Here I Am Again… Some Updates

My apologies, dear readers, for not having written for quite a while (I’m a little scared to look back and to see how long ago it really has been!). With each year of school, I become more and more certain that studies really are a full time job, plus overtime, plus take-home work with a little bit of sleep (maybe?) squeezed in. It would be an understatement to say that quite a bit has been going on. There has been a lot of wrapping things up in regards to school and a lot of planning ahead for the future – prayers would be greatly appreciated as things move forward. Because of the uncertainty of the events of the next year or two, I cannot promise to swing by my blog terribly often this year, but it is not an abandoned project. My hope is that when things settle into place I’ll actually have more time for writing, both on my blog and also on some fiction projects that have been dwelling patiently in the back of my mind.

Second update: I have stepped down from being the president of the Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Praesidium a semester early, and, sadly, have taken a leave of absence from the group altogether. As much as it broke my heart, I determined that I needed  to do this for the sake of my classes and my sanity. I did do what I could to help the transition of leadership be an easy one, and the group is still thriving under the new management – they even have a legionary making his Promise this upcoming Monday! Please continue to pray with me for their future success in serving our Lord with Momma Mary and an increase in membership.

One final update is that I’m now happily engaged! My fiancé was once a part of the Legion (which is how we became friends) and is – if it can be believed – more obsessed with Momma Mary than I am! I’d love to incorporate some of my adventures and experiences with him into my blog, but, understandably, my time will also be directed toward wedding plans on top of everything else!

Never fear, though! More posts will eventually come! For now I’ve decided to do two things. First, below is one of the poems I wrote for my Creative Writing class last semester (because yes, she attempts to write poetry on occasion!).  It’s about one of my friends from my freshman year who is always full of joy and is truly “childlike” at heart. May need some editing in the future, but here it is so far!

Second, I have another, rather large, post in the works that I’d like to have up in the next couple of days/weeks, so stay tuned!

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

 

“Childlike”

A typical spring afternoon

gifts us with wet teardrop crystals.

Mischievous droplets kiss

            my cheek,

                        my nose,

                                    my glasses,

making it their goal to blind me.

My friend – mirth bubbling from her heart –

cackles out and, with wide grin threatening

to swallow her face, dares God:

            Make it pour!

Her arms fly past her head:

she clocks the air out

with both fists,

while loping down the hill

on her favorite imaginary steed

and thanking God for Kansas storms.

Discernment: Just Another Choice?

Before I dive into the meat and potatoes of this post, I just wanted to give a brief update on the Legion, for – as you may have noticed – I have ceased to write allocutios. Praised be Jesus, this is not because I have become lazy or have given up on providing our praesidium with quality work. Rather, the Blessed Mother has provided our little group with a new spiritual director, who has been doing a marvelous job in fulfilling her new roles. Upon occasion I may have to write up an allocutio again, but my blog will now focus back on my usual less-formal meditations and reflections. Thank you all who have prayed for our Legion and its success!

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Who can blame us? “Senioritis” had kicked in (even though it was only October) and it was the last class period of the day with a teacher who was about as enthusiastic about teaching us at that time as we were about learning. That afternoon we were each given the ten page current topics magazine and were expected to quietly immerse ourselves in its content for the last 50 minutes of the day.

Yeah, right, like that was going to happen. Something new and unsuspected had taken place and nearly every girl in the room wanted the juicy details.

It wasn’t long before the attention of most of the girls in the room was suddenly on me – a rare occurrence. One of them in particular had moved up to the empty seat next to me, and with a smirk inquired about what was going on between me and one of our male classmates.

“So, you and…”

With these words, all of my other friends in the class were hooked, as well as some of the guys in the room, though they did not show their interest by engaging. I began to fill them in on all the details of my budding romantic relationship with our new classmate who had just moved to town this year from out-of-state.

I’ll spare you the details, as my intention is not to bore you with a story on silly teenage infatuation (oh, the lessons I had to learn!), but what occurred during my storytelling that afternoon brings us to the purpose of this reflection. As I sat on the top of my desk, chatting with the girls about my new romantic interest, I overheard one of the guys in the back of the classroom comment to his buddies, “Dude, I thought she going to be a sister.”

