Patrick Pye, a well-known contemporary Irish painter and
stained-glass artist, initiates the onlooker into an "old-new"
way of seeing and perceiving the event of Calvary. Under Pye's
brush, the distant historical drama becomes living memory. The
worn symbol of the Cross resurrects as an immediate interior
event.
The Cross of Christ surges beyond the horizon of human understanding. Yet Christ -- although hanging in lofty heights -- keeps in touch with human reality. The stem of the cross remains solidly planted in suffering and evil, represented by the dark figures of Mary Magdalene and the soldier. Darkness is counterbalanced and overcome by a group of three people clothed in bright and solemn colors. Huddled together in pain alight with hope, they embody -- in Mary and John especially -- a new creation. Light as a feather, a gentle silver lining arises from the group proclaiming a new lightness of being. On its passage, it affectionately honors the cross and points beyond to a new day for humanity. And, as the amazed gaze returns to Christ on the cross, it discovers a new Christ. There no longer exists a Christ ensconced in senseless suffering, but a Christ in glory, victor over evil and death.
Icons are not necessarily images painted on wood, sometimes they correspond to a strong mental picture or interior representation. One way or the other, icons are like portable altars. They can be erected almost anytime and anywhere. Pilgrims -- such is our condition -- must travel lightly; icons do not weigh down the pilgrim's baggage. Icons are also like "moveable feasts." There is joy in worshipping God with icons, a joy to be shared and passed around.
There exists one such icon of the crucifixion scene. It has a strong built-in theology, reflecting all the important aspects of the Calvary event per John 19:25-27. This icon is the spiritual property of the Family of Mary, a family of Marianist religious and lay people, men and women. This treasure was handed down to them as a precious piece of family heirloom; it represents one of those foundational memories people cast in living hearts and minds. Such a memory helps create a collective identity: as people go along they enrich it and pass it on. This icon, this foundational memory or collective identity, is in fact a prayer called the Three O'Clock Prayer. Simple and unassuming as it may be, it captures not only the deepest memories of Christian faith, but it also conveys the particular spirit which continues to inspire the members of the Family of Mary.
Fr. William Joseph Chaminade, founder of the Marianists, encouraged his spiritual followers to interrupt at three o'clock all professional endeavor and to pause for contemplation. One of the earliest texts (Regulations for the Religious of Mary, 1819) defines this spiritual practice as follows: Every day at three o'clock in the afternoon each one makes a short ejaculatory prayer, each one remains standing wherever he may be; only on Friday does he kneel.
The classical form of the Three O'Clock Prayer was fashioned by Father Simler for the 1885 edition of the "Marianist Prayer Book". For practical reasons, the prayer was shortened and the exact time no longer strictly observed. A special invocation to St. John was added and spiritual identification with the apostle as patron and model was encouraged.
Beginning in 1857, efforts were made to acquaint Marianist students with the three o'clock devotion. This venture, although blessed with modest success, shows that Chaminade's followers were eager to share with others what was dear to their own hearts. The suggestion of the 1928 General Chapter of the Society of Mary, to print the Three O'Clock Prayer on the back of holy cards and to distribute them in classrooms and elsewhere, illustrates a long- standing tradition which until this day has not been interrupted.
The Three O'Clock Prayer first began as a daily spiritual reunion for the dispersed members of the Sodality, and, even today, it is still considered a spiritual reunion of all members of the Family of Mary. Marianists rendezvous at three o'clock to express communion with Mary and the beloved disciple so closely united with Jesus on the Cross. They also rendezvous with other members of the Family of Mary around the world. The Three O'Clock Prayer strengthens the solidarity of those who share in the Hour of Jesus and the Hour of the Woman, meaning in the glorification of Jesus Christ and the entrusting of his ongoing mission to Mary-Church. The Three O'Clock Prayer speaks to apostles and spirituals, to pragmatists and intellectuals. It creates solidarity between those who are in a hurry and those who take their time, between those who speak English and those who speak Titumbuka (Malawi).
The Three O'Clock Prayer makes a difference in our daily routine and educates our spiritual sense. It is a bold prayer; for it is neither directly related to the overall Marianist prayer structure nor is it an integral part of our work schedule. It affirms, in a practical and active way, the living memory of what constitutes the single most important event in human history, the Calvary event. In the midst of a secular occupation and world, the Three O'Clock Prayer witnesses the presence and the critical difference of spiritual reality in human life. The prayerful halt at three o'clock constitutes a clear break from business as usual, and sheds critical light on how we deal with secular reality. Members of the Family of Mary are urged to be both bold and watchful. In the Three O'Clock Prayer we say: "Holy Virgin take us under your protection." Is not this what watchfulness is all about? To be under the protection of Mary, who kept all things in her heart, wasting nothing, pondering everything, critically and prayerfully? The prayer goes on: "Holy Virgin open us to the action of the Holy Spirit." The Spirit is the ultimate reason and source of apostolic boldness.
This passage was taken from Deep Memories: A Marianist Icon by the Rev. Johann G. Roten, S.M. Pye's "Crucifixion" is the cover illustration. The bookelet is available in limited supply from The Marian Library/ International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton for $4.00 per copy.
This page, maintained by The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute, was
last Modified February 19, 1998 by J.C. Tierney. Please send any comments to ROTEN@data.lib.udayton.edu.
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