Mary totally focused on the coming of God, Jesus going round the towns and villages of Judea and moved with compassion at the sight of the crowds who were dejected: these are the images that nourish Fr. Colin’s, SM, meditation the missionary vocation of Marists.

Stabat Mater
Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ my Lord.

To cultivate Mary’s spirit is to cultivate a sense of service: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” Singing the Magnificat frees us from all self-concern: I am fully available for service.

Stabat Mater
O our Mother, fount of love,
touch my spirit from above;
Help us love as you have done.

We know quite well what Jesus was saying, but somehow, we forget. He was showing us that loving is inseparable from service, and that we must not stand on our dignity but must humble ourselves and do menial, earthy, bodily tasks for our brothers and sisters.

Stabat Mater
Can the human heart refrain?
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother’s pain untold?