Spirituality is hard to define. It is a word used in many different ways. It is used to express a way of perceiving reality; a way of approaching the sacred; a particular devotional stance or a orientation towards life. At root, however, it is the depth of our awareness of the action of the Spirit in our lives and in our world. A "spiritual" person is not necessarily one who spends long hours in prayer, but one who is alive to the action of God and responsive to that activity. Influenced by our religious inheritance, perceptions and cultural background our spirituality grows in accordance with our ability to tune our inner ears to the voice of the Spirit.
Theologically distinct from other spiritualities in which God is the end of the human condition, to be “won” by the practice of the virtuous life, Potter's teaching - like that of the French School - was radically simple. God was the first principle, the source, the originator, and the sustainer of human life. Linked to humanity by an endless communication of creative power, God is always the “ground of being” of the human soul and the path to holiness for the human person rests in surrender to the Divine Essence, in a willing dependence of the creature on its Creator. [i]
United to humanity through, with and in Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, and through the mystery of the Incarnation, God provides the power or grace necessary for this to be accomplished.
In the Incarnation Jesus, the Word of God, assumes humanity to himself, and in the active power of redemption incorporates humanity into Divinity. Symbolically represented in the sacrament of Baptism, the saving act of redemption unites humanity to God, for humanity is “appropriated to Jesus, existing in Jesus, grafted on Jesus, living, working and bearing fruit in Jesus.”
It was a union with God in Jesus through the power of the spirit, and one which Bčrulle and his followers found most perfectly expressed in the person of the Virgin Mary. Along with the followers of the French school, Mary Potter believed that the Virgin Mary represented humanity most perfectly aligned to God through the surrender of herself to the over-arching power of Divinity who filled her with the grace that was Jesus. [ii]
This Marian element of the spirituality of the French school was the focus of De Montfort’s treatise On True Devotion: Preparation for the reign of Jesus Christ. Potter's own acceptance of this devotional path led her to write The Path of Mary. In this small work she elaborated on the way of living the Christian life according to the Bčrullian doctrine. Just as De Montfort's contemplation of the mystery of Redemption drew him to reflect on the manner in which God chose to draw humanity to union with the Divine by entering the human condition with the co-operation and self-willed surrender of the Virgin Mary, [iii] so did Potter's spiritual path. In her eyes, the Virgin, was the truest expression of human divinization and discipleship. She was the person who, responding to the Spirit, received the Word in faith, put herself totally at its service, and allowed Jesus to be formed in her and given to the world. She was the exemplar of the Christian life. And just as Mary co-operated with the Spirit in the formation of Christ, so the Christian is called to co-operate with the Spirit in order to allow Christ to be formed in them. [iv] This was the spirituality Mary Potter chose and developed for her congregation. All those called to the Little Company of Mary, either as religious or associates, are called to the practice of this marian spirituality.
Like Mary, we are to live in the docility of the Holy Spirit, with the welcoming of the Virgin and in union with the church. If we can live with “the spirit of Mary,” then the Spirit will become the operative and creative means of becoming a “real Christian,” men and women whose life is wrapped in God and totally committed to God’s will being done in both self and in the world. Living “in imitation of Mary,” does not demand a subordinate state, or an introspective spirituality, it require s an active and responsible participation in the redemptive mission of Jesus.
The practical steps of the devotion are simple. Like Mary, we are called to become a “pure capacity for God.” Again following De Montfort and Berulle, Potter saw the Christian life in terms of “Jesus living in us.” [v] In order to be filled with God, the soul has to be empty of all save the desire for God. The Virgin Mary makes visible the model of the human person, redeemed and graced with the indwelling presence of Jesus. [vi] In the somewhat harsh language of the French School, we are called to become “le néant capable de Dieu” (the nothing capable of God), [vii] because we are called to “surrender” to the Word - in order that the Word of God, Jesus, may be enfleshed in us. Following the "path of Mary" we learn the secret of being imbued with God, and thus become filled - as Scripture promised - with the fullness of God.
Mary Potter's belief in the power of God to lift us into union, ties in with that of St. Paul. Her life of prayer led her to a deep understanding of the Spirit as "the Spirit of life" because of the regenerating and renewing power of grace. The Holy Spirit - "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of Christ," carries out the purposes of God (leading the person to union with God), and applies the fruits of Christ's redemptive mission to the lives of believers (cf. Gal 4:6; Eph 1:13 ). ho l
The "spiritual" person, according to Mary Potter, is one who pays attention to God's action in his or her life. He or she not only "listens" to God, but also actively seeks to become more and more open to the ways of God. This means that we have to make time for our spirituality to grow and develop. We need to make time for God.
The sources of our spiritual growth are through listening to the Word of God our personal prayer life and our participation in the sacraments of the Church.
Scripture is a central source for our nourishment and growth. We have been created to "hear" the Word, and our familiarity with Scripture will have the effect of sensitizing us to the God's ways and the "sound" of God's voice. Both old and new testaments are "sources" of the ways God has dealt with humankind and bring us to the "good news" of Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever. (cf. Hebrews 13.8) Sensitive listening to the voice of God in Scripture will attune us to hearing his word in new ways. Our personal experiences of God's action in our own lives will also teach us that we cannot limit God's communications with us. Faith in God's over-arching love and longing for us to be in communion will also sharpen our understanding of God's revelation in our own lives.
Like Mary, we are called to "ponder in our hearts", and to be responsive to the Spirit in our lives. We need to make time for personal reflection and prayer. Scripture provides us with a means to enter into dialogue with God. One way of making space for prayer and reflection on scripture is saying morning and evening prayer from the Divine Office. This is available online at the link below.
Prayers for the dying of the world can be found at:
On line searchable versions of Scripture can be found at:
For an online version of Paul VI letter on Mary go to:
For the online version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church go to:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
For Mark Link S.J.'s Vision 2000 prayer programme - an aid to daily prayer - go to: