-Rev. Rudy Vela, S.M., D.Min
For the entire Marianist world this feast marks Blessed William Joseph Chaminade's three year period of exile in Saragossa, Spain and the location of his divine inspiration inside the Basilica housing the Chapel with the famous Pilar. I would encourage the Marianist family to read Chaminade's Message Today, by Fr. Eduardo Bennoch, SM. This text certainly awakens the imagination as to the conception of Chaminade's missionary project for the rechristianization of France with men and women consecrated to Mary. Bennoch's lens offers insight into our tradition of fixing the origin of the Society of Mary in Our Lady of the Pillar in Saragossa. As a proud Spaniard and resident of present-day Saragossa, Bennoch holds firmly and documents how the Society of Mary has its roots in the divine plan inspired by God before Our Lady of the Pillar. He reminds readers that within a month after leaving Saragossa to return to France, "he gave birth and life to a Marian Sodality for lay people…received the title of ‘Missionary Apostolic' from the Holy See…Chaminade began to evangelize…(18-19). What Chaminade carries in his heart before arriving in Saragossa and praying before the image of the Pilar is a strong personal and communal faith inspired by his love for the Mother of God.
It was not that long ago that I visited Saragossa and early one morning decided the pay a visit to the Basilica before the crowds invaded the Pilar Chapel. That early morning visit turn into a five day retreat that I have no way explaining. I found myself captivated by the numerous young people that would come as pilgrims from all over the world to pray before the first Marian apparition in history, Nuestra Señora del Pilar. Goya's frescoes, the renaissance adornments and tales of miracles are only some of the elements that capture the beauty of what one experiences while praying before the Patroness of Spain, and Patroness of All Hispanic Peoples (title given by Pope John Paul II in 1984). This Mary is even recognized as a General Captain of the Spanish armed forces! She, like the other manifestations of the Mother of God, knows no borders or boundaries. Plain and simple, she is our Mother and therefore all things become possible because of a mother's unconditional love. This tiny dark image, insignificant if not for the splendidly gilded and immense silver and gold aura that exceeds her crown, radiates a maternal love that invites piety and adoration. My experience before La Pilar helped me understand how Blessed Chaminade would find "a new light that Mary had a mission: she would do something in the face of the new needs of the Church (27)." The legend of Nuestra Seňora del Pilar demonstrated how Mary, as mother, models faith, shares in the Incarnation, engenders confidence in Jesus by the servants at the wedding of Cana, and leads us to her son, Jesus. While I was before the Pilar I was overwhelmed in realizing that this is what every member of the Marianist Family is called to do.
One of the best summaries of this legend is told by a native of Saragossa, Spain, Santiago Cortéz-Sjöberg, one of the editors at Loyola Press:
Seven years after the death of Jesus, on Jan. 2, 40 C.E., the apostle St. James, tired and disappointed, sat by the bank of the Ebro River. The citizens of the Roman province of Hispania had not been receptive to the Good News and the apostle was ready to throw in the towel. On that day the Virgin Mary-still living in Palestine-appeared to James on top of a column. With comforting words, she assured the apostle that the Spaniards would convert to Christianity and their faith would be as strong and durable as the column, or pillar, on which she stood. To commemorate her visit and remember her promise, the first Marian shrine in the world was built around the pillar. And, of course, James converted the headstrong Spanish pagans. ["Madre mia," USCatholic, October 2007]
Santiago Cortéz-Sjöberg made me aware of that intimate link to Mary that so many of us have and rarely articulate. His heart is linked to the Mary of the Pillar, my heart is linked to the Mary of Guadalupe, and Blessed Chaminade's heart radiates with the spirit of Mary that is mother, full of confidence, and who communicates faith (134-136). Chaminade seems to have discovered the power of this creative spirit of Mary when he was meditating and praying before Nuestra Señora del Pilar. What captivates Blessed Chaminade when he is before La Pilar is more than the memory of his birth mother's love, or the Mary of France, it is a sharing in devotion that other people of faith manifest. I believe, as Cortéz-Sjöberg so eloquently expresses, that devotion to Mary goes beyond a collective consciousness, national identity, and the need to belong. Devotion is about a powerful experience that allows personal and collective expressions of faith to transcend time, cultures and reasons itself. Today, as I celebrate, pray, and remember the impact of the Pilar story for Chaminade and the Marianist family I recall that our Marian spirituality is about actively and creatively sharing faith in the context of our communities. The faith experienced in our communities is what give meaning to a true celebration of this Marianist feast of Our Lady of the Pillar.