The icons of FRA spirituality
Mary Mother of God’s haste to render service to her cousin in need, and the announcement of the resurrection, brought by Mary Magdalene to the “brethren”, in response to the bidding of Resurrected Christ to “go” to them and tell them the good news, express the synthesis of a life in which dedication to God and to our brothers and sisters are united.
The Virgin Mary during the mystery of the Visitation and Mary Magdalene on Easter morning are the two icons that are most cherished by FRA spirituality, following the teachings from the Gospel:
“In those days, Mary set out and journeyed in haste into the hill country to a town of Judah where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And why am I so greatly favoured that the mother of my Lord should visit me? For behold, the moment that the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that what the Lord has said to her will be fulfilled’.” (Lk. 1:39-45)
“Mary Magdalene remained weeping outside the tomb. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting there where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and the other at the feet. They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’. She answered, ‘They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him’. As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?’. Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have removed him, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away’. Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’. She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’). Jesus then said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’. Mary Magdalene then went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’, and repeated what he had said to her”. (Jn. 20:11-18)
Mary Mother of God’s haste to render service to her cousin in need, and the announcement of the resurrection, brought by Mary Magdalene to the “brethren” by granting the request of the Risen Christ to “go” tell the disciples, express the synthesis of a life in which dedication to God and to our brothers and sisters are united. Mary goes away contemplating the mystery that she contains in her womb; Magdalene lets the joy of having met the Lord explode within her and bears clear witness to the Resurrection.
This can also be the case for those who, in imitation of Mary and Magdalene, wish to be a contemplative apostle, a “living visitation”, as Elena of Persico said.