64 what we call an ideal may inspire, mobilize, and allow us to grow. Nowadays ideals are not highly prized, practicality is what counts (but then the spiritual life does not feed upon ideals and it perishes). It is certainly hard to fi nd a harmony between the charism and everyday, practical life, yet we have to look for it. Nevertheless, the rejuvenation and renewal of the structures and institutions always require people who are fi red by the ideal and the bond to the charismatic tradition of the community, not just organizational decisions. An awareness of the common charism is crucial for the common work of the Congregation. The charism unites different people, while a particular task gathers only similar ones, those who are interested in that particular task. The charism inspires many works, while the work does not breed any new ones but spreads itself. Community which lives its charism remains in unity, even though it may take up many works. On the other hand, when there is the lack of the charismatic tie, the works may divide, breed mutual distrust, waste potential and not allow the community as a whole to grow. I am certain that the mystery of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is an inspiration able to embrace our entire life. In this salvation event, I see the essence of the Marian vocation and of the charism of our life. Care for the development of the Congregation includes not only the effort to maintain its structures and its works but to assure their cohesion, their clear connection with the charism, their being a source of unity rather than of division. Our Marian charism is expressed through an “idea,” a truth of our faith, not any particular work. Thus, we cannot look at the entire Congregation through the perspective of a particular apostolate, we cannot identify the charism with a work, we cannot draw a charism from any work. Quite the opposite, we should draw works from the charism, confront them with the charism, whether they remain in agreement and in the same spirit. In this context, it seems very important to clearly present the Marian Congregation as a religious community in which the Marian charism is based on the mystery of the Immaculate Conception. It is important to testify that the spirituality and the apostolate of the Marians are shaped by this very truth of the Immaculate Conception and to also point out that the primary task of the Marians in the Church is to take care of the Marian face of the Church, which is “holy and immaculate” following the example of Mary Immaculate (John Paul II reminded us of exactly this in 1981). What is at stake here is the clarity of the apostolic work so as to make it evident that the main task of the Marians—along with the will of their Founder—is spreading the mystery of the Immaculate Conception. It should be clear that the Marians are the ones who belong to the Immaculate Mother of God. It is her mystery of the Immaculate Conception that constitutes the leading idea of the Congregation, the one which we fi nd at the beginning of
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