Theological Foundations new file

229 FINAL REMARKS The people whom we have come to recognize as persons of distinc- tion had an ability to read the signs of their times, to see the current prob- lems and point a way out. At every stage of human history, there have appeared great figures who charted a course for the future. This is par- ticularly noticeable in the area of man’s moral life and his interior for- mation. In this field, an important role for Christianity has always been played by the great founders of religious congregations who translated the evangelical ideals into the daily practice of the Christian life and facilitated the realization of these ideals by creating organized forms of such life. Among them were Father Stanislaus Papczynski, Founder of the Congregation of Marians, and Father George Matulaitis- Matulewicz, the Renovator of this congregation, who, in different times and in different conditions, propagated the same form of piety which could be described by the name of the Marian school of the spiritual life. An attempt was made in this book to study the theological founda- tions of the Christian life as presented in the teaching of the Founder and of the Renovator of the Marians. Their teaching emphasizes the truths which are most important in the Christian life and builds on their basis a theory and practice of shaping such a life. The starting point in this teaching is a personal relationship and friendship with God and becom- ing open to His grace. It is easy to see that this is a school of a deeper understanding of the religious life, the essence of which is to seek God and to direct man towards Him. While both authors strongly emphasize the importance of man’s relationship with the Holy Trinity, they also present the role and the significance of the Church in the Christian life in an equally forcible manner. In their teaching, God and all that con- cerns Him always come first. He is Love and He invites man to partici- pate in the communion of the Divine Persons. This love was revealed in