A Door Never Closed
Marist Moment: A Door Never Closed
Imagine Mum welcoming you home……. you get the sense that the door is never closed. This attitude of Mercy and welcome becomes a signature of Marist ministry and the Marist Way. Practically it gets expressed as a ministry to the gaps; the forgotten, the absent. While mainstream ministry may be warming up the people in the church, a Mum’s attention is also concerned for those who aren’t coming home. There is work to be done. What is needed is a certain type of people who can become instruments of divine mercy.
A popular Marist Book called ‘The Age of Mary’ offers some thoughtful ideas on the Marist Way of looking at and living life.
Instruments of Divine Mercy
The first Marists were convinced that their work was not their own project. It was “Mary’s undertaking”: the Mother of Mercy personally intervening in history with a great gesture of compassion for a world that was “really sick.” And mercy quickly became the signature of their ministry. In the early missions in the Bugey hills, Colin discovered that hearts open to kindness, gentleness and trust far more readily than to thundering and fright. Against the harsh, demanding spirit of the times, he was proud to say:
“I take a broad path; I wait till their faith grows.” (A Founder Speaks, doc. 40)
Snijders reminds us that this is no soft option — it is the very heart of the Gospel. From the God who “has seen the misery of my people” to the father running to meet the prodigal son, mercy is how God reveals himself. A French bishop once lamented that ninety percent of his priests were caring for ten percent of his people. Marists are drawn to the other ninety percent: those who no longer feel at home in the Church. Our calling is to explore the outer limits of mercy — to be a Church after the model of Mary, a mother whose door is never closed.
Marist reflection question
Who in my life feels excluded, judged, or “not good enough” for God or the Church? What would a broad path and patient waiting look like for them — and for me?
Marist practice
Practise one deliberate act of non-judgement each day: when you feel criticism rising, choose instead a word or gesture of welcome, and let the person’s faith — or trust — grow at its own pace.
Marist Resources Download
This resource comes from a Marist Spirituality Series: ‘The Age of Mary’ by Jan Snijders. Click here for full reflection guide
