Jacob's Well: Mary's Books

We all know of the importance and place of Mary in our Marist and Christian traditions. Each of us also have a unique perspective and relationship with Mary, the mother of Jesus, whether it is one of high regard, personal connection, confusion, little thought, neutrality, or somewhere on the spectrum of these evocations. The origins of our Christian story are interwoven with the story of Mary, and her story and place has continued to be woven throughout two thousand years of the evolution of the Christian family. 

One of the temptations with Mary is to have her as the centre of our Christian spirituality. Even in the Brothers, we can lose sight of the devotional practices that put Mary on a pedestal, one that she would have been uncomfortable with in her lifetime. Within my own community, in our Chapel, our sacred space consists of a beautiful statue of Mary, a solid white candle and flowers that decorate the area. While these symbols highlight the presence of the divine in their own way, it is important to reflect on the deeper focus and meaning of the symbols, and on what is present and absent in one’s representation of God. One of the clearest elements of Marian spirituality is the fact that Mary always leads us to Jesus. Having a grounded, well-reasoned and historically informed perspective on Mary leads to a healthy personal spirituality. Here are some resources about Mary that can contribute to a positive and knowledgeable understanding.     

Kathleen Coyle’s introductory book is a short and substantial presentation of the history and theology of Mary. Kathleen balances the concise nature of her writing with poignant insights about the person of Mary, and her interpretation over the centuries. An excellent preliminary read. 

Here is a summary of the book:

Here is a portrait of Mary as a woman, strong and resourceful, who proclaimed God’s compassion for the poor and oppressed of her day. Traditional images have often portrayed Mary as silent and submissive. Her convictions firmly rooted in current scholarship, Sr Kathleen Coyle presents Mary as a model of discipleship – a strong, active and resilient woman of faith – who continues to hold great importance for Catholics seeking to express their faith today. As she scratches for and develops a Marian theology more in tune with today’s issues and attitudes, the author critiques Marian symbols and traditional images. She calls for a new theology that restores to our understanding of God the divine prerogatives borne by the image of Mary through the ages. With a new theology of the Trinity, the church can retrieve Mary as a woman of faith, a model disciple, proclaiming a song of liberation for the poor and oppressed of our world today.

This book, for me, is the definite study of Mary in the Biblical texts. One of the first and best ecumenical (Protestant, Anglican, Roman Catholic) surveys of the evidence for beliefs concerning Mary. These scholars analyse what can and cannot be surmised from the Biblical texts, how later traditions evolved, and whether there is room for dialogue and consensus. You will be a Marian expert after this read! 

Here is a summary of the book:

The role that Mary plays in God's plan of salvation is an issue that over the centuries has divided Christians and their churches. In part, these differences stem from disagreements about what the New Testament says about the mother of Jesus. This book should go a long way toward solving the disputes. It is not a collection of essays but rather a collaborative statement prepared by a team of Protestant, Anglican, and Roman Catholic scholars who have reached substantial agreement on how Mary was pictured by Christians of the first two centuries. This book follows the same methodology as an earlier volume, Peter in the New Testament, produced by the same research group. The status of that first book as an ecumenical achievement of American biblical scholarship is attested to by the welcome it received and by its translation into five foreign languages. In light of the difficulty of the subject matter, Mary in the New Testament may be an even greater achievement. If Roman Catholic and Protestant scholars can agree on what the oldest Christian sources said, is the way open for the churches to agree on a fundamental Christian attitude toward Mary? This book is written by scholars, but it is not meant only for scholars. The authors have taken pains to make the work intelligible to students, clergy, and the knowledgeable laity of their churches. It combines scientific research with a respect for Christian sensibilities.

Sr Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, is one of the most prominent theologians of our time. In her book, she offers a grounded and thorough contextualisation of Mary, both within her own history and story, but also within the traditions her grew out of, and the people that preceded and proceeded her. This book breathes life into my soul whenever I read it.  

Here is a summary of the book: 

The first century Jewish woman, Miriam of Nazareth, mother of Jesus, proclaimed in faith to be Theokotos, the God-bearer, is the most celebrated female religious figure in the Christian tradition. So varied and manifold are the traditions about Mary, both popular and scholarly, that some would speak of Mary as a collective noun or refer, in George Tavard's memorable title, to The Thousand Faces of the Virgin Mary. In this text, which forms a diptych with Friends of God and Prophets, Elizabeth Johnson offers an interpretation of Mary that aims to be theologically sound, spiritually empowering, ethically challenging, socially liberating, and ecumenically fruitful. In particular, she construes the image of Mary so as to be a source of blessing rather than blight for women's lives in both religious and political terms.

