The Member UNIVERSAL MORTIFICATION By Father Francis G. Lendacky The spirit of the Legion of Mary is that of Mary herself. After that simple statement, the handbook goes on to list ten virtues which are the ingredients of that charismatic spirit of Mary and consequently, of the Legion. The special litany of virtues begins with humility and concludes with faith. Obedience, patience, and wisdom all superbly qualified by precise adjectives are mentioned. Included in that litany is the virtue of mortification, and it is qualified uniquely by the adjective universal. The inclusion of that quality of universal mortification in the description of the spirit of Mary is both curious and mysterious. It is curious when we consider the definition of mortification, and it is mysterious when we consider the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Mortification is defined as the struggle against our evil inclinations in order to subject them to the human will and to the will of God (cf. Spiritual Life, Tanqueray). This practice requires the overcoming of the obstacles that stand in the way of restoring the lost balance to our faculties resulting from the sin of Adam and Eve and subsequently from our personal sins. But Mary, the Queen of the Legion, was immaculately conceived and never committed any personal sin. If the spirit of Mary includes mortification, which is interestingly qualified as universal, then it is necessary for the legionary to understand this particular ingredient, since the reason for mortification in Mary s life must be quite different from the reasons for it in our lives. Of all the qualities which comprise the spirit of the Legion, mortification might be the least encouraged these days, though the necessity of mortification may never be denied. It may be very much ignored, since it might be the most crippled victim of misinterpretation. We live in an age of mitigated Lenten fast; many of us have forgotten about the Ember Days of fast and abstinence; we experience the gradual reductions in the number of hours required for the Eucharistic fast; there are fewer and fewer reminders to perform acts of mortification in our daily lives; we allow our over-pampered spirits to sanction convenient and comfortable lifestyles, practically excommunicating from our lives the slightest threat of inconvenience! Once again it would appear that when the Legion of Mary advocates mortification, it is advocating something which is passé, something which the Church no longer obliges as strongly as it once did. It is true that not much is said about mortification in the most recent CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH, but there is mention, in paragraph 2015, that the way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. In addition, spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes. But the Scriptures describe mortification in seven principal expressions (cf. Spiritual Life, Tanqueray: 752). In the contexts of the renunciation and abnegation, negative traits are mentioned, but in other contexts positive aspects are found. Beneficial results of mortification are a new life, a hiddeness with Christ, and St. Paul can presume a reward when he affirms that he has fought the good fight. To confirm what the CATECHISM states, as a way of the Cross, it is observed that acts of mortification bring about a crucifixion with the end-result similar to Christ s crucifixion, death and Resurrection. Present-day expressions, such as reforming, exercising self-control, training the will, and turning the soul towards God are milder descriptions of mortification. But we must not interpret milder descriptions to mean placebo prescriptions. It would seem self-destructive to prescribe milder remedies to combat the increasing mildly-intoxicating maladies borne of our voracious appetites for selfindulgence. For the Christian, mortification is necessary in the pursuit of Christian perfection. All who would aspire to a life of apostolic service must be willing to share in the Savior s sufferings. The Christian apostle must indeed take up the cross every day and follow the Lord, a kind of following which entails a willing embrace of mortification. Our immaculate Mother, though preserved from Original Sin and never committing personal sin, shared, more than any other human, in the sufferings of the Lord crucified. She did not turn away from mortification, but rather, with a martyr s courage, embraced it. Her total willingness to do so and her complete application of mortification to her every faculty and power, have been described as universal mortification. If the legionary seeks to be inspired by the spirit of Mary in his Legion life, then he must understand this notion of universal mortification. There may be various reasons for a life of mortification: One may endure it for the sake of personal purification; another for the sake of reparation for all the sins of mankind, or a wish to refine a sense of compassion for others, still another may be striving for perfection. In The Love of Eternal Wisdom, by St. Louis DeMontfort, universal mortification is mentioned as the third means to obtain Eternal Wisdom, and the entire chapter goes on to explain it. Divine Wisdom, to communicate himself, is not satisfied with half-hearted mortification, a mortification which is partial in some aspect or other; such as a limited number of days, or one particular faculty of spirit or body, or some few possessions. Eternal Wisdom, St. Louis explains requires universal, continuous, courageous, and prudent mortification. Perhaps in this last description we have the best reason why Our Blessed Lady pursued the life of universal mortification: She may be called the Mother of Eternal Wisdom
