Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

155 values of Christ are visibly expressed... in its constitutions.” 60 It is telling, then, that Stanislaus - in reciting the Oblatio - states it in public (in the presence of his former provincial), 61 stating that he will live his total self- gift to the Trinity and the Immaculata according to the Constitutions of the Society that he intends to found. 62 The order of the Oblatio is important for Marians today, both those al- ready in perpetual profession and those in initial formation. For self-offer- ing and total dedication (in other words, “consecration”) form the “soul” while the evangelical counsels, as expressed in the Constitutions, form the “body” of the Oblatio . Only together do they form a unity and a whole, as do the human person composed of body and soul, so as to be a “living be- ing” (cf. Gen 2:7) that has “life to the full” (cf. Jn 10:10). “Total self-giving to God through religious profession is for us the means of arriving at a deeper love and service of God. On the basis of this consecration, we are called to plant and nurture the seeds of the Kingdom in others and to spread it to the ends of the earth. This consecration is also the source of the strength and freedom necessary of our service of the Church.” 63 Only when these two aspects of self-giving and the profession of evangelical counsels are held in proper order and balance in imitation of the Oblatio can full Mar- ian maturity – in imitation of St. Stanislaus, Bl. George, and other Marian figures – be attained. 64 60 EE, II.15: “For this reason, the content of the vows in each institute, as expressed in its constitutions, must be clear and unambiguous.” 61 Cf. Oblatio, in: Historical Writings, p. 29. 62 EE, I.11: “Religious consecration is lived within a given institute according to constitutions which the Church, by her authority, accepts and approves. This means that consecration is lived according to specific provisions which manifest and deepen a distinctive identity. The identity derives from that action of the Holy Spirit which is the institute’s founding gift and which creates a particular type of spirituality, of life, of apostolate, and of tradition (cf. Mutuae Relationes 11).” 63 Ratio Formationis, n. 23. 64 Ratio Formationis , n. 33.1: “The maturity of a Marian religious can be gauged from the depth of his love for the Triune God and Mary Immaculate, his zeal for the service of the Church, and his fidelity to the eschatological element of our charism. In the effort to identify with Christ and strengthened by his grace, the Marian strives to love God and neighbor in daily activities with greater zeal. Thus, he is ready to practice and to witness to fraternal love. He becomes a per- son who is an “expert in communion,” capable of living the Marian lifestyle, and eager to extend his fraternal love to the whole Church (cf. PI 21; C 2-13, 37-38).” Cf. Ratio Formationis, n. 24.