There are so many books I would like to share about Mary, but let’s start with these three. Happy reading!

Jacob's Well: Salve Regina

As this time of isolation and changed social conditions has taken its toll on our spirits, it has also been a time of tremendous hope and creativity. Recently, I stumbled across this recording on YouTube: Salve Regina (tono simple), 450 voces – coro virtual, Música Católica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0YWKLNhTvE&t=0s

The Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen) is a Marian hymn. It was first recorded as being used as a processional chant at Cluny, France by 1135. The authorship is now generally ascribed to Hermann Contractus. Around 1218 the Cistercians adopted it as a daily processional chant and in 1251, it was established as an ending to Compline (Night Prayer, in the traditional canonical hours prayer structure, commonly known as the Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office). It is one of four Marian antiphons, with following versicles and prayers, traditionally said or sung after night prayer, immediately before going to sleep. It is said from the end of Eastertide until the beginning of Advent. 

Latin: 

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. Amen.

English: 

Hail holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.

As many of you may know, the Salve Regina has an important and long history in our Marist story. Marcellin had a strong and personal devotion to Mary that was expressed in many ways throughout his life. One particular story, in the midst of some difficult events in 1830 and the years prior, highlight this:  

After the events of 1830, since the Congregation was not approved by the Government, the story went abroad that it would be suppressed. In fact, the Prefect 30 of the Loire, whether he had received ministerial instructions or was simply spurred on by the evil inclinations of his heart and his hatred of religion, was preparing to close the novitiate.

In these circumstances, instead of losing his calm and his courage, Father Champagnat, as usual, had recourse to the Blessed Virgin, confiding his community to her. Having assembled the Brothers, who were now beginning to be anxious, he assured them: "Don't be frightened by the threats made against you, and put aside all fear for your future; Mary who has gathered us in this house, will not allow us to be driven from it by men's malice. Let us be more faithful than ever in honouring her, in showing ourselves her genuine children and in imitating her virtues; let us redouble our confidence in her and remind ourselves that she is our Ordinary Resource. To merit her protection and to keep away every danger, we shall sing the Salve Regina of a morning before meditation."  

This was the only precaution he thought necessary to take; and Mary, in whom he had placed all his confidence, didn't let him down: the Prefect was transferred and the house was in no way disturbed. Afterwards, the singing of the Salve Regina in the morning was maintained and became an article of Rule.

After this particular year, it became a tradition that the Brothers would always begin the mornings with the Salve Regina. This tradition continues today: morning prayers around the world in Marist Brothers communities still incorporate and intone the Salve Regina. 

 One of the most beautiful stories of the Salve Regina comes at the end of Marcellin’s life. It was the last song he heard before he died, sung by the gathered brothers as the cancer that had been slowly consuming his body took its final toll on our Founder.

During the night, he continued his aspirations to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. At about half past two, he remarked to the Brothers that their lamp was going out. "Excuse me, Father", one of them explained, "but the lamp is burning well." "But I can't see it", he protested. "So bring it closer." This was done without any improvement in the situation. "Ah", he said, with a dying voice, "I understand that it is my sight which is failing; my hour has come; thanks be to God!" He then whispered a few more prayers and soon his agony began. It lasted for more than an hour but was mild and peaceful. The vomiting had stopped, for nature was utterly exhausted. At twenty past four, his breathing slowed up and became more laboured and then spasmodic. The Brothers were at that time assembled in the chapel for the singing of the Salve Regina. The Litany of the Blessed Virgin was immediately begun, and during its recital, without effort or struggle, the pious Founder fell asleep in the Lord.

 His death took place on Saturday, June 6th, the vigil of Pentecost. He had declared several times during his sickness: "I would like to die on a Saturday, but I don't deserve that favour, while I do hope for it from Mary's kindness." Not only was he given that grace, but also another: he died at the time, which for thirty years he had devoted to meditation and to union with God. It was during the prayer which followed the Salve Regina that the Mother of Mercy led him from exile to the fatherland, and showed him Jesus, the fruit of her virginal womb.

For Marist Brothers today, here in Australia and around the world, the Salve Regina hold a special and unifying place. Every Marist Brother knows this hymn. In communities where languages are multiple and communication difficult, the Salve Regina hold our fraternity together. Personally, I can recall many significant memories of Marists together joining their voices in the intonation of the Salve Regina. There is nothing quite as stirring in my heart as when the fallen body of a Brother is placed in his final resting tomb as the Brothers gently, stoically and with quiet tears, sing the Salve Regina. 

Have a blessed week. 

