I am always intrigued by the reflections on prayer and the Christian life of Francois Fenelon (1651-1715), sometime archbishop of Cambrai, the learned and gentle pastor of souls, and an important mystic in the great tradition of the French School. At the heart of his teaching is the cultivation of a constant awareness and conformity to the will of God, in matters both small and great.
In this vein, it is not surprising that he finds in the Virgin Mary a model of the contemplative life. Recently I came across his brief meditation on the Assumption of Mary, and was intrigued by the fact that he did not focus on her glorification in heaven after her death or “Dormition”, important and true as these things are, but rather the humility and quiet life of prayer that he feels marked her last, hidden years in the care of the Apostle John in Ephesus.
In this meditation Fenelon portrays her not only as a great intercessor and Queen of Heaven, but also as someone who is a model for all of us, living a life in our own communities, persevering in prayer and affectionate and loving fellowship:
What do I see in Mary during the later years of her life? She was “constantly devoting” her self “to prayer with certain women” says St Luke. That is, she was doing outwardly just what the others were doing. Perfection–which was without doubt within the Mother of the Son of God–does not consist in outwardly showy, exceptional actions that go beyond what is usual and customary. We do not see prophecy, or miracles, or instructing people, or religious ecstasy. We see only what is simple and common. Her life was completely interior:she was “constantly devoting” herself to prayer. That was the business to which she limited herself: without making herself specially noticed, she devoted herself to prayer with the other women. How much purer, how much more divine her prayer must have been! But the treasures remained hidden. On the outside, all people saw was tranquility of mind, religious contemplation, simplicity, a common life.
Traditional house of Mary in Ephesus.
We know from the Scriptures that Mary treasured all her experiences in her heart, and we can only reflect in silence and our imagination what she must have shared with the early Christian community, how she undoubtedly taught by word at times but more often perhaps by example. With Fenelon we can also ponder as we approach the great feast of the Assumption, what it meant to the people around her in that nascent Church to live day to day with the mother of their Lord, and how she continued to witness for years, in her communal life, to the tangible reality of the Incarnation.
The Apostle John and Mary. 13th century altar.
Festina Lente 