Let us build on objective reality

I want to emphasize with particular insistence that this is a ‘fact’, or in other words an objective reality that exists and functions over and above our awareness of it; it is neither a ‘theory’ nor a pious way of feeling, but a real fact extrinsic to our subjective thought and approached with the seriousness of human knowledge guided by faith. At the root of our faith convictions there is the most concrete reality: living people and real events. The deepening of Marian doctrine and the expression of our piety must rest on objectivity.

Belief in the Resurrection and the affirmation that Christ has ascended and Mary has been assumed into heaven, does not mean that they now live on some distant planet and within reach of the earth only by some kind of extraordinary astronomic flight; it means rather that they are very much alive for us, present and active in our world through the new paschal reality of the Resurrection.

Today then Mary is a person living and acting among us; her assumption, by which she fully participates in the Resurrection of Christ, is a fact of faith; her universal motherhood is an objective and daily reality of grace, to which the Church bears witness.

Vatican II expressly assures us of this: the spiritual motherhood of Mary "in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. By her maternal charity she cares for the brethren of her Son. who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into their blessed home."³

Rightly therefore "the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix... And the Church does not hesitate to profess this subordinate role of Mary, which it constantly experiences and recommends to the heartfelt attention of the faithful, so that encouraged by this maternal help they may the more closely adhere to the Mediator and Redeemer."⁴

Setting out from so convincing and realistic a point of reference will give particular strength and seriousness to our reflections, without us sinking into superficial sentimentality.

Unfortunately there are still to be found here and there uncontrolled outbursts of unhealthy fantasy, with expressions of questionable piety based more often than not on pseudo-revelations; this robs Marian devotion of credibility and tends to lead astray the precious patrimony of popular devotion which is today in process of rediscovery and which is very dear to our mission.

When we resolve to imitate the beloved disciple in "making a place for Mary in our home", we mean to make a serious study in depth of the solid reality of the Resurrection, in the perspective of Church tradition and in the realistic style so consonant with Don Bosco’s spirit, and so characteristic of his devotion to our Lady under the title of "Help of Christians".

The motivations behind the renewal in our devotion

The reasons that move us to re-launch devotion to Mary Help of Christians in the entire Salesian family are not without importance. Let us recall some of the most important ones: they will serve as a source of enlightenment and give a better foundation to our undertaking.

First and foremost we must keep in mind the cultural change which has followed the emergence of a new appreciation of human values; in the sphere of social custom, literary and artistic modes of expression, mass media and the sensitivity of public opinion, it has given rise to a completely new style which has its repercussions also in the expression of religious convictions.

This may have brought with it a certain antipathy for a set form of religious expression resulting for a time in more than marginal confusion and eventually, for some people, in doubts of a doctrinal nature. Think for example of the impact the women’s liberation movement can certainly have on Marian devotion.

The Pope exhorts us "to pay close attention to certain finds of the human sciences" so as to be realistic about eliminating "one of the causes of the difficulties experienced in devotion to the Mother of the Lord, namely, the discrepancy existing between some aspects of this devotion and modern anthropological discoveries and the profound changes which have occurred in the psycho-sociological field in which modern man lives and works."⁵

All this certainly demands of us a new commitment.

Another very strong motivation is provided by the great spiritual and pastoral event that was Vatican II. We know that it had a profound effect on the whole life of the Church and in particular on devotion to our Lady. Who has forgotten the heated discussions of the Council Fathers in this regard and the consequent need for renewal in the light of the concrete choices that were made?

The line taken by Vatican II regarding our Lady follows a new path characterized by the total mystery of the Church. Pope Paul’s apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus sets out precise directives and places a direct responsibility on religious families (like our own) "to promote a genuine creative activity and at the same time to proceed to a careful revision of expressions and exercises of piety directed towards the Blessed Virgin. We would like this revision to be respectful of wholesome tradition and open to the legitimate requests of the people of our time."⁶

In particular the dogmatic Constitution on the Liturgy encouraged after Vatican II a more authentic and creative development of Christian worship; for "the development of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, fitted into the only worship that is rightly called ‘Christian’, is an indication of the Church’s genuine piety."⁷ Therefore the whole thinking behind the liturgical movement and the reform of Christian worship demands an accurate revision and a new development of our Marian devotion also.

