121 Organize pilgrimages to shrines; become a guide, an expert on Mary (we should know our shrines well and live according to the life of our shrine); run “retreats on the road.” Promote quality arts, music, and movies. Organize congresses, symposia, prayer movements (the Marians must make time for this, thus we must ask the Lord to expand the hours of the day!). If our hearts will grasp this apostolate, we’ll sing along with Mary: “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name!” (Lk 1:49). Let us live out our charism! 9. The Marian Apostolate, and particularly the honor of the Immaculate Conception, calls us to radically protect human life from the moment of its conception. Pro life prayer and actions are one of the greatest concerns of the Church. Our Founder, whose beatifi cation came to pass after the offi cial recognition of the miracle of a fetus being brought back to life in the mother’s womb, also calls us to care for the life conceived though yet unborn. This is related to the value of protecting the dignity and vocation of women, which ministry emerges out of the Marian image of the Church. To look at every woman with the eyes of Jesus; to see the image of Mary in every woman (e.g., out of respect for Mary, Cardinal Wyszyński always got up from behind his desk if a woman entered his offi ce). 10. As the prototype of the Church in the economy of faith, Mary teaches us a pure evangelical faith (and this is the essence of a true Marian devotion and apostolate), which is not based on signs but on the word of God revealing Himself. The Mother of the Lord showed her obedience of faith to God who has revealed Himself. The turning point was the moment of the Annunciation. Mary put her complete trust in the word of God which was brought to her by the angel. She reaffi rmed this faith at the foot of the Cross and she lived this faith out on Easter morning. This was a pure faith in the Word of God, not in some extraordinary signs. Such was also the faith of Abraham. We must imitate this kind of faith and absorb our Marian apostolate with it. The poet Jan Twardowski was praying for this very pure and austere faith: “I’m not coming for consolation as for a bowl of soup I wanted at last to lay my head down on the rock of faith.” • • •
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