Perhaps it was his tone of voice, or my giddiness, or goodness knows what, but I burst out laughing when I heard his comment. On one hand he was correct, I had been seriously discerning religious life since the middle of my junior year. But really, I thought to myself, does he not understand that the path of discernment is not set in stone, that an individual doesn’t necessarily stick with the first vocation they seriously consider?

Later, upon having conversations with others about my “sudden” discernment of married life, as well as the subsequent transitions between the two vocations as life has progressed, it occurred to me that a good number of people don’t recognize discernment for what it is. Heck, before I started going to spiritual direction, neither did I! The best way that I can describe this misunderstood viewpoint is that discerning one’s vocation is seen as something very similar to deciding one’s future career. It’s a lifelong commitment that one is approaching, and discernment is that process of making the decision as to whether or not this is what you want for your life. It’s a question that becomes added to the big choices we make in life. Do I choose X College or Y University. Do I go into business or education? Do I get married or wear a strange outfit every day for the rest of my life? It is true that this is a part of the discernment process. You actually need to be able to picture yourself living that particular lifestyle if it is going to work. But it goes beyond that; it is only the first step!

I think that this is where most of us misunderstand discernment, that is we forget (or perhaps don’t recognize) that our vocation is something that was already chosen for us, not the other way around. God has made us each with a special plan for our lives, a path which He knows will bring us the most joy and that will lead us to a greater level of holiness. This is where one’s discernment differs from a decision like the ones mentioned above. By their very natures, the vocations of married, priestly, religious or consecrated life point us to something that is beyond this world – i.e. our ultimate union with God.

It is through our vocation that God supplies us with the grace to attain that holiness. Because of this, God will not keep secret that for which He has intended us. He desires to share His plans with us: “‘No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you'” (Jn 15:15). It is only up to us to seek out His will: “‘Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you'” (Mt 7:7).

This is what discernment boils down to, the seeking out of God’s will so that one’s life may be pleasing to Him. It is an active decision on one’s part to respond to God’s plan for love.

One last thing must be noted, and all of us have probably experienced this at some point within some aspect of our lives: God does not always give us the answer right away. Discernment is a continual process, and a person can go through years of discerning a certain vocation only to suddenly discover that God wants to take Him a different way. That doesn’t mean those years were wasted; they were more than likely intended in order to teach the individual about himself so that when he does ultimately comes to his vocation, he may make the decision with a more clear mind and a more certain and devoted heart.

In the path of my life, I’ve noticed that these changes have seemed rather sudden to those who don’t recognize the response side of discernment. Perhaps you, dear reader, have been in my shoes, or the shoes of my loved ones. For those who are in the former, I implore you to not to cease in your prayer and reception of the Sacraments, as this is where God will make His heart known to you. Trust in His help to explain to your loved ones the meaning and purpose of discernment. For the latter, I encourage you to have confidence that God has a plan for the discerning individual that they are striving to learn and follow, and know that there will be paths that they will take that may seem confusing but which God still intends.

(Now, as a disclaimer, this is not an exhaustive or expert examination of discernment, rather just some thoughts I’ve been having at this point on my own winding path. Many questions that I didn’t address can probably be raised in relation to this post, and I don’t have the time, knowledge, or experience to consider them all. Rather, the hope is to start the ball rolling in regards to conversation and gaining a deeper understanding of the inner workings of vocational discernment.)

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Allocutio: Real Devotion to Mary Obliges Apostleship – Her Motherhood

Her whole life and destiny have been motherhood, first of Christ and then of men. For that she was prepared and brought into existence by the Holy Trinity after an eternal deliberation (as St. Augustine remarks). On the day of the Annunciation she entered on her wondrous work and ever since she has been the busy mother attending to her household duties. For a while these were contained in Nazareth, but soon the little house became the whole wide world, and her Son expanded into mankind. And so it has continued; all the time her domestic work goes on and nothing in that Nazareth-grown-big can be performed without her. Any caring of the Lord’s body is supplemental to her care; the apostle only adds himself to her maternal occupations; and in that sense Our Lady might declare: “I am Apostleship,” almost as she said: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

That motherhood of souls being her essential function and her very life, it follows that without participation in it there can be no real union with her. Therefore, let the position be stated once again: true devotion to Mary must comprise the service of souls. Mary without motherhood and the Christian without apostleship, would be analogous ideas. Both the one and the other would be incomplete, unreal, unsubstantial, false to the Divine intention.

