THE OBJECT OF THE LEGION OF MARY

HANDBOOK STUDY FOR OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIAN PRAESIDIUM, ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC COMMUNITY, ST. PETER’S CHAPLAINCY, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA NSUKKA BY BRO. SOLOMON ANETOCHUKWU ODO ON SUNDAY, 5^TH MARCH, 2017.

TOPIC: THE OBJECT OF THE LEGION OF MARY (Legion Official Handbook Chapt. 2, p. 11)

                Object means the purpose or the reason for doing something, or the result you wish to achieve by doing it. On this note, I will start by reminding us of the popular quote; “When purpose is not known abuse is inevitable”.

At the end of the study we are expected  to know the following;

ü  What the object of Legion is?

ü  The primary means of achieving the object

ü  The Legion at the disposal of the bishop who gives the authority for catholic action and social aspect. (culled from Handbook Guide of Immaculate Conception Regia Catholic Diocese of Nsukka)

I will therefore divide this study into three sections namely holiness of members, ways of achieving holiness and loyalty and union of members to higher council and ecclesiastical authorities.

Holiness of Members

                The object of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of its members (Handbook Legionis p. 11) Holiness means living and leading good life, that is, life that is devoid of sin. In many passages of our Legion Handbook, issues of holiness have been stressed. As Legionaries, holiness is number one priority in our life. The holiness of life which the Legion of Mary seeks to promote in the members is also its primary means of action. Christ says ‘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 Jn. 15:5 (Handbook Legionis p. 68). It is in union with Christ and Mary that our holiness grows better. The Legion aims not at the doing of any particular work, but has as a primary object the making of its members holy (HL p. 72).

                The holiness of the member is not only of fundamental importance for the Legion, it is moreover the primary means of action, for only in the measure that the Legionary possesses grace can he be the channel of it to others (HL p.45-46). The passage above is trying to remind us that it is only when we are holy that we can make others to be holy. This goes a long way to remind us of the famous Latin quote: “Nemo dat qued non habet- what you don’t have, you cannot give”. Interior life of Legionaries mean that one’s thoughts, desires and affections converge on our Lord. ‘It is no longer I who live’ says Apostle Paul ‘but it is Christ who lives in me’ Gal. 2:20 (HL p. 203-204)

Ways of Achieving Holiness

                Holiness has both private and public dimension. The two dimensions are not totally the same but they are complementary as well as independent though coexisting peacefully. They are not mutually exclusive. Our subjective and direct personal relationship with our personal God and Saviour should have corresponding practical, pragmatic and objective orientation in our daily lives. Nobody claims to be holy or communing with God personally and his external behaviours are in outright contradiction to what holiness entails. Holiness should not only be viewed from subject point of view but also from universal and objective vantage point for holiness makes sense more in the context of concrete daily lives of man. It is an organic life- process, a something which the whole self does, not something as which its intellect holds an opinion. Thomas Aquinas made us to understand that exterior consecration signifies interior holiness, the subject of which is the soul, again, there can be no holiness without a good life and sanctifying grace (Aquinas Summa).

                The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle (CCC. No. 2015). First step of achieving holiness is by rejecting our formal sinful ways of living. This is not usually easy for the battle is spiritual one so we should be ready for this battle as soldiers of Mary.

                Ways of or means by which the Legion of Mary is to effect its object is through 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 salvation of soul(Salvus animorum) as its final end and purpose (HL p. 67). This implies that holiness cannot be achieved by our efforts or powers alone; we rely on grace of God and on the powers of the Holy Ghost working in union with Mary our Mother.

                There are three necessary requirements for a Christian life: prayer, mortification and sacraments and they are interconnected (HL p.204). So, for us to achieve holiness we must live a life of prayer, handbook advises us that we should pray as well as work (HL p. 203). Inasmuch as public aspect of holiness is emphasized we should not undermine private and personal interaction with our God. Again, we should always not dance to the tune of our flesh, self mortification is very essential for spiritual growth. Thank God we are in Lenten season. Finally, we should not forget the role sacraments in our life as Christian, as Legionaries, we are supposed to be receiving Holy Communion every time. The Eucharist is the centre and source of grace: therefore, it must be the very keystone of the Legionary scheme (HL p. 49)

                Charity is the soul of the holiness to which all are called: it "governs, shapes, and perfects all the means of sanctification (CCC. No.826). We equally improve our holy life through charitable works. The bible made us understand that whatever we do to the least of our brethren, we do it unto the Lord.

LOYALTY AND UNION OF MEMBERS TO HIGHER COUNCIL AND TO ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITIES.

                In voluntary organization, the cement of this connection is loyalty; the loyalty of the members to Praesidium, of the Praesidium to its curia, and so on through the ascending grades of Legionary authority to the Concilium Legionis; and to the ecclesiastical authorities everywhere (HL p.171). Ecclesiastical authorities stand for our Parish Priest, Chaplains, Bishops and their representatives. We must obey them and be loyal to them. They have to approve and sanction anything we are to do. On all doubtful points, in all difficult situations and with regard to every new work or novel departure recourse must be had to appropriate authority for guidance and sanction (HL p. 171). Latin adage instructs us that when in doubt, we should not act- ‘in dubio non agere’. We need to act on certainty; this can only be done by appeal to appropriate authority instead of doing whatever comes to our mind. Again, for the fact that the Spirit through the church is source of all holiness, we need to act in union with the church, Catechism maintains, the  article concerning the Church also depends entirely on the article about the Holy Spirit, which immediately precedes it. "Indeed, having shown that the Spirit is the source and giver of all holiness, we now confess that it is he who has endowed the Church with holiness."(CCC. No. 749)

                We should also be mindful of many restrictions stated for us in the Legion Handbook, some of them are as follows;

Ø  Control of work by Praesidium (HL p.288)

Ø  Material relief prohibited (HL p. 166, no. 15 & p. 291)

Ø  No collecting of money (HL p. 293)

Ø  No politics in the Legion (HL p. 293)

Ø  Confidential nature of the Legion (HL p. 109, 123, 194). Et cetera

Conclusion

                We have seen that the object of the Legion is our holiness, holiness is achieved through prayers and active work and maintain by being in union to the church. Let us therefore try as much as possible to make this object our objective as member of Legion of Mary as we pray that God will give us the grace to actualize it.

References:

1.       The Official Handbook of the Legion of Mary. New and revised edition 2005. Published by Concilium Legionis Mariae, Dublin. (cited in the passage as Handbook Legionis or HL)

2.       Catechism Of The Catholic Church (cited in the passage as CCC)

3.       Summa Theologica by Saint Thomas Aquinas (cited in the passage as Aquinas Summa)