Jacob's Well: The Boy Who Died Twice

Last week, in conversation with the MYM Sydney team, we were discussing one of the reported inspirations of Marcellin Champagnat, Jean-Baptiste Montagne. This narrative has been etched into our repertoire of Marist traditions in recent decades, proclaimed from lecterns of school assemblies or studied in religion classes across our Marist education institutions. History, though, is never simple, and seldom complete. One of the tenets of a historiographical framework is the understanding that past events, people and narratives are construction (or reconstructions) based on evidence, examination and interpretation. History is not a cold study of objective truth, but the highly charged activity with great power and influence over present and future events. I digress. Essentially, we are shaped by the stories given to us, but we should always be aware of the malleable and incomplete nature of history. Even in our own Marist patrimony. 

So, in 2017, Brothers Michael Green and André Lanfrey, two of the current historians of our Marist Institute, undertook a critical analysis of the Montagne experience. The story that we thought we knew isn’t the complete picture. As a result, Jean-Baptiste Montagne has become the boy that died twice. Here are some teasers of the article by Br Michael: 

Marists of today often believe that they know well enough the basics of the Montagne story. What they may not realise is that it is an event that was constructed a long time after the death of this youth, using a seminal story that was told from the beginning and connecting it with other data which came to light in the last century and which have been connected to it. It may surprise many Marists to learn that there is, in fact, no proven link between the original story and death of Jean-Baptiste Montagne, or even any evidence that Marcellin visited the Montagne home on the night in question. The young Montagne boy did indeed exist – we have his birth, death and burial records – but whether he is the “dying child” of the story appears to be highly questionable. Indeed, there is no record of any attempt to identify the child as J-B Montagne until the 1930s, and no active promotion of the name until after 1966 when Marist scholar, Brother Gabriel Michel, linked the death and burial records of this boy with the old story that had been with us from the time of Marcellin. The link is theoretically possible, but there are difficulties with sustaining an argument for it.

Br Michael Green elaborates on the evidential basis for his doubt of the dying boy being Jean-Baptiste Montagne:  

There are problems with the location, the year, the age of the child, the improbability of the Montagne family’s disconnection from the faith and their local parish, and also the low likelihood that a priest to anoint the dying boy would have been sought from La Valla rather than from nearby Tarentaise. First, all of the early accounts (among them the Life by Brother Jean-Baptiste Furet; the Memoir of Brother Sylvestre; and the Notes of Father Bourdin which recorded the actual words of Father Champagnat) speak of the event taking place with a child in foothills of Mt Pilat whereas, of course, Les Palais is up on the plateau. None of them names the child. The Bourdin notes are additionally interesting because of the sequence in which he orders the events. This entry in his notes seems straightforward enough: “What made the work urgent: a child sick in the foothills of Pilat, needed the sacraments... Goes to a neighbour for a moment, returns, child dead, reflection: “How many children far from the means of salvation... if instructed, know how to repent, know...” But Bourdin – quoting what he has heard directly from Father Champagnat own lips – lists this encounter after Marcellin’s recruiting Jean-Marie and two other brothers, his buying the house, the beginning of the brothers’ work with young people, and La Valla’s pre-existing “drunken schoolmaster” leaving town.

This all takes us well into 1818, eighteen months after the death of J-B Montagne. Perhaps Bourdin does not mean to imply a chronology in his notes but the order is curious, nonetheless, especially when considered against other inconsistencies among the accounts. Brother Laurent, the next oldest account after that of Bourdin, is clear that the event occurred in 1818. 

A third reason to question whether young Montagne is the dying child is prompted by the age given in the different documents. While Brother François, in his notebooks, describes the young person’s age at seventeen, all other accounts – including the official version of the Life by Brother Jean-Baptiste – have the child at eleven or twelve. We know J-B Montagne was sixteen when he died. Even though chronological age might have been regarded to be of less importance at the time than level of maturity, it is another inconsistency. Taken together, and from French writers known for an often-pedantic accuracy, it is not easy to explain away, let alone to reconcile, these apparently varying accounts….

Another thing to which Laurent draws our attention is that the situation of the “dying child” was not a one-off, and that Marcellin was growing in his appreciation of the extent of this problem for at least two years after taking up residence in La Valla. The civil registers indicate that seven relatively young people over the age of seven died in Marcellin’s first year at La Valla, coming from six different hamlets.  

Finally, there is the problem of why Father Champagnat would have been the priest called to attend J-B Montagne, when there were two priests at Tarentaise, just a twenty-minute walk away. To get a message to La Valla would have been a two-hour trek down to that town, with no guarantee that he would have been there, then a steep two-hour climb back….

