The author of the below text is Rev. Prof. Pawel M. Konrad Rudnicki, a world-class astronomer, theologian, anthroposophist
and a priest in the
Mariavite Church
. You can read more about him at
Wikipedia
. In light of our blog’s content it is perhaps worth adding that Prof. Rudnicki served as a priest in the Episcopal Church during his stays in the USA. He is presently the spiritual leader of the Cracow Mariavite community. The following article that we found worthy posting on our blog explains one of the most important and characteristic aspects of Mariavite spirituality: imitating the Theotokos.
And one more introductory remark: the Mariavite Church, even though it doesn’t belong to the Union of Utrecht since the twenties, is a Church of the Old-Catholic tradition. As such it considers valid only the dogmas of the undivided Church of the first centuries (proclaimed by the first 7 Ecumenical Councils). The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary isn’t one of them since it was only proclaimed by Pope Pio IX in 1854 and not an Ecumenical Council. It’s one of the reasons (among significant doubts of theological and doctrinal nature) why it is acknowledged neither by the Orthodox Churches, the Old-Catholic Churches, nor the Anglican Churches (not to mention the Protestants). Yet the doctrine of Mary’s Immaculate Conception is of great importance for the Mariavite theology and spirituality. The Mariavite Church considers it something more than just a theological opinion. Nevertheless Rev. Prof. P.M.K. Rudnicki approaches this delicate matter with respect for other visions, which is an important feature of his theology in general.
As an illustration we used – apart from a photograph of Rev. Rudnicki celebrating the Eucharist in the Lutheran church in Cracow where the tiny Mariavite community gathers each Sunday – the avers and reveres of a typical Mariavite medallion symbolizing both the pillars of the Mariavite spirituality: the imitation of the Blessed Virgin and the Eucharistic Adoration.
The name “Mariavitism” comes from the Latin “Mariae vita” and means a need to imitate the life of the Mother of God, or – if one prefers to call her like that – Mary of Nazareth. This imitating of her life is important in the time of God’s Mercy not only for the chosen ones, monks, ascetics, priests, but for all the people of God.
The Mother of our Savior wasn’t a nun, didn’t have to obey any monastic rule, didn’t wear a habit, participated in social life (John 2,1), following Joseph’s death didn’t have to obey anyone except for God and St. John was told to take care of her (John 19, 26-27), yet as of a mother. Outwardly she was an ordinary woman. The Gospel of St. Matthew (13,55) testifies that it wasn’t how the people imagined a prophet’s mother. But beneath the outward figure of an ordinary woman there was the greatest holiness hidden. Only she is called by the Scripture “full of grace” (Luke 1,28), even before the conception of Christ, even before the beginning of the work of salvation.
To imitate the Mother of God is not to distinguish oneself outwardly, not to separate oneself from the world, but – fully participating in life – to cultivate a pure inward life and, according to ones possibilities, to share holiness with the world. Such is the contemporary way to holiness. And here arises the question, what does imitating the life of Mary have in common with God’s mercy?
It is known that separation from the world, practicing reclusive or cloistered mysticism, was once very
fruitful, but today has hardly any influence on what is happening in the world. On the contrary, contemporary monastic congregations choose – sometimes consciously, sometimes not – a way of life more or less modeled after the life of Mary of Nazareth. Old monastic congregations used to focus on mortification and the efforts of its members – today they focus more on the unmerited mercy – free mercy.
There is an important difficulty in all these struggles. The Mother of God was full of grace (Luke 1,28), which Mariavitism considers equivalent to the epithet “sinless”, conceived immaculately in the very beginning. Even those Christian denominations that created different doctrines of the nature of Mary of Nazareth have to agree that extraordinary graces of God have been bestowed upon her, according to the words of the Gospel of Luke. So it was easier for her to maintain the fullness of sanctity living in the world. But what about us, the rest, aware of our weakness? Wouldn’t it be better for us to separate ourselves from the world, its tempting, errant ways, in order to work on the development of our mystical life, somewhere behind monastery walls, whether they be literal or not?
And it is here that the essence of cooperation with God’s mercy is revealed. We are sinful, we need for our sins to be absolved, for our soul to be healed. We can attain it for free through God’s mercy. We can be cleansed without any effort of ours. Yet we know that the purified interior can not be left empty (Luke 1, 24-26). It should be filled. The sacrament of penance is under normal circumstances complemented by the Eucharist. If we receive the Eucharist often and worthily, supported by adoration – a meditative reflection – than, step by step, we get closer to the state when not our ego lives in us, but the higher one, united with Christ (Galatians 2,20) – we get closer to the state of impeccability and hence to the likeness of Mary of Nazareth.
Source : Rudnicki K., Naśladować Maryję , [w:] Mariawita , nr 1-3 2010, p 7.
