Put your confidence in the Lord,  because the Lord is the “ROCK” forever.” (Is. 26, 4)

“Whoever listens to what I say and puts in practice, is comparable with a wise man

who BUILDS HIS HOUSE ON THE ROCK.” (MT 7, 24)

MaryWater

From the

Rock

More than a house, Marcellin established also the bases of  character of the Little brothers of Mary. To this work, Marcellin devoted himself to it entirely, by

involving our first brothers to work together, with him and

the lay people,  whose talents and qualities were

necessary for the establishment of a so large

heritage.

•With the publication

of the document “Water from the

Rock”, the General Council wanted that one special year be devoted to  Marist

Spirituality, coming from the tradition of

saint Marcellin Champagnat and our

first Brothers.It opened on

October 7, 2007 in the feast of Our

Lady of the Rosary and will conclude on October 7, 2008. It

will have as a subject:

“Water of the rock, source of life! »

A rock, a source which results from this, the ochre of the ground and the blue of water. Discreetly, three violets recall us that without ground and water, there is no possible future and the future is stopped.

Here we are on a Marist way of life… The M intersected symbolize the relation between each one: Marist, Mary, Marcellin. During one year, unceasingly this vital interrogation will be mentioned: on which grounds I do live, where I pose my feet, on which bases I engage my life and which is my source of inspiration of life?

Let us listen to Marcellin Champagnat, in a way adapted to our time. His words and invitations can lead us to Christ, in the manner of Mary, so that our Marist identity today, be in harmony with our realities of life and mission.

At rythm of the water which flows from the rock

• This year of marist apostolic spirituality coincides with the jubilee year of the appearances  of Lourdes which has begun on December 8, 2007 in the feast of the Immaculate Conception and will conclude on December 8, 2008. The subject is:

•  “Come to the fountain , drink and wash you there! ».

• • “I go  to hold in front of you, there, on the rock - in Horeb -. You will strike the rock, water will flow from it and the people will drink”. (Ex 17, 3)

… Marcellin wanted absolutely that this rock was cut because the water oozed from it. He put himself to cut the rock. (Life, p426)

• Water coming from the rock of Meriba with Moses,

• the miraculous water of the rock of Massabielle,

• water from the rock on which the Hermitage leant on,

• are sources of life for believers and disciples.

Marcellin split the rock to extract fragments with which he built our

Institute and its mission…

Marcellin split the rock to extract fragments with which he built our

Institute and its mission…

He split the rock close to Gier and transformed it into Hermitage… (S.S.)

This document is the result of the joint work of much of hands and the fruit of many consultations. It is certain that all true spirituality is

alive and dynamic, and yet it is advisable to recall that what we find there does not represent the last word

on the question, but something which was

written for this concrete moment of the history.”Br.

S.Sammon, Sup. Gén.

• The Marists conceive

them project of participation in the mission, as Mary did: to give birth to life from Christ and to be present at the revival of the Church.

• They hope that this mission reach all the dioceses of the world, and be structured like a tree with several branches including of lay people, priests, sisters and brothers. (CH. 1, #10)

Brothers and Lay people

Same spirituality in different situations of life

Is born►in creative fidelity with the original intuition, the charism coming from the founder community, became a marial and apostolic spirituality… ►

invi

gora

tes

Spirituality is born for Marcellin and the first brothersof a particular relationwith Jesus and Maryin a particular time. A gift of the Spirit to the Church!

This spirituality invigorates their relation with the world, people and God.

recurs

Presentation of Br. Sean

Introduction: the mandate

#2 -MAS lived in our search of God and in the sense of life

#1 – MAS comes from Marcellin and the first Brothers

#3 – MAS lived in our relations with others

#4 – MAS lived in our mission

ConclusionDreaming new dreams

Magnificat

The Father, the Son, the Holy SpiritMystic, ascetic, theological

Realistic, incarnated, affectiveGospel, Christ, Church

The Crib,the Cross, the AltarSimplicity, humility, modesty

Good Mother, Ordinary Resource, Model

MARY

Our spirituality is marial and apostolic

(Constitutions #7)

In 2001, the 20th General Chapter of the Marist Brothers required that a reflexion on our spirituality be encouraged. The Chapter

asked to have a document produced in the same style as “Educational Mission Marist” of 1998.

The document “Water from the Rock”is a companion useful and necessary to understand well, to adapt and to live our marial and

apostolic route, in this moment of our history.