Accordingly, the Legion is not built, as some suppose, upon two principles, that is , Mary and apostleship, but upon the since principle of Mary, which principle embraces apostleship and (rightly understood) the entire Christian life.

(Legio Mariae, pg. 32-33)

Parenthood is mission, or – if we were to use the terminology of Frank Duff – parenthood is apostleship. The primary role of the parent is to give life to their child, starting with the child’s conception, then continuing through providing for their physical needs by giving them food, shelter, clothing, love, etc. as well as for their spiritual needs by giving them the life-producing education of the Faith. This is the first and most basic form of apostleship that parents are called to, to develop their children’s spiritual life through the teaching about Life Himself.

But wait. Why am I discussing the role of parents when we are a group of college students (who – at least to my knowledge – do not have children of our own)? It is this: if parenthood is mission, then the reverse must also be true – mission is parenthood. Every Christian, out of love, is called to mission, and thus to parenthood. We see this truth clearly in the life of Mary after the Resurrection of Christ. Her motherhood did not cease when her Son was no longer on earth. Rather she recognized that her mission continued and she further responded to her universal call to apostleship. Her motherhood extended through her mission, and she continues to intercede and teach as our very own spiritual mother to this day.

We, along with the Blessed Mother, make up the Body of Christ. If Christ is the head of this Body, then Mary is the heart, and – as members extending from that heart – we are called to share in the mission of she who has provided us with lifeblood. Her mission is the mission of the Church, and so it is the very same mission that we are called to as members of the Church: we are called to be, in some way or another, parents.

The ways that parenthood manifests itself is as diverse as the many parts of the human body. Natural parenthood looks different than the spiritual parenthood to which the religious are called, which also looks different than that of the pastoral parenthood of priests. Teachers are called to a different form of parenthood than their students; the list is endless – we will each experience it differently. As Legionaries, our parenthood is uniquely united to Mary’s universal motherhood, for – when we encounter souls in our day to day lives – it is Mary who is ministering to them as mother through us. The life-giving teaching we give to them by preaching the Gospel is distributed by none other than the Blessed Mother: her mission continues through us and our willing cooperation to “adopt” these souls as our own spiritual children in order to bring them to He who gave us our parental mission.

Allocutio: A Recollection – The Legionary Promise

I hope, my dear readers, that you have not been too worried about my silence in posting allocutios (and the fact that I’m posting this one late)! Exam season hit and so time to set aside for writing was very difficult to come by. Because of this, I fell back on using our former assistant spiritual directors summer allocutios for the past couple of weeks until I was able to sit down and write my own again. Somehow I managed to do it during the busyness of fall break! Short and sweet, I hope you enjoy:

Most Holy Spirit, I, (name of candidate), desiring to be enrolled this day as a legionary of Mary, yet knowing that of myself I cannot render worthy service, do ask of you to come upon me and fill me with yourself, so that my poor acts may be sustained by your power, and become an instrument of your mighty purposes.

But I know that you, who have come to regenerate the world in Jesus Christ, have not willed to do so except through Mary; that without her we cannot know or love you; that it is by her, and to whom she pleases, when she pleases, and in the quantity  and manner she pleases, that all your gifts and virtues and graces are administered; and I realize that he secret of a perfect legionary service consists in a complete union with her who is so completely united to you.

So, taking in my hand the legionary Standard which seeks to set before our eyes these things, I stand before you as her soldier and her child, and so I declare my entire dependence on her. She is the mother of my soul. Her heart and mine are one, and from that single heart she speaks again those words of old: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord”; and once again you come by her to do great things.

Let your power overshadow me, and come into my soul with fire and love, and make it one with Mary’s love and Mary’s will to save the world; so that I may be pure in her who was made Immaculate by you; so that Christ my Lord may likewise grow in me through you; so that I with her, his Mother, may bring him to the world and to the souls who need him; so that they and I, the battle won, may reign with her for ever in the glory of the Blessed Trinity.

