"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
11:1 PERSONAL HOLINESS: THE OBJECT AND MEANS (pg. 67 – pg. 68) Dear sisters and brothers, peace to you all.
We are now getting into chapter 11, Scheme of the Legion.
When we talk about the scheme of the Legion, first we need to know and understand what is the object of the Legion? Then the ways to achieve the object and equip the members to walk on the right path so to achieve that object .
If you recall, in the very beginning of chapter 2, we talked about the object of the Legion of Mary, which says, “the object of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of its members developed by prayer and active co-operation, under ecclesiastical guidance, in Mary’s and the Church’s work of crushing the head of the serpent and advancing the reign of Christ.”
So, the object of the Legion of Mary is clear, in order to achieve that object -- the glory of God, is through our holiness by means of our prayers and active co-operation.
What does it mean “through our holiness?” And what is holiness? Are we holy? If not, how do we become holy? And if we are holy, how do we keep our holiness to achieve the object of the Legion of Mary?
Pope Francis said: “A life of holiness isn't defined by having visions or performing extraordinary feats of devotion, but by living with the hope of salvation promised by Christ.”
The Pope continued to explain, while the call to live like a Christian is “the same as saying to live 'like a saint,' it does not mean having a face on a prayer card. Being a saint is another thing. It means walking toward what the Lord tells us about holiness. And what does walking toward holiness mean? Peter says it: 'Set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ,' (1 peter 1:13)
Therefore the call to be holy "in every aspect of our conduct, is to walk toward the light of holiness by avoiding the world's way of thinking, which takes away our freedom." In other words, "To walk toward holiness, we must be free, free to walk looking at the light, going forward.” Pope Francis added, “when we return to the way we lived before encountering Jesus Christ or when we return to the plans of this world, we lose our freedom and we lose the way to holiness.”
Now to be Christian, and especially to be a Legionary, we need to sincerely ask ourselves, am I living my life in holiness and do I devote my holy life for the object of the Legion?
We have to be honest and humble ourselves so we can truly yield ourselves and strive for holiness from God.
Therefore, my dear sisters and brothers, as the handbook says, “the holiness of life which the Legion of Mary seeks to promote in the members is also its primary means of action.” Let us work and walk together toward to the light of holiness, continue to set ourselves apart from sins, diligently practice self-control, reflect on God’s command to holiness, as He wants us to be perfect as He is perfect. Let us pray fervently for the needy and for our holiness.
May God bless all of us in His two loving hearts. Dcn. George