Theological Foundations new file

231 Final Remarks things to be a sufficiently strong motivation for spiritual transformation. A superficial researcher into the teaching about the foundations of the Christian life in the writings of the Founder and the Renovator of Marians may charge that there is nothing specific in it because its par- ticular elements are also present in the charism of other religious orders. There is nothing strange about that since all these elements belong to the common heritage of the Church. After all, there are religious congrega- tions which are dedicated to missionary work, while other ones dedicate themselves to the contemplation of the Lord’s Passion, still others — to the education and the upbringing of the youth, etc. In Father Papczynski’s and Father Matulaitis-Matulewicz’s teaching, many such elements are harmoniously combined into an integral whole. In its theological foun- dations, this teaching is at once Trinitarian, ecclesial, Marian and escha- tological. Their teaching organized instructions for the Christian life in a systematic way that enables us to see the truths which arise directly from the Gospel and are verified in practice. AChristian who does not want to lose his way as he strives for holiness may rely on this teaching because it has already provided a solid spiritual formation to many generations. The value of this teaching lies in the fact that it is based on the Tradition of the Church which guarantees both depth in the treatment of issues and an emphasis on some apt recommendations. It seems that this work’s discussion of the theological foundations, on which the Marian school of the interior life is based, fills a serious gap that existed in the body of works concerning this subject and may become a stimulus to further research in this field. It would be very use- ful to work out the practical instructions for the Marian apostolate which could draw inspiration from Marian thought, especially from the truth about the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Yet another need suggests itself, namely that of creating a program of inte- gral asceticism which would make it possible for us to realize the ideal of the Christian life as it is presented in the writings of Father Papczynski and Father Matulaitis-Matulewicz. It would be also useful to study the relationships between the Marian school of the interior life and