 So, on the balance of probabilities, it seems problematic to claim that Jean-Baptiste Montagne was in fact the dying boy. It is much more likely to have been another child of the parish. That does not mean, however, that we should forget the Montagne story. In fact, it is most instructive to look at why this story and this boy have captured Marist imagination, since Brother Gabriel Michel started recounting the name and place to Marist pilgrims in the late 1960s. But let us approach it as nuanced mythology rather than dubious history. Like all good foundation myths, it tells us more about why than what.

Poor Montagne. Br Michael proceeds to highlight additional historical evidence to support his hypothesis.  However, as Br Michael highlights, the importance of the story isn’t in the literal details, but the meaning that we garner from the substance of the legend.  

The story of Marcellin’s encounter with the dying child is, like all good founding myths, a tale that one generation should to continue to pass onto the next, as a way of maintaining integrity and identity, and of defining deeper purposes. But such myths also risk being read simplistically. One key for Marists in their unlocking of the Montagne story is for them to see it in the context of its origins. As we contemplate the Montagne myth, it is not Jean-Baptiste, in the final analysis, on whom we should be focussed. Perhaps this is one reason why the early Marist chroniclers did not give a name to the “dying child”. That child represented all young people whose circumstances meant they had a diminished capacity for appreciating who they were as a son or daughter of God and what the Gospel of Jesus Christ could mean in their lives. The focus is, rather, on those who respond to this need and what is needed for them to be the kind of Marist evangeliser that Marcellin imagined. It is a story ultimately about the reader.

In the same edition of Marist Notebooks, there is another article by Br André Lanfrey, which takes the hypothesis even further. I have attached this edition, number 35, with both articles. Enjoy the (unsettling) reading!

Jacob's Well: Jesus and Justice

It would be near impossible this week to be untouched by the voices of our brothers and sisters amid difficult and oppressive circumstances. Unfortunately, these voices are not new: the voices of those who suffer injustice echo throughout history, and in all parts of our modern world. As Christians, God always invites us to hear and listen to the cries of the poor, in the myriad and diverse ways that these roars of pain and hurt come into our lives. And even when these shouts fall on ears that do not listen, or are lost as whispers in time and space, God hears. And God moves. With justice.

The concept of God’s justice is one of the richness, oldest and most powerful values in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The Old Testament is bursting at the seams with stories, psalms, praises and people who proclaim the justice of God with full voice. This manifestation is not out of the Marcionite understanding of God that separated the experiences of the divine in the Old and New Testament into dualistic entities. The story of the Jewish people, and the subsequent Christian communities, is deeply tied to the justice and liberation for the people of God. In our Catholic tradition, Catholic Social Teaching is one of the most substantial expressions of this ongoing legacy of God’s justice and needs many weeks to unpack! Finally, the concept of God’s mercy cannot be separated from any discussions of God’s justice. It is crucial to hold these additional elements as part of this reflection.  

I would like to draw your attention to a few examples of the words and actions of Jesus that continued, developed, and emboldened this understanding of justice. There are plenty more in the Gospels that illustrate the ongoing action of God as the embodiment of mercy and justice. This week, I would invite you to reflect on these passages as we delve into the beginning of this massive idea: The Justice of God.

As we covered in a previous week, the proclamation of the Reign (or Kingdom) of God was central to the ministry of Jesus Christ. In fact, it is central to the entire being of Jesus: God is his everything, and for whom, with us, he gave his life. So, we see at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, in the Gospel of Luke, his first words are grounded deeply in the tradition of his ancestors and their understanding of justice. 

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. (Luke 4:16-20) 

Jesus, right from the beginning of his ministry, signals out this unique group: the poor. The poor is broad in his understanding, as expressed in the Gospels, and is always connected with the unjust ways that the poor are treated and systematically oppressed. Make no mistake: the poor are not poor because of their own circumstances, but because the system is not built for them. Jesus was never satisfied with the status quo. Jesus didn’t die because he said nice things: he was challenging a system of oppression, exclusion and death. His cry remains as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.

The quintessential expression of God’s Justice, for Jesus, is captured in the Beatitudes. 

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:1-12) 

One of the most poignant reminders I have seen at this time has been this question: if you were listening to Jesus say this, what would be your response? In echoing some of the arguments that exist in our world today, would you be the one who would stand up and say, “No, Jesus, blessed are all people!”? Or is your response one that truly listening to the words of Jesus?  

Luke’s Beatitudes takes Jesus’ words one step further. Jesus absolutely singles out people who are suffering and who are bringing about the Kingdom of God. For Luke though, there are harsh words for those who opposed this preferential option for the poor. 

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
 “Blessed are you who are hungry now,
    for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.