Further, we are witnesses to an interesting rediscovery of "popular religiosity"⁸ as a "theological-pastoral" point of practical importance for a realistic renewal. In this rediscovery there is a special consideration and a practical and faithful reevaluation of the "people" in the ecclesial communion, together with a more comprehensive and properly critical discernment of their "religious sense". These two ideas should find a special sympathetic resonance in the Salesian vocation.

There is also a very deep and intimate reason that should prompt us to a conscientious re-launching of Marian devotion; it is the fact that we see our vocation as a "charism of the Holy Spirit", of whom Mary is the "spouse" and the "living temple".⁹

Today "we live in the Church at a privileged moment of the Spirit"¹⁰ with his gifts and charisms, and therefore at a moment strongly linked to Mary’s special role: her maternal function in the life of the Church is a "rebirth" in the Spirit.

Therefore just as Don Bosco was able to give special honor and foster devotion to our Lady through the "birth" of the Congregation and the Salesian family, so today should we with equal love and initiative know how to give her special honor and veneration through our renewal, which is a "rebirth" of our vocation today.

There can be no re-launching or recovery for us without the Help of Christians, but with her motherly help we hall be able to see the growing effects of our rebirth, and even "miraculous" effects. Add to this the fact that Mary is our special model because of her openness to the renewal that took place at the most difficult time of transition from the Old to the New Testament; there she provides for all to see the greatest lesson of fidelity to what is essential and complete openness to the unforeseen action of the Holy Spirit

- Then there is a reason that derives from a characteristic aspect of devotion to the Help of Christians: it is a Marian dimension that is of its very nature meant for critical times. Don Bosco himself expressed it to Don Cagliero in his well-known affirmation: "The Madonna wishes us to honor her under the title of Help of Christians; the times are so sad that we have real need of the most holy Virgin’s assistance in preserving and defending the Christian faith."¹¹

We too are living through times of serious and unheard-of dangers, whether in the area of the faith of believers, the life of the Church and the ministry of its shepherds, or in that of social and political reform, the integral education of youth and the development of the working classes.

If the title Help of Christians indicates a Marian dimension specifically relevant in difficult times, and if Don Bosco and the Salesian family have been raised up by the Spirit as specialized and effective instruments in the spreading of that same devotion in the Church, we can conclude that the present complex and problematic difficulties in the Church and Society urgently demand from us a specific Marian relaunching.

Another reason particularly relevant for us is the intimate link that exists between our Salesian spirit and devotion to Mary Help of Christians. Don Bosco did not arrive at this devotion by mere chance, nor was it dependent on some local apparition; it appears rather as the maturation of a spiritual and apostolic line of thought that had been developing and becoming clearer with successive historical circumstances, interpreted in the light of a deep personal dialogue with the Holy Spirit in the context of those typically characteristic Marian touches so familiar in the daily life of Don Bosco.

The Help of Christians represents the peak of Don Bosco’s feelings about our Lady: advocate, helper, mother of youth, protectress of Christian people, conqueror of the devil, victor over heresy, aid of the Church in difficulty, bastion of the Pope and the Bishops tormented by the forces of evil.

Such a devotion to the Mother of God is the practical realization of that sanctity-in-action so characteristic of Don Bosco’s spirituality. It is enough to recall his conversation with the artist Lorenzone, whom he had asked to depict our Lady at the center of a gigantic ecclesial dynamic activity,¹² or to gaze at the picture itself in the Basilica at Valdocco and discover there, so to speak, the inborn relationship between Salesian spirit linked with ecclesial apostolate, and devotion to Mary Help of Christians.

If therefore the whole Conciliar movement of the renewal of Religious is to lead to a re-actualization of their specific spirituality, this must mean for us a strong re-launching of the Marian element of our charism.

For all these reasons, and not without the special influence of the Holy Spirit, the recent General Chapter asked us for an explicit commitment to the renewal of the Marian aspect of our vocation.¹³

In the course of a fraternal visit to our Chapter assembly, the Mother General of the FMA together with her Council accepted with active enthusiasm the assignment proffered by the Rector Major to feel themselves privileged to foster initiatives for the spread of Marian devotion throughout the whole Salesian family.

And so, with the FMA and all the groups that make up the Salesian family, we are conscious today of our call to create an atmosphere and to program concrete activities to make our Lady known and loved by the new generations of youth, who more than ever before are hungry and thirsty for the great Christian and paschal reality.

Today for them too the prophetic words of the Virgin Mary herself must be valid and be transformed into action: "all generations will call me blessed."¹⁴