Confident that you will so receive me – and use me – and turn my weakness into strength this day, I take my place in the ranks of the Legion, and I venture to promise a faithful service. I will submit fully to its discipline, which binds me to my comrades, and shapes us to an army, and keeps our line as on we march with Mary, to work your will, to operate your miracles of grace, which will renew the face of the earth, and establish your reign, Most Holy Spirit, over all. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

(Legio Mariae, pg. 90-91)

I’ve been a tad bit hesitant to select the Legionary Promise as a spiritual reading without a significant purpose for it – there is just so much that can be reflected on in it! Therefore I doubt that this will be the first time we will return to this passage to examine the little facets of wisdom hidden within. For now, though, I want to call us to recollection, a remembrance of our profession of the Legionary Promise.

Fellow legionaries, it does us well to return to our Promise, to call to mind these words that have joined us to the heavenly army of the Blessed Virgin. They should continue to echo in our hearts, reminding us of our lowliness, of our dependence on the Spirit and His Spouse, of the exchange we have requested to be made: our uncompromised service in Mary’s army for the graces we need in order to perform our duties as her soldiers.

Remember that day when – uttering these words – we took the cool globe of the Standard in our hand and, with our soul’s eye gazing upon our Queen and her Divine Spouse, we gave ourselves as legionaries in the war being waged against mankind. Do you remember that joy, my brother(s) and sister(s), that joy and that certainty that, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance through Mary, we could bring about great things for the Glory of God’s Kingdom? Nothing has changed: we can still and will do these great things, for our Queen will continue to use us. We only need to perpetually be offering the service we have promised.

(For those of you who have not yet made the Legionary Promise, I truly hope that you will one day share in this beautiful experience. Nothing – aside from the Total Consecration – is quite like this surrender of self into Mary’s Legion. For those of you who have) let us strive to bring our Promise to mind daily as we go about our lives, to reflect on it frequently, and to let it shape our lives as legionaries, reminding us that we are soldiers and the battle wages on.

Allocutio: Must “put on the whole armour of God” (Eph 6:11)

The Roman Legion, from which the Legion takes its name, has come down through the centuries illustrious for loyalty, courage, discipline, endurance and success, and this for ends that were often base and never more than worldly. Manifestly, Mary’s Legion cannot offer to her the name (like a setting stripped of the jewels which adorned it) accompanied by qualities less notable, so that in these qualities is indicated the very minimum of legionary service. St. Clement, who was converted by St. Peter and was a fellow-worker of St. Paul, proposes the Roman army as a model to be imitated by the Church.

“Who are the enemy? They are the wicked who resist the will of God. Therefore, let us throw ourselves determinedly into the warfare of Christ and submit ourselves to his glorious commands. Let us scrutinise those who serve in the Roman Legion under the military authorities, and note their discipline, their readiness, their obedience in executing orders. Not all are prefects or tribune or centurions or commanders of fifty or in the minor grades of authority. But each man in his own rank carries out the commands of the emperor and of his superior officers. The great cannot exist without the small; nor the small without the great. A certain organic unity binds all parts, so that each helps and is helped by all. Let us take the analogy of our body. The head is nothing without the feet; likewise the feet are nothing without the head. Even the smallest organs of our body are necessary and valuable to the entire body. In fact all the parts work together to an interdependence and yield a common obedience for the benefit of the whole body.” (St. Clement, Pope and Martyr: Epistle to the Corinthians (96 .A.D.), chapters 36 and 37)

(Legio Mariae, pg. 13-14)

I personally think one of the neatest and thought-provoking aspects of the Legion of Mary is that we are, in a very real sense, an army. This theme is one that is found throughout the handbook and in our very structure.

As our title indicates, we legionaries are all soldiers, and as soldiers – Frank Duff points out – it would benefit us to emulate some of the greatest warriors known from history: the Roman Legion. It is even possible for us today to not only imitate but to surpass their loyalty and discipline, their courage and endurance, as well as bring about the ultimate success: that which is far greater than any success that their earthly army may have achieved. In order to do so though, one must strive to practice each of these virtues in their daily lives.

Loyalty to the Legion is the base upon which all the other virtues are built. If the legionary is not faithful to his Queen, how can he expect to be formed in the other areas of this rule? Rather he must completely surrender his heart to the Queen of Heaven so that she may mold her soldier into a man fit to bring souls to her Son and King.

She begins the molding process first through the order of discipline. Without this virtue, the life and mission of the legionary would be – to put it bluntly – chaotic and fruitless. He needs the structure that is found in the handbook, the meeting, the obedience of performing his weekly assignments, in order to produce the fruit that will last.

