Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

146 to God; rather, they are the incarnate expression of such a life entirely of- fered and dedicated to God. That is, one cannot live a life totally given over to God in any manner, but only by imitating the life of the Consecrated One. 21 “Jesus himself is the one whom the Father consecrated and sent in a supreme way (cf. Jn 10:36).” 22 The other example of such total dedication to God is that of Mary Im- maculate, who lived her life in intimate communion with Jesus: “Mary in fact is the sublime example of perfect consecration, since she belongs completely to God and is totally devoted to him...” 23 Indeed, the profession of the evangelical counsels puts one in close communion with Mary. 24 As adopted in the first rule of life (namely, The Rule of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the B.V.M. ), Marians were and are to live their self-offering to the Triune God through imitation of Mary’s evangelical virtues. 25 There is, then a particular and unique self-gift to God in and through Mary, as Stanislaus emphasizes in the Oblatio: he not only offers Himself to God but to the Blessed Virgin, conceived without sin. 26 This self-gift to Mary is justified because she is the model of Marian consecrated life, inspiring a life of fruitful response to the Lord through the counsels. 27 21 Vita Consecrata , n. 22: “Jesus is the One whom “God anointed ... with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38), the One “whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world” (Jn 10:36). Accepting his consecration by the Father, the Son in turn consecrates himself to the Father for the sake of humanity (cf. Jn 17:19).” 22 EE, I.6. 23 Vita Consecrata, n. 28: “Consecrated life looks to her as the sublime model of consecra- tion to the Father, union with the Son and openness to the Spirit, in the knowledge that accep- tance of the “virginal and humble life” of Christ also means imitation of Mary’s way of life...” 24 Vita Consecrata, n. 18: “Nor can it be denied that the practice of the evangelical counsels is also a particularly profound and fruitful way of sharing in Christ’s mission, in imitation of the example of Mary of Nazareth, the first disciple, who willingly put herself at the service of God’s plan by the total gift of self.” 25 EE , II.53: “It is especially in Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, that religious life comes to understand itself most deeply and finds its sign of certain hope (cf. LG 68). Mary showed throughout her life all those values to which religious consecration is directed. She is the Mother of religious in being Mother of him who was consecrated and sent, and in her fiat and magnificat religious life finds the totality of its surrender to and the thrill of its joy in the consecratory action of God.” 26 Historical Writings, p. 28: “and also to the Mother of God the Ever-Virgin Mary, Con- ceived without original sin...” 27 Ratio Formationis, n. 20: “Thus, Mary is the model of our consecrated life. For this reason, we draw from her life inspiration for the responses that we must make to the Lord in our daily lives. We look to her to learn how to live fruitfully our consecrated chastity, poverty and obedi- ence, in a continual struggle against the three-fold concupiscence (cf. 1 Jn 2:16), every temptation and sin.”