precisely because she dared to practice that kind of mortification described as universal. The practice of mortification can be intimidating to the legionary who aspires to be perfect, but perhaps the fear of pursuing it can be adequately offset by the sincere desire to perfect one s Total Consecration to Our Lady, for the two elements may be mutually interdependent to the extent that the practice of one intensifies the quality of the other. The sincere living of the Total Consecration will ultimately be buttressed by the practice of a mortification which strives to be universal. The one who totally consecrates himself to Mary will see the benefit of universal mortification in his life and will come to realize that the Total Consecration will become stronger as the mortification extends to every physical and spiritual fiber of his being. Mary, Mother of Eternal Wisdom, is also the Advocate of Universal Mortification. She denied herself to such an extent that she could pronounce herself to be handmaid of the Lord. There is no doubt that she was the most humble, therefore, most appealing, temple of the Holy Spirit. Had she not been willing to mortify herself universally, she would not have been saluted as Full of Grace! by the angel Gabriel, nor have been recognized as the most perfect tabernacle of Eternal Wisdom. Mortification is not an end, but rather a means to an end; we mortify ourselves only to live a higher life. In the context of pursuing wisdom, mortification is a means to obtain divine Wisdom. For the legionary, this is the ultimate purpose for mortification, and universal mortification is the most expedient means. There is a note of necessity about mortification; it is not an optional means to salvation or to sanctification. If a Christian desires to be perfect, as the Heavenly Father is perfect, then the practice of mortification must be included in the spiritual regimen of the Christian, and it is incumbent in the life of one who aspires to a life of apostolic service. It is through the Cross that Jesus saved the world; it is through the Cross that the apostolic Christian shall co-operate with him in the salvation of the world. The fruitfulness of our zeal will grow in proportion, as we share in the Savior s suffering. Who has shared more in the sufferings of the Savior than that Mother of the Savior who stood so compassionately with him beneath the Cross? As legionaries of Mary, we must be courageous enough to join with her beneath the Cross. Acts of mortification willingly assumed will enable us to become better apostles for Our Lord and Our Lady. The letter to the Hebrews voices the challenge to all of us: You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. To rise to the heroic degree of shedding blood, the apostle must begin to practice various degrees of mortification in his everyday life; to be able to arrive at universal mortification, he must extend his effort to every faculty and power of his person. There must be mortification of body and exterior senses, of spirit and
interior senses. Every channel of a person s receptivity and productivity should be made subject to the life-style of mortification. But the proper motive must also be emphasized. There is no real advantage in glorifying mortification for the sake of mortification. That may produce the opposite effect of perfection; there is danger in producing the joyless crippled personality which is far from beautiful and happy. The proper motivation for mortification is to make room for the overwhelming gift of Eternal Wisdom. His gentle and enlightened indwelling of our person gives us the taste of happiness here and the hunger for future beatitude. To prevent the practice of mortification from becoming a self-satisfying service, we should also desire to repair the damages inflicted upon the world by selfserving sinfulness. Mortification should attempt to restore the balance of justice and mercy into the events of life which increase the sufferings of others, especially the poor. By observing mortification in our lives, we can be a lifeline of grace to any and all men who desire to be saved, no matter wherever they may be. Mortification flavors our spiritual life in a certain becoming manner. Adding a pinch of it regularly prompts us to greater generosity, silences our complaining, and diminishes the size of adversities. It makes us embrace more readily the sufferings which come unexpectedly, and it decreases the fear of anticipated trials and ordeals. In other words, we can dare to draw closer within the shadow of the Cross, and cling to the hem of Our Sorrowful Mother s cloak. Mortification for the Christian, especially for the legionary apostle, may be very unattractive these days, because all around there are temptations and invitations and advertisements to a life-style of self-love, comfort, and ease. Appliances of convenience promise to give us more time to devote to ourselves, instant remedies assure us painless performance of our playful pursuits. There is the frantic search for the line of least resistance, which may lead to a life of steady downhill acceleration without the safety of adequate braking. Perhaps it is the studied avoidance of mortification in our lives which allows the fermentation of that kind of spirit which the Scriptures label as obtuse. The exercise of mortification demands a definite expenditure of time. If it can be stated that the entire lifetime of the Eternal Son of God spent on earth was a life of mortification, then the label of universal mortification would prove to be an inadequate description. For reasons not yet perfectly clear to us, the life of the Incarnate Redeemer on earth lasted thirty-three years no more, no less. The public life of Christ the Prophet lasted three years no more, no less. The Bloody Sacrifice of the Eternal High Priest and Spotless Victim lasted three hours no more, no less. On the other hand, the glorified life of Christ the Eternal King lasts forevermore. In the letter to the Romans, St. Paul indicates the pattern: I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. We are invited to that glory by the One and
Only Word of Eternal Wisdom when he invites us to take up our cross and follow him. The Mother of the Redeemer accepted that invitation throughout her entire earthly life; since she practiced universal mortification, legionaries who wish to pursue holiness in the spirit of Mary, will strive to do the same. From Insights of a Legion of Mary Priest