Father Casimir Wyszynski

161 Apostle of the Immaculate Mary is in absolute conformity with His will.” 227 Saint Paul VI showed Mary as the one from whom we can learn Christian piety, devo- tion to God and fulfillment of His will. This “MarianWay” was al- ready known in the Church in the early centuries, as Paul VI reminded us: “The faithful at a very early date began to look to Mary and to imitate her inmaking their lives an act of worship of God, and making their worship a commitment of their lives.” 228 Saint John Paul II, in his encyclical Redemptoris Mater, and in many other of his Marian statements also teaches about Mary’s role of giving example in the life of the Church by presenting her to the faithful as themodel of Christian life and encouraging them to imitate her.” 229 Our excursion into the past and our encounter with Father CasimirWyszyński is associatedwith the search for inspiring ex- amples of Marian spirituality. This was encouraged by St. John Paul II because “Marian spirituality, with its corresponding de- votion, finds a very rich source in the historical experience of in- dividuals and various Christian communities among the different peoples and nations of the world.” 230 The Venerable Servant of God Father CasimirWyszyński, whosemodel of Marian devotion turns out to be very current, also belongs to the group of “teach- ers of Marian spirituality,” 231 for he brings together the most im- portant elements of devotion to the Mother of the Lord, namely love, invocation and above all, imitation of her virtues. The man- ifestations of this Marian attitude are—in accordance with the teaching of the Vatican Council—victory over sin, growth in ho- liness, conformity to Christ, constant advancement in faith, hope and love, search for God’s will in everything and zealous apostolic 227 Marialis cultus , 39. 228 Ibid. 229 Cf. J. Kumala, Maryjne pośrednictwo przykładu w świetle „Redemptoris Mater” , in: Matka Odkupiciela. Teksty i komentarze , Ed. S.C. Napiórkowski, Lublin 1993, 263-270; D. Mastalska, Maryja wzorem i nauczycielką w naucza- niu Jana Pawła II , “Salvatoris Mater” 4(2003) No. 3, 90-105. 230 Redemptoris Mater , 48. 231 Ibid.