Next the legionary must have courage as he goes forth to serve his Queen. This is truly a war that he is marching into, and the Enemy is both seductive and cunning. The legionary is asked to bravely step forward, to take a leap of faith, and to even courageously offer his life for the souls he seeks to rescue, trusting that his Queen and her Son will bring about the ultimate success.

Lastly, the legionary must be perseverant. There will be times that are discouraging for the legionary: souls won’t immediately respond to his witness, the graces might not seem that they are there when he needs them. Yet he must endure, remembering that his effort is bringing about a change, and that, if he were to let up even a tiny bit, it would give the Enemy the chance to push his villainous troops in.

As Frank Duff put, the Roman Legion was successful in areas that were strictly worldly. How much more successful would our legionary be with the Queen of Heaven and her Divine Lord on his side? For the cross has already won the war; all that is left is to offer our full participation in attaining the victory.

Allocutio: Personal Holiness – The Object and Means

The general and essential means by which the Legion of Mary is to effect its object is personal service acting under the influence of the Holy Spirit, having Divine Grace as its moving principle and support, and the Glory of God and the salvation of souls as its final end and purpose.

Hence the holiness of life which the Legion of Mary seeks to promote in the members is also its primary means of action. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me, and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”

“The Church, whose mystery is set forth by this sacred Council, is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as “alone holy”, loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her (cf Eph 5:2-26); he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God. Therefore, all in the Church, whether they belong to the hierarchy or are cared for by it, are called to holiness, according to the apostle’s saying: ‘For this is the will of God, your sanctification.’ (1 Thess 4:3; cf Eph 1:4) This holiness of the Church is constantly shown forth in the fruits of grace which the Spirit produces in the faithful and so it must be; it is expressed in many ways by the individuals who, each in his own state of life, tend to the perfection of love, thus helping others to grow in holiness; it appears in a manner peculiar to itself in the practice of the counsels which have been usually called “evangelical.” This practice of the counsels prompted by the Holy Spirit, undertaken by many Christians whether privately or in a form or state sanctioned by the Church, gives and should give a striking witness and example of that holiness.” (LG 39)

How is it that the Legion of Mary does what it does? How has it become so effective that it has spread to the four corners of the earth, touching innumerable souls, both Christian and pagan alike? In this spiritual reading the handbook gives three simple yet necessary means that bring about the ultimate goal of the Legion.

The first is one that we stress rather frequently: the performance of our works under the influence of the Holy Spirit (Who, we note, works through our Blessed Mother). As the Legionary Promise proclaims, one “cannot render worthy service” without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And so one’s heart must be open to Him. This is why the Legionary Promise is addressed to the Holy Spirit: so that we who profess it may be moved to humbly recognize His work in us and be all the more willing to follow the promptings we receive from Him.

The second means is possessing God’s grace, that it may be both the burning fire in our hearts that drives us forward, as well as the firm rock on which we find our repose. Where else can we find this grace except in frequent recourse to the sacraments – particularly Confession and the Holy Eucharist. It is in these sacraments that we meet our Lord face to face and so also receive His very Life in our hearts.

The final means is the keeping of the object of the Legion before our eyes – that is, the keeping of our mind constantly focused on the fact that everything that we do is for the salvation of those souls we touch and for the glorification of God’s Kingdom. Nothing that is done in the name of the Legion is done for personal gain, but rather is done because we recognize that there is something greater than what we have in this world and desire to share it with others.

It is worth noting that each of these means point to the interior of the legionary and not the external works one does nor the individuals they evangelize. The emphasis is on personal holiness, and for a good reason: one cannot give what they themselves do not already possess. If we ourselves do not first have that relationship with God, how can we expect to bring others into that communion? And thus we pray that we may – by the grace of the Spirit – deepen our relationship with our Lord by opening our hearts, accepting His Life within us, and keeping our eyes on the ultimate goal, so that we may teach others to do the same.

