Hidden and Unknown

One of the key insights for Marists is how to live the Christian life in a manner that does not obscure the workings of God.

Our spirituality calls us to be hidden and unknown in the world. We are to be in the world and we are to do great things, however, our way of acting must never get in the way of another person's relationship with God.

Father Craig Larkin S.M. writes that if Jean-Claude Colin could speak today about being hidden and unknown he would say:

"What did Mary do in the Church after the ascension? And what if we copied her way of life in the Church? Gradually, I came to realise that my call was to be hidden from the world, but in the world. There were worlds to conquer, souls to save, and the best way to do it was by not imposing myself, by being unobtrusive, by putting myself in the shoes of others. How I came to this understanding, I'll never know. Only the grace of God, on which I have depended all my life, could ever explain it"

Instruments of Divine Mercy

In the world today there is a loud call for mercy and forgiveness.

Marists see part of their spirituality is to make the mercy of God present. Marists understand God as a loving Father, calling his children home. As Jesus himself said, "neither do I condemn you". In the same way, we try to live our lives according to the Spirit of our Mother Mary. Like any mother, Mary is a model of a person who listens attentively to the needs of her children, understanding their weakness and encouraging them to move forward rather than condemning them.

As Marists, we are called to understand our own frailties and to accept the frailties of others. We then interact in a way that reflects God's mercy and His desire that we become united with Him. Jean-Claude Colin is recorded as saying:

"Let us learn to understand the human heart. Let us put ourselves in the place of those we are speaking to. Would outbursts of invective against us win our hearts? Let us on the contrary find excuses for them, congratulate them on their good qualities (there are always some), but no reproaches. I do not know of a single instance where invective from the pulpit has done any good, not a single one . In the Society we shall profess all those opinions which give greatest play to the mercy of God."

Our spirituality is strongly influenced by two scriptural images