Book Review: Fiat: Biblical Mariology and Marian Consecration (A Most Important Spiritual Work for Our Time)

Book Review: Fiat: Biblical Mariology and Marian Consecration 

(A Most Important Spiritual Work for Our Time)

Matthew Bellisario O.P. 2020

"This work originated with the desire to imitate the Blessed Mother in her loving devotion to her Son, the Word of God (cf. Lk 2:19, 51). From this, sprung a theological method and, subsequently, a biblical understanding of Our Lady and her integral role in the economy of salvation.

This is, by no means, a systematic treatise on Mariology. It is, rather, a Marian approach toward Sacred Scripture. Still, by adopting this distinctive, theological method, many facets of Mariology come into relief, most vividly in the Marian texts themselves." From Biblicalmariology.com

Introduction

One of the reasons I started this new blog was to offer book reviews and recommendations concerning theology, spirituality, philosophy, and history. To date, I have published several book reviews and recommendations which can be found on the sidebar of the main page of this website. There have been many great books that I have recommended but this one is in a class of its own almost falling into the category of spiritual classics while being only published in 2019. This work is important for the times in which we live where many Catholics find it hard to live any kind of coherent spiritual life. 'Fiat' provides insight into the mission of Our Lady within the life of the Church and in our own spiritual lives. This work truly demonstrates the importance of the union between theology and spirituality. 

Fiat: Biblical Mariology and Marian Consecration is a bit of a mystery being that there is really nothing that can be found about the author. The official website promoting the work has nothing on the author Joseph Journee. The text of the work is also available on the book website free of charge which in my eyes makes it seem as if the author has no intention of using this book to make living off of like so many Catholic authors do today. I am wondering if the name is a pen name since even an online search reveals nothing. Setting that aside let's get to what matters and that is the books' extensive examination of Our Lady through Sacred Scripture and the importance of Marian consecration. In it, the author proposes a bold theological proposition which he leaves up to the Church for evaluation, yet seems quite plausible. 

The author writes:

"A central, Mariological tenet is the idea that the Word assumed at His Incarnation not only a human nature, but also a human act: namely, the Fiat of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Consequently, not only is Our Lord’s Sacred Humanity communicable to us in the Most Blessed Sacrament, but Our Lady’s Fiat (her Yes to God) has also become communicable, for us, in the process of justification. The disclaimer is that I do not (and cannot) know if the idea is true. Holy Mother Church is the ultimate judge of this teaching. My part is to have sketched out its implications, and this I have endeavored to do." 

Book Layout

This book is an impressive 740 pages of spiritual wisdom not found in today's popular circle of Catholic authors. The book is printed with ample room for notes and marking. Many popular Catholic apologists today often assert seemingly due to appeasing Protestants that Sacred Scripture has little to say about Our Lady and that the doctrine the Catholic Church proclaims about her is only to be found in Oral Tradition. For those with this mindset be prepared to be enlightened! Nothing can be further from the truth. Sacred Scripture has much to say about Our Immaculate Mother and this book is going to offer you much food for meditation which will greatly increase your love for Our Lady and Our Lord. 

The first two-thirds of the book offers an extensive Marian study of Sacred Scripture. The author proposes that "Sacred Scripture is most fruitfully read through a Marian optic. That is, with and through Our Lady, we are able to receive the Word from within." This is exactly what the book offers and in a manner which examines the ancient languages of Scripture so as to arrive at a proper spiritual understanding of the wording chosen for each passage. I have read these passages of Scripture for many years and have never truly understood them with any depth because our English translations simply do not afford a spiritual interpretation but rather word for word translations or phrase translations. Thus we often miss the spiritual meaning of each passage. The book examines both Old and New Testament passages pertaining to Our Lady. I must also say that this book easily digestible, meaning that any Catholic no matter what level of theological or spiritual maturity will be able to read and understand it. The author breaks everything down so that each word and concept is adequately covered sometimes repetitively when needed. This does not mean this is a fast read because the spiritual wisdom will have you reading and underlining text on each page which offers much fruit for meditation. 

The author states:

"Thus do we endeavor to allow the Word of God to be revealed, fully magnified, such that every word might contribute to, and accord with, the final interpretation. The indispensable principles to be followed here are: prayer, reverence, discovery and wonder. All understanding is a gift from God.