Allocutio: There Never Need Be Discouragement

Well, well, well. It sure has been a while since I’ve last posted! As it turns out, some recent events have offered a remedy for the problem of long hiatuses, at least for the school year. Those of you who follow The Slave of the Immaculate – i.e. the assistant spiritual director of our Legion at the college – know that he has discerned out of the monastery to return to lay life. Because of this, and as our current spiritual director is also the college chaplain, the legionaries and I are going to continue to learn – for an indefinite period time – the lessons that many praesidia (groups of the Legion) experience in the parishes where the pastor is unable to fulfill the weekly commitment due to other duties. This specifically affects my blog in that I will be posting each of my allocutios – which means I should have something new up almost every week!

It is an exhilarating time for us as change means that Momma Mary has some pretty wonderful things planned for our little group. Thanks to all who are praying for our success; you are in our prayers as well! So, without further ado, the first allocutio of the semester:

Sometimes the most devoted labours, heroically prolonged, show little fruit. Legionaries do not set their hearts on visible results, but nevertheless it would not be for their good to work with a sense of frustration. It will console them, and it will nerve them to still more strenuous efforts, if they reflect that even a single sin prevented represents an infinite gain. For that sin would be an immeasurable evil, dragging in its train an endless series of calamitous consequences. “However tiny the mass, it plays its part in the balance of the stars. Thus, in a way that only Thy mind, O Lord, can perceive and measure, the slightest movement of my little pen running across the paper is connected with the motions of the spheres, and contributes to, and is a part thereof. The same takes place in the world of intellect. Ideas live and have their most complex adventures in that world of intellect, a world immeasurably superior to the material world; a world united and compact also in its vast, plenteous, and most varied complexity. As in the material and intellectual worlds, so it is in the infinitely greater moral world.” (Giosue Borsi) Each sin shakes that world. It inflicts hurt on the soul of every man. Sometimes the first link in this process is visible, when one person leads another to sin. But visible or unseen, sin leads to sin; and likewise one sin prevented wards off another. And similarly does not the averting of that second sin prevent a third, and so on unendingly until that chain gathers in the whole world and stretches throughout all time? Is it, therefore, too much to say that each sinner converted to a good life, will eventually represent a goodly host marching behind him into heaven?

Accordingly, to prevent a grave sin would justify most arduous labors – even the effort of a lifetime – for thereby every soul will feel the glow of extra grace. It may be that the saving of that sin will be a moment of destiny, the inauguration of a process of uplift, which will in time transfer a whole people from a godless life to one of virtue.

(Legio Mariae, pg. 301-302)

“There are no small parts, only small actors.” This saying ever rings true in our Lord’s divine plan. We all have a purpose, a special and unique role to play in the story of humanity. And yet it seems to be more often than not that we feel like our efforts are rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things. We do all that we can in our attempts to live a holy life, striving to bring others to Christ, but there are frequently those days in which we feel like we are just spinning our wheels, indefinitely stuck in the mud.

The thing that we often forget is that in the spiritual life, no one is ever “stuck” or “static.” One is always moving toward or away from Perfection, and – like outer-terrestrial bodies pushing and pulling on each other through the effects of gravity – one is pushing or pulling the individuals one comes in contact with either toward or away from that same holy state. There is one quote that comes to mind that says it well: “In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.”

In the end, only God truly knows what grand effects are caused by our faithful attempts. We are just asked to respond and to trust that He and His Blessed Mother are making sure that even our smallest attempts at outreach are not wasted. And this is not only an encouraging thought, but one that should drive us ever forward. Perhaps one friendly smile could show someone the face of Christ. Perhaps one kind word could turn someone’s life around. Perhaps one little mortification offered up could bestow on someone the grace that they need to avoid falling into a sin that would lead to a lifetime of vice. Only God knows, so we should feel encouraged that our “small part” is – by God’s grace – bringing about great things, despite the discouraging thoughts that tell us that our part changes nothing in the vastness of the world. After all, the Blessed Mother couldn’t necessarily see the magnificent things that her Lord was preparing to do as she was woken up at two in the morning by her fussy infant child! And so we ask to imitate her trust in God’s great providence, that our actions may too be used for the sanctification and glorification of His Kingdom.

