Lest You Remain

life, the beauty of which is to be manifested in the faithfulness to God’s grace. The “white habit” is a sign for both the Marians and the outsiders. It is a reminiscent sign (vocation received) and a directional sign (road of immaculacy, struggle with sin), as well as an omen foretelling future (fullness of happiness in heaven). It is also a sign indicating the source of strength to follow the Marian way of life, in other words, God’s love that embraces us, and the Eucharist that nourishes us. In Norma Vitae (The Rule of Life) Fr. Stanislaus instructs the Marians to wear a habit “of snow-white color in the honor of the purity of Conception of Our Blessed Mother” and also ordered them not to modify it. Father Founder’s concern for the outward sign of the Marian community should be perceived today as a chal- lenge to faithfully preserve everything pertaining to the presence of the mystery of Mary’s Immaculate Conception in the spiritual and apostolic life of the Marians. Father Stanislaus’s directions are quite explicit: “But lest you remain without work in the Vineyard of the Lord, to the utmost of your strength you will promote devo- tion to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mother of God.” “…lest you remain without work” How are we to understand these words? Do they imply that other forms of apostolic work mean little? Why they speak of being “without work?” A more profound reflection allows us to penetrate the Founder’s intuition who in this very way emphasizes the fundamental meaning of faithfulness to the congregation’s charism. It means that if someone “breaks away” from the charism, won’t live by it and put it into life, then regardless of the great good he might be very well doing he would still be seen as “without work.” In the religious life the most important is to preserve faithfulness to the charism for this is what the Church expects. And the Church was the one that approved a given religious com- munity thus wanting for its charism to enrich the life of the Church. Father Papczy < ski lived in times of painful developing of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. There were two trends in the Church at that time: one rejected the truth about the Immaculate Conception, while the other was defending it. In the 17 th century the popes were on the side of the immaculists or those who believed in the Immaculate Conception, although its recognition as a dogma did not come about until 1854. In the spirit of the Church teachings, Fr. Stanislaus resolutely took the side of defenders of the truth about the Immaculate Conception and was prepared to defend it at the price of his own life. Defending it and promulgating among the faithful Fr. Stanislaus considered his life’s mission. The very existence of the Congregation of Marians, the title of which dis- played the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, was a defense and promulgation of this mystery of faith. In addition, taking inspiration for the Marian way of life in this mystery has become a singular form of its defense and promulgation. It was L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 220