Preparing for Thanksgiving, Christ the King, and Advent leaves me overwhelmed about where to begin writing a monthly editorial with limited space. To top it off, we in the Marianist Family also remember, in November, our Martyrs from Madrid.
 

And so, I pause to give thanks and praise. I pause to remember and celebrate. I pause to call to mind the presence of Christ in the world - yesterday, today, and forever. I pause to remember what the price can be for bearing God's presence in the world.

How often do we pause? Is it enough? Fortunately, Blessed William Joseph Chaminade left us with methods to slow us down, and to develop our spirituality. Fr. Bernard Lee, SM refers to these as Habits for the Journey. For Fr. Quentin Hakenwerth, SM they are exercises for a spiritual life, as documented in his Manual of Marianist Spirituality. Life as a Marianist is about more than community, faith, Mary, hospitality, and mission. For Fr. Chaminade, the essential is the interior. Who we are, to the core, affects our place in the world. And our core is formed and shaped by our spirituality.

The System of Virtues causes us to pause, to slow down, to ask ourselves "why do we say the things we say, or do the things we do?" On our spiritual journey we look to scripture and tradition. We monitor the appropriateness of our words, signs, mind, passions, and imagination. We let a part of ourselves die so that Christ may live. And we pause to recall what it is we are to be about. We purify the journey by examining and grappling with challenges, both internal and external. We allow ourselves to be consumed by God's love by living lives of humility and modesty. We practice self-denial by putting God's ways before our own, and we renounce, to the best of our ability, the ways of the world. In short, we have a method to lead to integrated lives built on faith, hope, and charity, so that we, like Mary and Jesus can say "yes" to God's will in our lives.

As we enter a traditionally busy time of year let us pause long enough to make sure our busy-ness is about the "right things" in our lives. To learn more about the System of Virtues follow the links above or go to the NACMS website for additional resources (including a virtual learning class).

Many Blessings,

Matt Dunn
Editor

PS. As we think about our own lives, let us also be mindful of the struggles of others, particularly those whose lives have been affected by hurricane Sandy. Please keep them in your prayers.