The water of the rock wants to be an instrument which helps enrich our prayer, cause our reflexion and inspire our action in Mary’s way. Little Brothers of Mary includes Brothers and Lay people.

Summary

INTRODUCTION: 4 times

The relation of Marcellin with Jesus and Mary is the first gift given to our MAS, thanks to the creative fidelity of this first intuition coming from the experience of life of the founder community, led by the Spirit.

INTRODUCTION: 4 times

Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.Streams of living water will flow from the believer’s heart.

We become streams of living water.(Jn, 7,38)

1. DRAWING FROM STREAMS OF LIVING WATER

#4-5-7-8-10-11-12-15: summary

• Marcellin and the first brothers experienced their very new faith in the Presence and the Providence of God in centering their real-life experience, on Jesus, and  by taking Mary as the most appropriated models to achieve their ends.

• They lived the Gospel as they are, with simplicity and resourcefulness, with a

deep conviction they are personally loved by God, called and transformed by Mary.

• The untimely death of the young Montagne is the most important signal for Marcellin to start founding his community. The example of Mary, leaving in a hurry through the mountains to visit Elizabeth, inspires the same urgency to them, to announce and to bring Jesus, to the young people of the mountainous areas of Lavalla.

Chapter 1: 37 times

#25 à 29, 31, 42 : summary

Chapter1: 37 times

The relation with Mary is simple and natural as a child with his mother. Confidence in Mary is total. She is the Ordinary Resource, the treasure of the Institute, since she always has her son in her arms or on her heart…

With the aim of living and being ALL IN JESUS THROUGH MARY, the Marists share her spiritual maternity and go in haste towards the young people to bring Christ to them. The proposed marial image must be close to the needs of the young people today. Our spirit of family gives the characteristic features of our relation to God and Mary.

This relation develops the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We are pilgrims of faith like Mary, our companion as we go to quench the spiritual thirst of the people nowadays.

The angel of the Lord…

2. WE JOURNEY IN FAITH

The angel of the Lord came to Mary.Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.Do not fear, Mary, the Lord has looked kindly upon you.The Holy Spirit will come upon you.Blessed are you who believed.I am the handmaid of the Lord – let it be done to me as you have said.

#51-53-61-66-68-75-87-88: summary• Her advance is done completely in faith… and when she feels the presence of

God in her life and especially what He asks her, she panics a moment, but she is quickly reassured by the confidence she has in him. And Mary begins a great pilgrimage that will reveal to her whom she is, and who is God for her and for the world.

        • God acts thus with each one of us and we react like Mary. We are afraid… but if

our glance towards God is marial, then we will say our yes with faith to the will of God perceived in the silence of our prayer. Little by little, we understand the sacramental significance of the events in which God is present and appears.

• Thus Marcellin felt the presence of God when the priest recruiter said: “you must be a priest, God wants it”, when he was with the dying young Mountain and when he was lost in the snow…

Chapter 2: 11 times

3. AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS

Now I give youa new commandment:Love one another.

Love one anotherjust as I have loved you.

By thiswill everyone knowthat you are my disciples.

See how they loveone another.

The very name selected by Marcellin to identify his disciples expresses the manner of living the mission which is theirs: Little: simplicity - Brother: Family life - Mary: contemplation  of Mary The practice of the “petites vertus” is a way of living the evangelical marial attitudes. By doing so, Mary becomes the model  of our personal and community relations. We become signs of the tenderness of the Father.We become sensitive to all the forms of poverty and discreetly, we act so that the joy of Cana be shared and wake up the faith with the practice of an authority of service and confidence.We constantly seek to build up the church with the marial and maternal spirit of our first brothers and the first Christians, in the respect of all. “See how they love one another” is always the ideal to be reached!

.

#98-99-102-113-114-123: summary

Chapter 3: 8 times

4. BRINGING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.

He has anointed meto bring good newsto the poor.

Go, therefore,make disciples of allthe nations.

.

#131-132-133-134-149-151-152: summary• The starting point of Apostolic spirituality, coming from

Marcellin Champagnat, is the contemplation of Mary in her own missionary action, towards Elisabeth.

• • Having been visited by God and having welcomed the Holy Spirit , Mary feels that serving God, it is to go in haste towards the others in need, in bringing to them the joy of knowing that they are personally loved by God.

• • As Mary did, we direct our apostolic action towards the places sometimes at risk, or very demanding, because of the material and spiritual extreme situations of poverty.

• • The invitation of Mary “to do all what He will say to you”, indicates the procedure to be like she is, at the first places where God is present: the Crib, the Cross, the Altar.

