Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

97 Religious radicalism The call to “follow Christ” sets the point of reference and the direction of the path, but it leaves open the question of how much effort a consecrated person actually makes to follow that path. In the first chapter of The Rule of Life , our holy Father Founder defines the purpose of the Order as follows: First, consider diligently and assiduously what the aim of your Con- gregation is. [It is] the one that all the Orders have in common with you: the greater increase of God’s glory, and care for your own salva- tion combined with serious striving for perfection. What does it pro- fit a man, teaches the Savior, ‘if he gains the whole world, but suffers the detriment of his own soul?’ (cf. Mt 16:26). To St. Stanislaus Papczyński, this “serious striving for perfection” means the uncompromising radicalism in conversion, asceticism, penance, ob- servance of the vows and the religious rules. In this field, our holy Father Founder uses only great quantifiers: completely, to the end, without hold- ing back, fully. The wording he uses resembles the terminology found in the passages of the Church’s documents describing the relation of religious consecration to the sacrament of Baptism, that is, more fully, more faith- fully, more freely, in a special way, etc. The number of quotes that could be provided here is vast. If anyone would be looking for them, all he needs to do is to open St. Stanislaus Papczyński’s Collected Works on any page. Needless to say, for sin-tainted human nature, every great religious quanti- fier has a Passion character. In this respect, Father Papczyński’s stance can be summed up briefly in the biblical verse from the Song of Songs: “Were one to offer all he owns to purchase love, he would be roundly mocked.” (Song 8: 7). The Life experience of Saint Stanislaus Papczyński To close, I would like to add two comments, which may not be directly related to the mystery of religious consecration, but which show the Pas- sion dimension of its realization in Father Stanislaus’s life. “Consecration of the Founder” This expression can hardly be found in the theology of the religious life. However, we can look at the Oblatio in this way by way of analogy. We have all the basic elements of consecration here: the initiative of and calling by God, a special mission and gift coming from the Holy Spirit,