 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

 “But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have received your consolation.
 “Woe to you who are full now,
    for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
    for you will mourn and weep.

 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. 

“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

(Luke 6:20-36)

The concept of God’s Justice is intimately connected to the Love of God. In fact, God will not only bless those who suffer. God is on the move. Parable after parable express that God will not remain locked in place waiting for those who need God. These parables are revolutionary: of course, the ordinary person would not leave the ninety-nine to search for the one! God is profoundly challenging us. This is the Justice of God.  

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15: 1-10) 

This text is followed by one of Jesus’ most powerful parables of love, loss and forgiveness, the Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother (or more commonly known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son). I invite you to read these, and the other parables of the Gospels, and to be unsettled and uncomfortable by their challenging nature. 

Finally, one of the foundational Gospel texts of justice highlights one more important fact: God not only with those who are oppressed, poor or excluded, but God IS one of them. Matthew clearly states this. It is God that suffers as well. 

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46). 

May you continue to be inspired to be a person of action, and an agent of change. A disciple of the Justice of God.

Jacob's Well: Games, Games, Games!

My hope with Jacob’s Well is to provide a variety of useful resources, ranging from input for your personal and spiritual formation, as well as practical ideas and suggestions for your ministry. This week, let’s return to some hands-on resources to animate your day: games! Apart from the intrinsic value of games as purveyors of fun and joy, games have always served a purpose in ministry to build and foster community. During this time, when the physicality of our usual frivolous endeavours is temporarily absent, there are plenty of variations being developed for the online spheres that can benefit the current delivery of our ministry.  

In one of the earlier Jacob’s Well editions, the podcast, Youth Ministry Answers, was provided as a resource. I am increasingly impressed by the content that they are producing in this podcast, and their accompanying website. It is a bit of a gold mind for Christian youth ministry. Granted, it does have a focus on engaging teenagers in a North American setting, and they push their “Grow” Ministry Framework and Curriculum heavily. However, the ideas and discussions are on-point with current youth ministry programs and engagement. I was listening to a recent episode called, “10 Tips on How To Build A Weekly Strategy For Online Youth Ministry,” (which is worth a listen in these current times, although we are already doing some of these, and very well!). They spoke of examples of icebreaker and engagement fun for an online setting and that might be excellent resources for you. Some you will recognise, and others may serve as inspiration for a variation.

Check out some of their suggestions here: https://stuffyoucanuse.org/games/

Another great free website for games, with new resources for interaction, is Youth Group Games. This is a popular free site for group games, but its design content and quality remain high. Again, you will recognise several games that you would have used and/or played, but they do have good context-specific games for online and isolation environments.

Check them out at: https://youthgroupgames.com.au/

Finally, this next website is one of many subscription-based programs but offers some free games that might be useful. They are mostly for in-person use, but with our team, your creativity knows no bounds!
Check it out: https://www.playmeo.com/activities/?subscription=free

Jacob's Well: Movies for Ministry

Welcome to our second requested topic for the year!  I am always excited when I get the chance to generate some ideas and discussion on topics submitted by the team. And this week, I am certain that everyone has plenty of thoughts on this practical subject. We know how useful and powerful media can be in our ministry. Movies, in particular, craft people’s lives in stories that evoke the strongest and wildest emotions and responses. We all possess scenes from movies that we will remember for a lifetime: whether it is sweeping scenes of roaring seas, the hum of a lightsaber that lights a darkened theatre with neon warmth, or that first momentous introduction of our favourite cinematic character. Great movies have the ability to express universal truth, and by doing so, express deeply the movement and love of God in profound ways, consciously or unconsciously.  

Sorry, I am beginning to sound like the introduction to an award at the Oscars. 

For this week, I wanted to share some of the movies that you might find useful in ministry settings. There are so many! Please contribute your own ideas as well, as we build a stockpile of blockbuster proportions. I am sure that we will need a few editions of this particular topic!  I hope these are helpful! 

Disney Films 

Disney has always had a remarkable ability to produce films with universal and timeless appeal. While the materials are drawn from well-known and crafted narratives from various cultures and traditions, Disney movies usually highlight two particular themes that resonate across their movies: Identity and Transformation. There are three particular movies that speak to me, at the moment, that provide substantive materials on these themes. 

Frozen 2 is an excellent exploration of the journey into transformational space. “Into the Unknown” is a confronting song of hesitation mixed with curiosity and courage, when one is on the cusp of change brought about a mysterious divine spirit. “The Next Best Thing” is a heart-song about grief and facing anxiety with small powerful steps. 