By way of illustration, we may envision the spiritual sense as being circumscribed by each distinct word of the passage. As each word on this perimeter becomes more fully “opened” or revealed by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we come to glimpse, in part, the radiant center, which is this spiritual sense. Such is the nature of the Word of God."

The final portion of the book offers an examination of how we put this new spiritual insight and knowledge into action through Marian consecration. For those who think that Marian devotion is just one option among many in Catholic spirituality, you are sadly mistaken. This book amply demonstrates that Our Lady is of paramount importance not only in the manner in which the Incarnation of Jesus took place but in every aspect of the Church's mission of evangelization and furthermore in each individual's spiritual life and union with Christ. Our Lady is not an option for our devotion but just as mandatory as our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our only Divine Saviour. Her role as Mother of God and Mediatrix of All Graces is ordered to an end, which is the salvation of men, which also makes her Coredemptrix. Her mediation in union with Christ is only important if that mediation is able to accomplish its intended end which is union with God. As Catholics become more aware of this reality I believe there will begin a new era of holiness for the Church in which Our Lady becomes more prominent in leading men into a closer union with Christ. I believe the reign of Mary will coming soon after we go through more trials. This work also points out the necessity of dogmatically proclaiming Mary as Coredemptrix. 

Mariology in Sacred Scripture

How many times have you read or heard Sacred Scripture (Luke 1:39-56) concerning the Visitation in your life? Do you really understand what took place in the house of Elizabeth and how this event pertains to our spiritual life? In the past, I only had a vague notion of the spiritual significance of this passage. This book reveals a multi-level dimension to this text. In these 17 verses, the following theological or spiritual topics are covered: Justification, the founding of the Church, Our Lady's role as Mediatrix and Co-redeemer, Eucharistic adoration, sanctifying grace, the establishment of the New Covenant, the virtue of faith, hope and charity, the importance of the Gift of the Fear of the Lord and many others! I never knew there was so much to found in this text as to Our Lady's role in man's salvation. Let me give you a brief taste of the wisdom to be found in a spiritual examination of this passage.  

The author writes:

"Now the Immaculate comes to us with the saving remedy, the Christ. She communicates to man’s spirit a prevenient hope (cf. proelpizo, Eph 1:12)—her own living hope in the Divine Mercy—to impart to man the very means by which this buried treasure may be unearthed. Thus, the Apostle exhorts us (albeit unwittingly) to an imitation of the Immaculate, when he says, We desire each of you to show the same haste, to the full assurance of the hope unto the end (Heb 6:11). More explicitly, the Book of Hours of the Greek Church prays thus: “You are, O Theotokos, our only hope.”[2]

In a word, Mary goes to Elizabeth to communicate the ineffable joy that was first given to her. “It is what love does.” And, in so doing, she communicates her own life—the life of the New Eve—the life of grace. Here, let us observe that the Greek charis (grace) derives from chairo (rejoice). Etymologically, then, grace comes from rejoicing. And this same relation holds true also in the process of justification, for here again it is joy that precedes the gift of grace. For example, the Baptist’s joyful leap is prior to St. Elizabeth being filled with the Holy Spirit. The theological assertion, therefore, is that sanctifying grace is infused only upon one’s prior participation in the joy of the Immaculate, a prevenient taste of freedom. In this way, then, we are saved by hope (Rom 8:24)."

This brief example gives you an idea of how the author weaves together Sacred Scripture in order to offer a contextual Mairan spiritual dimension of the text. The author also often employs the writings of Saints to support this interpretation. Saints Maximillian Kolbe and Louis de Montfort are quoted often along with several Fathers of the Church both from the East and West including Jerome, Ephraim, Augustine, Irenaeus, and many others. In addition, many of the great Saints and spiritual writers of the middle ages are quoted such as Guigo the Carthusian, Bernard of Clairvaux, Lawrence of Brindisi, and many others. Finally, texts of the recent popes such as those of Pius IX, Pius XII, Benedict XV, Leo XIII,  Benedict XVI, and others offer additional insight into our modern situation in the Church. 