Allocutio: Suffering in the Mystical Body

The mission of the legionaries brings them into close touch with humanity, and especially with the suffering humanity. Therefore, they should possess insight into what the world insists on calling the problem of suffering. There is not one who does not bear through life a weight of woe. Almost all rebel against it. They seek to cast it from them, and if this be impossible, they lie down beneath it. Thus are frustrated the designs of redemption which require that suffering must have its place in every fruitful life, just as in weaving the woof must cross and compliment the warp. While seeming to cross and thwart the course of man’s life, suffering in reality gives that life its completeness. For, as holy scripture teaches us in every page, God “has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well.” (Phil 1:29) and again: “If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. (2 Tim 2:11-12)

That moment of our death is represented by a cross, all dripping with blood upon which our head has just finished his work. At the foot of the cross stands a figure, so desolate that it seems impossible for her to continue to live. That woman is the mother alike of the Redeemer and of the redeemed. It was first from her veins that the blood was drawn which lies scattered cheaply about, but which has transformed the world. That Precious Blood will henceforth flow through the Mystical Body, forcing life, so to speak, into every crevice of it. But all the consequences of this flowing must be understood, so that they can be applied. That precious stream brings to the soul the likeness of Christ; but it is the Christ complete: not merely the Christ of Bethlehem and Thabor – the Christ of joy and glory, but as well the Christ of pain and sacrifice – the Christ of Calvary.

 

(Legio Mariae, pg 56-57)

How can mankind solve the problem of suffering?

Actually, I don’t think that this is the right question to be asking. Through the way that he addresses this topic, even Frank Duff doesn’t seem to see suffering as a “problem.” But if it is not a problem, then there is no solution, no way to solve – and thus remove – every last bit of suffering in the world.

Well. That’s a rather depressing thought!

Or so it seems to be at first glance.

Most people would probably agree that the experience that we know today as suffering entered into the world at the Fall of Man with the sin of our first parents. I would like to suggest, though, that perhaps something similar to suffering existed before the event of the Fall.

In my mind, the essence of suffering all boils down to a trial in which God is asking me to completely give a portion of myself either to Him or to another human in a way that shows an immense amount of love. If humans were made in the image of God’s love (which is self-sacrificial), would they not on occasion experience times in which they were asked to show great love through some kind of self-sacrifice or self-denial – even before the Fall? The only difference would be that pre-Fall humanity would not experience the pain of resistance that we today associate with the “problem” of suffering. Pre-Fall, man would be able to recognize the value of his given gift of self and the joy of this knowledge would be present in place of the painful resistance that exists due to the Fall. So the “problem of suffering” is this: humanity’s resistance to a greater call to love.

So now the obvious question follows: does this redefined problem have a solution? Ironically, the solution seems to be found in the problem that was presented in the first place! If the pain within the event of suffering is caused by the resistance of a call (a resistance – one must acknowledge – that we may not always have control over because of the effects of Original Sin), then to solve that problem would be to instead respond to that call and actually embrace the suffering that is laid upon us. True, this is extremely difficult to do in the midst of the pain – that is the effect of Original Sin – and we cannot do it perfectly within this lifetime, but it is what every human is called to do: just consider the saints and even Christ Himself! They are our models in embracing our daily crosses. What greater love has a simple human being shown than how our Mother partook in the suffering of her most beloved Son? The pain was most certainly there, but she in the most perfect way overcame it – giving herself completely to her Lord in lovingly accepting His will for her. Life for the world came from her self-gift, and what life would flow throughout the world if all her children would follow her example in finding and sharing the joy that is hidden within suffering!

 

A Side Note: The thoughts expressed in this allocutio are only a simplified summary of a topic that I could easily continue writing on. The reason why I did not expand where I could have is because the allocutio is not supposed to take up a large amount of time within the Legion meeting. Because of this, loose ends and the need for clarifications are expected. The basic ideas that I wished to get across to my fellow legionaries is expressed, with the recognition that further research and elaboration could and might be done in future posts. Also, because of the sensitivity of the topic, I wish to express that my intent is not to belittle the event of suffering – only to share a little bit of what I’ve learned through my experiences with it! God bless!

Allocutio: Bringing Mary to the World (from Slave of the Immaculate)

Because life has a way of sneaking up and catching me unprepared, I’m borrowing an old allocutio from our spiritual director this week! Check it out on his blog by following the link:

Frank Duff, in some of his moving addresses to Legionaries in the book The Spirit of the Legion of Mary, argues that that in today’s day and age, miracles are far from a common occurrence.  Why is this?  In Jesus’ public ministry miracles were very common…  But we don’t see them nowadays.  Why?  Has Jesus changed?