Moana is a brilliant vocational story: a journey of self-discovery and encountering the divine with profound effects. The “Song of the Ancestors” is a vivid articulation of embracing one’s identity and vocational discernment at its finest. And, no spoilers, but I could spend hours talking about the spiritual insights of Moana’s encounter with the divine. 

Inside Out is one of my favourite films, and its internal journey, coupled with the external narrative, is a healthy mix of these two themes of identity and transformation. It is another great example of the movement through liminal space in the universal experience of puberty. 

Side note: check out some of the short-animated films from Disney. They are brilliant!  

These titles available on Disney+

The Way

The Way is a 2010 American-Spanish drama film directed, produced and written by Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen. The film honours the Camino de Santiago and promotes the traditional pilgrimage. Pilgrimage has a longstanding Christian connection, and as an area of spirituality, really speaks to people’s hearts and life experiences. The movie is an emotional journey that asks, and faces, some difficult questions of life, relationships and faith, just as all pilgrimages do. We are a pilgrim people.  

The Way is available on Netflix

Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium 

This movie is a hidden gem. It is a fantastical journey into the creative and absurd, and its heart is warm, profound and full of wisdom. Natalie Portman’s character’s (Molly Mahoney) journey of self-belief, her struggle and joy of faith and encountering the divine offers a rich resource for our ministry. One of my favourite scenes is one I call “37 seconds.” In the day where Molly and Mr Magorium spent a day of adventure and fun, they are in a clock shop, all for a bit of mischief. In anticipation of a little scheme that is about to unfold, Molly comments, “37 seconds…. Now we wait.” Mr Magorium replies, “No. We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime.” I love it. 

This film is available on all good online purchasing platforms

Jacob's Well: Mary, Our Good Mother and the Virgin of the Vow

We are all familiar with the constant reference of Mary, Our Good Mother, in our Marist tradition. While Mary seems to acquire a title for just about everything, this unique designation for Mary traces itself back to Marcellin’s own lips and spirituality, to Mary, Notre Bonne Mère. One of my favourite things about history, is that there is no effect or consequence without a cause. Or, in other words, everything is connected. Am I sounding a little like Br Graham?! I hope so.

So, I would like to share some excepts from an article from Br André Lanfrey about the connections between the images of Mary, Our Good Mother, and its mysterious predecessors, the Virgin of the Vow. The full article is available in the Marist Notebooks (or the link here:https://www.champagnat.org/e_maristas/Cuadernos/30_EN.pdf). I think it is an interesting addition to our rich Marist history.  

“The Good Mother” and the Virgin of the Vow: Reflections on an iconographic tradition

In several recent publications, Brother Agustin Carazo, former postulator general, has been working on the Marial statues of the Institute especially on that of “the Good Mother” (“la Bonne Mère”), a statuette moulded in plaster of virgin and child, about 75cm high, carefully restored and today preserved in Rome. In these texts, he reminds us that this statue probably figured at the Hermitage from 1824 in the “chapel in the woods” and even before, at La Valla, in the room of Fr Champagnat. Replaced subsequently by larger statues, probably more in keeping with the taste of the period, it seems to have been somewhat forgotten, although Brother François mentions its presence at St Genis-Laval in the room which had been occupiedby Brother Jean-Baptiste.  It figures again in 1882 in a portrait of Champagnat writing at his work, painted by Brother Wulmer, a Belgian Brother. The statue then took part in the displacements of the Mother House: in 1903 to Grugliasco, in 1939 to Saint Genis-Laval and finally to Rome in 1961. It was there that, in the archives, Brother Agustin Carazo, looking for documents, found it by chance in a bag in February 1982. He then relates the story of the “resurrection” of this statue, which is given the name of “Good Mother” and which photographic reproductions make popular among the Marist Brothers. A Brazilian Brother, Francisco das Chagas Costa Ribeiro, author of a thesis on Mariology in Rome in 1988, indicates that the model of this plaster statue is located in the cathedral of Rouen, under the name of the Virgin of the Vow (La Vierge du Vœu).

From a second statue of “the Good Mother”, crudely painted, and still at the Hermitage, a Brother of the province of Castille (Estebàn Martin) made a mould, and so statues of plaster, wood, terracotta and other materials, of various sizes, have multiplied, especially in Latin America. Nevertheless, this representation does not seem to have gone far beyond the world of the Marist Brothers.

Two original statues of “the Good Mother”?

Brother Agustin has given us a very solid history of the statue of « The Good Mother » among the Marist Brothers which has allowed for a sort of resurrection of this important piece of our early spiritual patrimony. I think, however, that he underestimates the importance of the statue still present at the Hermitage which, in his opinion, is much smaller than the Rome one and of a later date. So he comes up with the hypothesis that it would have been acquired after 1860 by Brother François when he returned to the Hermitage.

