"Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?" - Song of Songs 6:10
10:7 THE MASTER AND APPRENTICE SYSTEM OF FORMATION (pg. 66 – pg. 67) Dear sisters and brothers, peace to you all.
Before I begin, please allow me to offer my hope for this Christmas. I hope you all stay healthy and safe in this pandemic and thankful for all the blessings you have been gifted from the baby Jesus and Mother Mary and Joseph. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Now, let us read chapter 10 section 7 of the handbook, “The master and apprentice system of the formation.”
From this reading, I have learned that the Legion idea of formation is the master and apprentice method. This method is not new, and has been used by most professional businesses for its practical method of learning by doing.
After reading today’s section, there are several key points of the master and apprentice method that are worth mentioning.
1. Using this method, the skills and knowledge of the master are passed on to the apprentices. 2. In this learning by doing method becausethe apprentice learns the skills and knowledge by hands on and directly from the master, the apprentice can execute the skill more thoroughly and correctly. 3. This is a hands on learning experience which makes the study more practical and real. 4. This hands on learning experience makes the apprentice better equipped in the skill. 5. Using this hands on experience can give the apprentice more confidence to deal with the new tasks. 6. The idea of “come along and do this work with me” is the idea of “being” instead of just “doing”. It would be nice to have somebody accompany the entire learning process, especially somebody who has already walked this process before. 7. With this method, all lectures are based on the work itself and each word is linked to an action. This forms an integrated behavior in the long run.
With this said, each one of us is unique and specially gifted. Some people are visual learners, some are auditory, some need to write things down and review it later on, some can apply what they learn to other situations, and some don’t. Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter what kind of intelligence and gifts we have been given, one thing is for sure, and that is: unless we are hands on of “being”, we can never tell how well we have learned our skills and be integrated as a whole person.
In the handbook, Father Thomas P. O’Flynn listed three wonderful points to defend the criticism to the LOM. Yet the criticism “The Legion is sometimes criticized for lack of expertise on the part of its members, or because it does not insist that they devote long periods to study.”can be valid and trueif we don’t have Mother Mary’s heart, and if we don’t have Lord Jesus’ love driving our methods and skills. Because the purpose of LOM’s formation is very clear. That is “to be” the legions of Mary in “doing” what is for Christ. Regardless of the skill and amount of studying, if we don’t know our purpose for doing the skill, it is all in vain. Therefore “the master” is also obligated to know how and why in order to have a clear direction to “the apprentice”.
There is another thing I would like to share with you after reading this section. After many years since graduating from high school, college, or even higher education, we are all well formed in knowing how and why we need to study. Let us not forget them. Now that LOM has given us this “master and apprentice” method of learning by doing, let us remember our purpose and real master: Mother Mary’s heart and Jesus’ love when we take on the LOM tasks that we are assigned.
Finally, my dear sisters and brothers, the pandemic has more or less changed the lives and operations for all of us, yet it has also given us a great opportunity to follow our real master, deeply learn what He had taught us in the Holy Scriptures and hands on our prayers. It is also a golden opportunity to be with our family practicing what we have learned.
Please relay my greetings and best wishes to you and your family. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.