Father Casimir Wyszynski

inmany things whenever we do what we intended in the beatifi- cation cause of our Founder.” In his introduction to Morning Star , Father Casimir empha- sized that devotion to Mary was one of many graces which God bestowed upon the Polish nation. The manifestations of this de- votion are the churches, altars, pictures, religious orders, and fra- ternities dedicated to the Mother of God. The devout “give constant praise to her in prayers, hymns, and songs, and ask her intercession with God for their needs, relying on her most effec- tive help […] There are many faithful too, who undertake the ef- fort to make pilgrimages to her holy and miraculous pictures. There are also quite a number of women and men who, having abandoned the goods of this world, give themselves to Mary for eternal service in a religious order under her name […] Many a time did the Polish knights enter a battle with the enemies of her holy name […]” The imitation of Mary’s virtues and lifemust bementioned as the most important feature of all of these manifestations of de- votion to her. God endowed her in a special way. Jesus praisedHis mother for listening ardently to the word of God and keeping it in her everyday life. Hence, Father Casimir emphasized what St. Augustine had declared, namely: Mary was much more blessed for her deep faith than for the fact that shewas themother of God. The Servant of God Casimir reminded his countrymen: “[…] if we want to show real veneration for the Virgin Mary and be her servants, it is not enough to have knowledge about her majesty, nobility, privileges, and the virtues with which she shone. We must not be satisfied with simply proclaiming her praise in prayers and hymns, with making sacrifices and vows, but we must imitate her life and virtues whereby we will become like her and thus become loved by her. I write after St. John: ‘He who says he abides in Christ ought to walk the same way in which He walked’ (1 Jn 2:6). Similarly, hewhowould associate himself with Mary ought to imitate her virtues and walk the way she walked, following Christ. This is how true venerators of Mary, whom she acknowledges, may be recognized, as it is expressed in the book 67 The Servant of Mary Immaculate