In my opinion, this statue is about the same age as the one in Rome. But since my basic proposal is to complete the historical work of Brother Agustin Carazo, I will present the discussion on this particular point at the end of my article.

The Virgin of Lecomte (1777)

The Virgin of the Vow in Rouen is a marble statue of normal height (about 1 m 60) placed today in the chapel of Sainte Marguerite, one of the many side chapels of the nave of the cathedral of Rouen in Normandy. It rests on a stone cube set on the altar in place of the tabernacle, on which is inscribed the formula “Nostra clemens, accipe vota” (Our clemency accept our vows). This inscription confirms the traditional name given to the statue, “the Virgin of the vow”.

Sculpted by Félix Lecomte, it was offered to the Rouen cathedral about 1775 by the Cardinal-Archbishop Mgr. de la Rochefoucauld. It is characterized by one original trait: the baby Jesus is sucking his forefinger. But it should be noted that this statue is not isolated: the altar front bears a bas relief by the same sculptor shows a dead Jesus wept over by Mary and the holy women.

According to the Dictionnaire des artistes de l’Ecole française au XIX° siècle Félix Lecomte was born in Paris in 1737 and died in 1817. In 1764 he won the grand prize of sculpture, and in 1771 was accepted as a member of the former Academy of Painting and Sculpture. He was as well professor of the Academy and member of the Academy of the Fine Arts. His statue of the Virgin and the bas relief of Rouen are considered among his master works.

The medieval rood screen and the first Virgin of the Vow

This altar of the Virgin of the Vow is not the first one erected under this title and it is not in its original position. In fact, there existed in Rouen, as in most of the medieval cathedrals, a rood screen separating the choir from the nave. About this one, certainly in the Gothic style, Jean-François Pommeraye gives, at the end of the seventeenth century, the following details:

“The rood screen which closes off the choir has been enriched with two magnificent altars of very rich sculpture, crucifixes and other ornaments of woodwork all gilt […]. The altar of the vow was made from the contributions of the factory. I understand, from the memoirs of an individual who wrote about what he had seen, that this altar of the Virgin was completed at the end of March 1639 […] that on 26 April […] this altar was consecrated by M. François de Harlay the elder who placed in it the relics of St Paul apostle and Nicaise. It was called the vow because of a great plague which afflicted the city of Rouen for a long time; this had obliged them to have recourse to God’s mercy”.

The author adds, “The principal ornament of this altar is the image of Our Lady made of alabaster which was donated about 1357 by a canon named François Le Tourneur” […] “The altar of Saint Cecilia, which is next to the one of the vow is celebrated because of the confraternity of this saint where the musicians gather every year to solemnize her feast”. […] “I learned from several memoirs that on 23 April 1642 this altar was finished and the two images set in place”. To commemorate the event, a procession took place on 20 September and a lamp burns in front of the Virgin’s altar.

Thus, a medieval Virgin, probably already present in the cathedral, is set up in 1643 as the  « Virgin of the vow » on the medieval rood screen, in company with St Cecilia who certainly figured there already.

IN CONCLUSION

As always happens, research resolves a certain number of questions and raises new ones. We can say that the Institute possesses two old but quite different statues of “the Good Mother”. The authenticity and age of the one in Rome are not in doubt. As for the Hermitage one, although not well documented, it seems to merit being considered a rare piece dating from the time of Fr Champagnat and attesting to the Marian devotion of the Brothers, perhaps linked to the practice of the Month of Mary.

In the wider context, it seems that quite soon after the Revolution a statue moulding workshop was set up, supplying the religious art shops with smaller statues on the Lecomte model. Moreover, circumstances lent themselves to it: after a phase of iconoclasm which destroyed or dispersed the furnishings and fittings of parishes and convents, this plant allowed the restoration of an important element rapidly and inexpensively, while situating itself in continuity with the aesthetic preferences of the eighteenth century which was still close.

Nevertheless, the small size of these statues, their weakness in evoking a theological message, as well as the rise of a preference for the neo-Gothic, the devotion to the miraculous medal and the emergence of a Saint-Sulpician statue industry, must have progressively marginalized this type. But we have seen that a model of this statue appeared worthy of interest for a Saint-Sulpician art enterprise in the middle of the nineteenth century.

We are left with the question of an iconographic tradition of Virgin and Child current from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, based on Christ as a baby, and without an obvious theological message. I proposed one interpretation earlier and Brother Agustin Carazo proposes Psalm 130 (131): “ …enough for me to keep my soul tranquil and quiet like a child in its mother’s arms”. But, although interesting, this interpretation appears no more founded on certain sources than mine.  It may be precisely because it allows for a great diversity of interpretations, from the most theological to the most sentimental, that this tradition of Virgin with Child sucking its finger holds an attraction through very different periods and despite copies of very unequal artistic value.

