTYOF GOD THROUGH THE LIFE OFTHIS WOMAN OF OUR OWN RACE, WHO HAD THE COURAGETO SAY ”YES” TO GOD, EVEN WITHOUT UNDERSTANDINGTHE SCOPE OF THE MISSION GOD WAS CALLING HER TO ACCOMPLISH.WITHOUT KNOWING THAT HE HAD PREPARED HER FOR THIS MISSION EVEN BEFORE SHE HAD BEEN CONCEIVED, PROTECTING HER FROM EVIL.

PUREST, OF COURSE, BECAUSE SHE IS FULLOF GOD’S PURETY,PURETY WHICH MEANSABSENCE OF SIN OF ANY KIND BUT A PURETY WHICH IS ALSO FORCE THAT DEFEATS EVIL , BECAUSE SHE IS UNITED TO CHRIST , WHO DEFEATED EVIL ON THE CROSS.

MARY IS THE WOMAN OF GENESIS AND OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION, WHO HELPS US TO FIGHT AGAINST ANY EVIL IN OURSELVES, IN THE WORLD, AND IN THE CHURCH. WHEREVER THERE IS EVIL WE ARE CALLED TO FIGHT TO ELIMINATE IT.ACCORDING TO THE II VATICAN COUNCIL LOOKING AT MARY WE KNOW OUR MISSION, AND OUR DESTINATION, SINCE MARY IS AT THE SAME TIME, MEMBER AND MOTHER OF THE CHURCH.

LET US HAVE A TIME OF SILENCETO REFLECT ON WHAT WE HAVE SHARED,

AND ALSO LET US ASK OURSELVES WHAT PLACE

DOES MARY HAVE IN OUR OWN SPIRITUALITY.