One Heart and Mind
Marist Moment: One Heart and Mind
What will the end of time actually look like…… movies often paint a scene of disaster, but Fr Colin aware of Mary’s presence as a Mother to the Church shares an alternative; everyone is gathered home. This future vision shapes today’s hope and action. It forms the basis of a special marist phrase to be ‘one heart and mind’.
A popular Marist Book called ‘A Marian Consciousness’ offers some thoughtful ideas on the Marist Way of looking at and living life.
A Future Full of Hope
How does the story end? Many imaginations reach instinctively for catastrophe. Colin's did not. His vision of the end of time is not a final battle but a final gathering: Mary, who supported the Church at its birth, present again at its completion, calling in 'those who have not yet entered the fold' and leading back 'those who have strayed.' His dream, drawn from the Church's first days, was that 'there would be seen at the end of time what had been seen at the beginning: cor unum et anima una' — one heart and one mind.
This hope is strikingly inclusive. Colin imagined the whole world gathered under Mary's protection — 'whatever their age, sex, or standing.' Where some communities selected the talented and the proven, Mary's family 'will be open to all kinds of people,' for 'she is the mother of mercy.' He even wanted his lay branch open to 'sinners and the ungodly.' The whole world Marist — even the pope, he liked to say, with a twinkle.
And the future begins now. Colin's vision is not escapism; it is energy for today. Every act of mercy, every welcome extended, every quiet refusal of greed, power and pride is a small anticipation of that gathered, reconciled world. Marists — and all who walk their way — are called to disappear into the Church like Mary herself, promoting not themselves but communion, so that people are gathered not to us but to God.
If you have read this far, perhaps the invitation is already stirring in you. The work is Mary's; she only asks for your hands, your presence, your heart.
Marist Reflection Question
Do I secretly expect the future — of the world, the Church, my own life — to be a slow decline or a great gathering-in? How does my answer shape the way I live today?
Marist Practice for Daily Life
Be a gatherer this week: notice one person on the edge — of your family, parish, workplace or friendship circle — and take one concrete step to draw them in: an invitation, a call, a seat kept, a name remembered.
Marist Resource Download
This reflection was created from the Marist Spirituality Series ‘Marist Laity’ by Fr Frank McKay SM. Click here for the full reflection guide.