Jacob's Well: Marist Patrimony (Edition 11)

There is a plethora of sayings that link knowledge of one’s future with knowledge on one’s past. For Marists, we are blessed with a rich recording of our history, and the values that underlie this foundation, in documents and stories that fill libraries across the world. Many of you are familiar with some of our foundational documents:Water from the Rock, In the Footsteps of Marcellin Champagnat, A Heart That Knows No Bounds. Others that you may not be as familiar with, but are still important, includes Evangelizers in The Midst of Youth, Gathered around the Same Table, or even The Constitutions of the Marist Brothers. I will talk more about these in future editions of Jacob’s Well, but today, I would like to introduce (or revisit for those who know) a set of documents that contain some hidden treasures of our Patrimony. Marist Notebooks

Marist Notebooks are a collection of articles, produced since 1990, written by some of the greatest Marist historians of the Institute. Now, I know you might say, how are these articles relevant to me? Like I said, the future is shaped by the past. Why is Montagne an important symbol for the Marist family? Because his story was researched and presented by one of the writers in Marist Notebooks. How do we know so much about the personal spirituality of Marcellin Champagnat? You guessed it: it is covered in these books. The Notebooks even contain the ongoing controversy about the boy who died twice: is Jean-Baptiste Montagne the dying boy who inspired Marcellin? Ask Br Michael Green about that one or read about in Edition 35! 

The best place for the resources for this is on the International Marist Brothers website. Here is the link: https://champagnat.org/en/library/marist-notebooks/

I will highlight a couple of really good articles in the coming weeks as well.

Finally, not directly related to this, but related to our times, I would like to share a poem from one of my favourite poets of the 20th Centuries: Maya Angelou. This poem, written in 1995, is beautiful and stark and fills me with hope. May it help to take your next step, in these times of hesitancy.

A Brave and Startling Truth

We, this people, on a small and lonely planet 
Traveling through casual space 
Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns 
To a destination where all signs tell us 
It is possible and imperative that we learn 
A brave and startling truth 

And when we come to it 
To the day of peacemaking 
When we release our fingers 
From fists of hostility 
And allow the pure air to cool our palms 

When we come to it 
When the curtain falls on the minstrel show of hate 
And faces sooted with scorn are scrubbed clean 
When battlefields and coliseum 
No longer rake our unique and particular sons and daughters 
Up with the bruised and bloody grass 
To lie in identical plots in foreign soil 

When the rapacious storming of the churches 
The screaming racket in the temples have ceased 
When the pennants are waving gaily 
When the banners of the world tremble 
Stoutly in the good, clean breeze 

When we come to it 
When we let the rifles fall from our shoulders 
And children dress their dolls in flags of truce 
When land mines of death have been removed 
And the aged can walk into evenings of peace 
When religious ritual is not perfumed 
By the incense of burning flesh 
And childhood dreams are not kicked awake 
By nightmares of abuse 

When we come to it 
Then we will confess that not the Pyramids 
With their stones set in mysterious perfection 
Nor the Gardens of Babylon 
Hanging as eternal beauty 
In our collective memory 
Not the Grand Canyon 
Kindled into delicious color 
By Western sunsets 

Nor the Danube, flowing its blue soul into Europe 
Not the sacred peak of Mount Fuji 
Stretching to the Rising Sun 
Neither Father Amazon nor Mother Mississippi who, without favor, 
Nurture all creatures in the depths and on the shores 
These are not the only wonders of the world 

When we come to it 
We, this people, on this minuscule and kithless globe 
Who reach daily for the bomb, the blade and the dagger 
Yet who petition in the dark for tokens of peace 
We, this people on this mote of matter 
In whose mouths abide cankerous words 
Which challenge our very existence 
Yet out of those same mouths 
Come songs of such exquisite sweetness 
That the heart falters in its labor 
And the body is quieted into awe 

We, this people, on this small and drifting planet 
Whose hands can strike with such abandon 
That in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living 
Yet those same hands can touch with such healing, irresistible tenderness 
That the haughty neck is happy to bow 
And the proud back is glad to bend 
Out of such chaos, of such contradiction 
We learn that we are neither devils nor divines 

When we come to it 
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body 
Created on this earth, of this earth 
Have the power to fashion for this earth 
A climate where every man and every woman 
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety 
Without crippling fear 

When we come to it 
We must confess that we are the possible 
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world 
That is when, and only when 
We come to it. 

Maya Angelou