Theological Topics

After the examination of the New and Old Testament texts primarily relating to Our Lady, the author takes a look at a variety of themes concerning her. Creation, the angels, justification, coredemption, and the seraphic virtues are reviewed. Likewise, the topic of Marian consecration is examined. It is amazing to see how Our Lady is interwoven by God's design into the very fabric of creation and redemption. By learning who Our Lady is we also learn the great role of the female in the life of the Church and how men and women complement each other. 

Marian Consecration 

Once you have read close to 600 pages of spiritual wisdom rooted in Sacred Scripture the book reaches its peak in Marian consecration. The book asks the important question as to how Marian consecration is possible. The answer is simple, "Marian consecration is possible because Our Lady is the Mediatrix of All Graces. And this is so by virtue of her Immaculate Conception." This simple answer however has been investigated throughout the book. Once you begin to understand how it is that we participate in the very act of Mary's Fiat in our journey towards union with God, we can no longer doubt the fittingness of Marian consecration. Once we understand how she brings us the Gift of the Fear of the Lord it begins to come into focus. 

Marian consecration is according to the author, "...as integral to the life of perfection as Mary, the New Eve, was integral for the Incarnation of the Word: that is, necessary by God’s own design." One of the most interesting points on Marian consecration that the book makes is illustrating the difference and complementarity of St. Louis's consecration and St. Kolbe's. 

From the book, 

"Let us now turn to distinguish the thought of two “doctors” of Marian consecration: St. Louis de Montfort and St. Maximilian Kolbe. The emphasis of St. Louis’ teaching is placed on the notion of slavery—a holy slavery to the Blessed Virgin Mary—is focused in the order of act, of doing. Its scriptural loci are, principally, in Lk 1:38, Phil 2, Heb 10 and in the very nature of the Fall of man (cf. Gen 3). Although these scriptures are not made explicit by St. Louis as constitutive of the idea of slavery (he focuses mostly on the account of Jacob and Esau, to establish his theology), they are, nevertheless, fundamental to his theology. Again, the overarching idea here is slavery, which implies obedience and a doing of the will of another. This pertains to the order of act.

St. Maximilian, on the other hand, emphasizes the idea of property, of being owned by the Immaculate. She, therefore, may do with us whatever most pleases her. The emphasis here is one of docility and therefore pertains more to the order of being. The implicit scriptural loci of his theology are Lk 1:28 and 1 Cor 6:19. Moreover, the telos of Marian consecration is an ontological transformation, which he calls “transubstantiation into the Immaculate.” Thus, whereas St. Louis de Montfort’s theology focuses more on the acquired moral virtues—what we might actually do to imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary—St. Maximilian’s emphasis is one of filial abandonment, of absolute, unconditional trust in her working within us. And in this last, St. Maximilian’s theology of Marian consecration points to the Little Way of St. Therese of Lisieux as the spirituality, par excellence, of Marian consecration.

From these considerations, it seems advisable to make a biannual renewal of Marian consecration, incorporating both complementary theologies and spiritualities:

A preparation of Marian consecration, according to St. Louis de Montfort and preceding the Solemnity of the Annunciation, which focuses on the cultivation of certain acquired, moral virtues.

A corresponding preparation, according to St. Maximilian Kolbe and preceding the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which incorporates the cultivation of spiritual childhood.

The former consecration can be made individually, whereas the latter is most appropriately conducted corporately, both in the act of consecration itself, as well as in its preparation.

Finally, it should be noted that the two complementary approaches reflect the very person of the Immaculate. As the Immaculate Conception, the orders of being and act have been, by God’s design, so perfectly coordinated in her person as to become identical."

Conclusion

My book review here does not do justice to this tremendous spiritual masterpiece. I have once again gone through another Marian consecration with this book being part of my preparation. this book will be gone over again and again and I even purchased a second copy because of all the writing I put in the first one. Unfortunately, the only place you can get this book is on Amazon. This is one exception you want to make if you are trying like I am to get off of that website. 

There are two books that I recommend to go along with this book. 

1. The Spiritual Life- In the School of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort: By Father Antonin Lhoumeau.

2. The Mother of the Saviour and Our Interior Life: By Reverend Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange O.P.

Happy reading!