Chapter 4: 9 times

This statue of Marcellin carrying a child on its

shoulders, is a symbol of the force and the powerful

inspiration of Marist spirituality for the world today.

 It illustrates also the conviction of the Brothers and Lay Marist People,  conscious of being carried by a vigorous spiritual tradition, able to lead

them towards  a future filled up with promises, vitality and

hope. (#153)

Carried on his shoulders.Filled with joy. Seeing new visions,

dreaming new dreams.Our soulsglorify the Lord.

WE SEE NEW VISIONS,DREAM NEW DREAMS

#154-156: summary• • We are pilgrims of hope in a complex and diversified

world. In confidence, as in doubt, our glance crosses constantly Mary’s one, singing her Magnificat. !

• • Our faith is strong to Jesus, Center of our life as He was for Mary, our Model. We believe that Christ is still calling Brothers and Lay People of all continents to be a marial and maternal presence for the young people of today. Let us pray…

CONCLUSION: 7 times

   "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour,

for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed”

Magnificat!Song of the heart which remembers.

Magnificat!

Liberating Song,Liberator of Mary’s joy, our joy!

Song of the Poor, filled with God’s wonders.

In Mary, in me,Jesus gives, Jesus is given.

Faith of Mary listening to the Word,Stimulating our faith.

For the Mighty One has done great things for me holy is his name.

   

Magnificat!Song to the eternal Love

To the love of God who lovesEach one personally.

Mary sings and proclaims: Magnificat!

God is marvellous, splendid!Happy are we,God loves us!

Holy is his name!

Magnificat!

His mercy extends to those who fear him,       from generation to generation.

    He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;      he has scattered those who are proud in their

inmost thoughts.   He has brought down rulers from their thrones

      but has lifted up the humble.

God of Mary, you who made yourself the “Little One”;

God of Jesus and his Gospel;God, Master of History;

Mary, maid servant of a new world;We walk our Gospel way,

Our glances turned over the present,To build one better following day together

With the poor and the little ones.Magnificat!

He has filled the hungry with good things

      but has sent the rich away empty.

In simplicity and humility,We bring a hastened answer

To the problems generated by hunger and injustice.

The Magnificat is the icon of our Christian engagement!

It is our song of rallying,The anthem of the poor!

With zeal, spirit of faith, perseverance and audacity,

We take up the challenges of today.Charity is our given life. 

He has helped his servant Israel,       remembering to be merciful

    to Abraham and his descendants forever,

      even as he said to our fathers." (Lk.1:46-55)

We help ourselves mutually,Attentive to the most vulnerable.

The world suffers from the abuses of power and money !

It is wounded and needs our care.May the heart of Mary, in each one of us,

Sing Magnificat, today and tomorrow!Bless all your children; they have

recourse to you!                                                                          

                                                   (Bernard Beaudin, fms)

Mary’s “yes” to the Lord projected her towards the mountains to carry comfort

and assistance to Elisabeth. Any message of the Lord must project me towards the others. Mary gave birth to Jesus with

the assistance of the Holy Spirit. She was still there

when the same Spirit gave birth to the Church at

Pentecost. To be Marist, it is to be an obstetrician of God like Mary. In front of

apostolic work, it is necessary to say: “Look at Mary and go ahead!”

Because of her « yes » to God

Mary is the mother of Jésus and our Good

Mother

Mary was certainly not a verbose women as one knows some!

Although she was from a “ talkative” race, but I can imagine her like that.

At the “municipal” laundrette of Nazareth, I imagine her humble,

simple and modest. At the foot of the Cross, she did not say anything. They are the painters who represented her

in “swoon”. Perhaps it would be necessary, in a way , to understand our FMS in the light of three words:

FIAT,

MAGNIFICAT,

STABAT.

Guided by the spiritualityof Marcellin Champagnat and

because we are loved by Jesus also,

we go towards the young people,

with passion and compassion,

through action and prayer, up to the borders of their various poverties,

the glance turned towards Mary, the Good Mother: Happy to be

participants of her spiritual maternity

Our slogan is:“All to Jesus through Mary, all to

Mary for Jesus. »With the ambition of Marcellin:

“All the dioceses of the world enter our sights. »

May the water of the rock of our Marist Apostolic Spirituality

become “the running water” watering our lives.

This  WATER that Jesus gives so that it becomes in us,

source of water flowing in eternal life.

Conception & realisationBernard Beaudin, fms