166 nobility’s gatherings for the sake of their splendor, and avoided with contempt the poorer; whether you served with a degree of zeal, the little and the mighty.” Today we do not doubt that our Congregation has an apostolic character. Its main causes are “to obtain and promote knowledge and to teach others” and “to fulfi ll priestly duties and to assist the diocesan clergy” (C § 3). We all vowed poverty in imitation of our poor Founder, and it is grounds to seek understanding with others who did not make such a vow, but who suffer from want, illnesses, and have to bear contempt and disregard from the mighty of this world. So, this is the second lesson on social awareness which we may fi nd in the life and teachings of Father Founder: to choose a poor life among the poor and to be their special brothers and advocates. 3. As we all know, Blessed Stanislaus was particularly concerned with the fate of those who fell victim to the wars and epidemics ravaging Poland during his time. The fi rst help that he was able to give them, especially to “soldiers and victims of pestilence,” was a prayer of support for their passage through purgatory. In his Testament, Fr. Stanislaus defi nes his “Little Congregation” as a “Congregation of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Advocate of the Deceased,” thus uniting its two special features: honor for Mary Immaculate and remembrance of the dead, since—what is essential—is to perceive in the mystery of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary the radiance and dignity of every human life, of every man, about whom he wrote such a beautiful treatise—Mystical Temple of God. The destruction of this temple, which occurs through the unexpected death of a sinner who did not have a chance to prepare for it, is his particularly overwhelming misfortune which cries out for prayerful assistance. Remembering the dead still remains our duty up until the present day, but the context in which Blessed Stanislaus singled them out, tells us to embrace human life with special care: life on earth and eternal life. And this seems to be the third important and, above all, timely inspiration of the Marian apostolate. If a battle has been fought today for the protection (legal and not only legal) of unborn children, if we ever more frequently hear appeals for the acceptance of euthanasia, if we learn about so many frail elderly people left helpless, then we must take those matters as our primary challenge, for the sake of Blessed Stanslaus’s legacy. We can undertake it though our academic and pastoral work as well as in our publications. But our words would be deceitful and unconvincing should they not be supported by deeds serving the protection of life: help for single mothers; the organization of hospices; ministry for the sick and the elderly. Words are equally needed because we witness that: “Today there exist a great multitude of weak and defenseless human beings, unborn children in particular, whose fundamental right to life is being
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==