Via: Allocutio: Bringing Mary to the World

What a Legionary Saw (Allocutio: The Liturgy of the Eucharist in Union with Mary)

I’m just going to come out and say it: this allocutio is going to be a little different. Inspired by a homily given by a priest friend of mine, let’s just say that I decided to take a little creative liberty in writing it 🙂 While this is not normally the style in which allocutios are given, I think that there is something to this particular technique that has a way of drawing in the audience. At the very least it was rather fun to write, so I hope that those who hear and read it will enjoy and get something from it too! Have a blessed Holy Week!

Our Blessed Lord did not begin his work of redemption without the consent of Mary, solemnly asked and freely given. Likewise, he did not complete it on Calvary without her presence and her consent. “From this union of sufferings and of will between Mary and Christ, she merited to become most worthily the restorer of the lost world and the dispenser of all the graces Jesus purchased by his death and by his Blood.” (AD 9) She stood by the cross of Jesus on Calvary, representing all mankind there, and at each new Mass the offering of the Saviour is accomplished subject to the same conditions. Mary stands at the altar no less than she stood by the cross. She is there, as ever, co-operating with Jesus – the Woman, foretold from the beginning, crushing the serpent’s head. A loving attention to her is ought, therefore, to form part of every Mass rightly heard.

And also with Mary on Calvary were the representatives of a Legion, the Centurion and his men, who took a mournful part in the offering of the Victim, though indeed they did not know they were crucifying the Lord of Glory. (1 Cor 2:8) And, wonder of wonders, grace burst upon them! “Contemplate and see,” says St. Bernard, “how piercing is the glance of faith. Consider attentively what lynx-eyes it possesses. On Calvary it enabled the Centurion to see life in death, and to recognise in a dying breath the sovereign Spirit.” Looking upon their dead and disfigured victim, the legionaries proclaimed him to be the very Son of God. (Mt 27:54)

These fierce rude converts were the fruits, swift and unexpected, of Mary’s prayers. They were strange children that the mother of men first received on Calvary; yet they must have ever made the name of legionary dear to her. So, who can doubt that when her own legionaries – united to her intention, part of her co-operation – come to the daily Mass, she will gather them to her, and give to them the “lynx-eyes” of faith and her own overflowing heart, so that they will enter most intimately (and with surpassing profit) into that continuation of the sublime sacrifice of Calvary.

(Legio Mariae, pg 47-48)

Before me a man hangs on the cursed tree – bloody, beaten and broken. Rumors say that he is the Son of God, but who truly believes that? “Crucify him!” they cried. “He is a criminal, deserving death.” And yet there is something about him – something that is different than the two men who writhe next to him, sharing his fate.

At the foot of the man’s cross I notice three Jews: a man and two women. One of the women is bent over, shaking with sobs. The other – who I realize is his mother – stands still, held by the young man, her tear-stained face raised to behold her disfigured son in his wretchedness.

Why does she not protest for her son’s life? How does she not look away from the wicked sight? Why does she hold on so intently to the pain that must be shattering her heart?

Suddenly our eyes meet. Hers glisten with sorrow, but not with despair. There is a sense of hope in those deep brown pools that this tragedy could not take away. And there is forgiveness, forgiveness for the pain and evil that have been brought forth by my crucifying her innocent son. An unsettled tremor runs down my spine, and – strangely enough – it as if her hope seeps into my own heart.

Her gaze holds mine for a handful of seconds; it feels like an eternity. Her son cries out, and she looks back to his pitiful, dying form. Together we watch as he takes his final breath, and something within me stirs. Without fully understanding why I must, my voice proclaims, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Her eyes briefly catch mine again, an indescribable emotion shining in them: a melancholic joy, a pained contentment. It is as if she had lost a son to see one brought back to life.

Two thousand years later, the priest holds up the Body of our Savior and I am on Calvary again. I see Him as he really is, my King, the Son of God, giving His life for my sake. I see the Holy Mother, her gaze upon Him, upon me. A soft smile radiates from her face as she prays quietly like she did so long ago. Yet again I proclaim her Son with my tongue, welcome Him into my heart, and tears of joy make her eyes shine as her little child is brought back to life, strengthened and renewed in this holy Mystery of the Passion.