Mary’s Mahi

In New Zealand - Aotearoa, the Maori word for work is ‘mahi’. The Society of Mary exists because Mary intervened in history and said to Fr Jean Claude Colin - there is work to be done: Mary’s Mahi - Mary’s Work. This is the foundation stone of the Society of Mary and the Marist Way.

A popular Marist Book called A Marian Consciousness offers some thoughtful ideas on the Marist Way of looking at and living life.

“Here Is What I Want” — A Word Received, Not Invented

In 1812, at the shrine of Le Puy, a young man named Jean-Claude Courveille received an inspiration he was convinced came from Mary: “It is my wish and the wish of my Son… that there be another society… one consecrated to me… which will call itself the Society of Mary.” Courveille carried the message; but it was Jean-Claude Colin who received it creatively, letting it take root in his heart for the rest of his life.

Then came Cerdon. As a shy young curate, Colin spent six years filled with what he called an 'almost irresistible' inner impulse and 'extreme sweetness' whenever he thought of the Society, with the clear feeling 'that it was the work of God.' He never claimed the idea as his own. Decades later, when another priest wrote a rule for the Society in merely human fashion, the old man (Colin) protested: 'It is a human work, made in a human way… It is no longer the pristine work.'

Here is something deeply freeing for anyone exploring the Marist way: it does not begin with our effort, our talent, or our plans. It begins with an initiative from God, expressed through Mary's motherly concern for the Church. The Society of Mary exists, as one Marist put it, 'not because of the early Marists' concern for Mary, but because of Mary's concern for the Church, because of her devotion to God's people.'

The same is true of your own calling. Before you ever sought God, God was seeking you. Before you felt drawn to Mary's way, she was already drawing you. Your part is not to manufacture a vocation but to receive one — attentively, gratefully, and with Colin's own wonder.

Marist Reflection Question

Do I treat my faith mostly as my own project and effort — or as a gift and initiative of God that I am learning to receive?

Marist Practice for Daily Life

Begin each day this week with one minute of silence and this simple prayer of receptivity: 'Mary, show me what you want today.' Then watch, through the day, for what arrives unbidden.

A Marian Face

Being a Prophet