Ideals: General and Marianist

1
Ideals General and Marianist

• Eugene Meyerpeter, S.M.
• Assistant Director of Education
• The Marianists
• Province of the United States
• emeyerpeter_at_sm-usa.org

2
Results Produced by Ideals

• Ideal of patriotism produced heroes
• Ideal of learning produced learned men and
  women
• Ideal of sports produced great athletes
• The greater the ideal chosen the greater the goal
  achieved

3
Definition

• Ideal a great idea concrete idea, a goal, a
  purpose, a good that it precisely, clearly and
  constantly foreseen
• A fixed idea, permanent attention with all the
  power of concentration and action which this
  implies

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How to choose an ideal

• Ideal should not be in conflict with final goal
• Ideal should be in agreement with your aptitudes
  and personality
• Ideal should be outside of yourself and superior
  to yourself
• Ideal should be practical and bring you to act
• Ideal should be concrete and summed up in a few
  words to be frequently repeated

5
Ideal should be made to cover

• Apostolic life
• Professional life
• Corporate or family life
• Spiritual life

6
There is an old proverb

• Fear the man of a single idea
• An ideal puts us in a state of forceful impulse
  toward the good indicated

7
Marianist Ideal

• The most faithful conformity with Jesus Christ
• Son of God
• Become Son of Mary
• For the salvation of mankind

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Marianist ideal emphasizes

• Christ centered
• Union with Mary
• Apostolic
• Intense
• Universal
• Positive

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Marianist ideal emphasizes

• Baptism
• Seven sacraments
• Prayer of Faith
• System of virtues

10
Marianist ideal includes these five big ideas

• Intensity
• Universality
• Multiplication
• Self effacement
• Spirit of faith

11
Dynamic principles of social action these give
the impact

• Universality moral and social reconstruction of
  the world
• Intensity all human means taken
• Multiplication form other apostles

12
Directive Concepts of the Ideal these control or
direct the three dynamic principles keep them on
track

• Self Effacement no self seeking
• Spirit of Faith spirit of Christ

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INTENSITY the most faithful

• Everything undertaken must be carried forward
  with such energy to insure its success insofar as
  human means can assure it.

14
SELF EFFACEMENT

• Cut away all motives of self seeking from our
  action
• Eliminates competition, friction, attempts at
  domination

15
SPIRIT OF FAITH

• Spirit of Christ docility to indications of
  Divine Providence
• Keeps from getting involved in activity for
  activitys sake

16
MULTIPLICATION

• Object of apostolic conquest is apostles NOT
  individuals others who will pass on the
  Marianist ideal
• Geometric progression not arithmetic

17
UNIVERSALITY

• Entire world as goal really and truly not just
  talk moral and social reconstruction of the
  world
• Keep the big picture in mind
• Contrast with communism

18
Keep in mind

• Ours is an institutional apostolate
• We are trying to effect entire institutions not
  just single conversions

19
Marianist Apostolic Method

• MAM consist of
• Embody the ideal
• Reveal the ideal
• Draw others into the ideal

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Office structure of SM designed to facilitate MAM

• Zeal - embody the ideal
• Instruction - reveal the ideal
• Apostolic Action draw others into the ideal
• Temporalities provide the means