"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
9: LEGIONARY SERVICE IS BASED ON THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST (pg. 51 – pg. 53) “Never look down anybody around us because we never know what they could do to us.” At a glimpse, this sentence seems to be a little negative, but NO! On the contrary, this reminds us that we need to be humble and it teaches us to look at people through Jesus’ eyes. In actuality we need even to see the person as Jesus Christ himself. This is what we need to remind ourselves of when we serve the least of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Speaking about “never look down”, I would like to share with you two meaningful Chinese proverbs that Confucius once said; One is: “I don’t have friends lower than me,” and the other is “if three people walked together, my teacher(s) must be there.” My interpretation of his statements is, if I have self-awareness, I am no greater than anyone, I can humble and lower myself to those weakest and lowest brothers and sisters and say what Jesus said, “I call you my friends.” With this, I will listen and learn from them and they become my teachers, because, I can always receive goodness out of them. Only in this way, the supernatural character of service will be revealed, and it is at this moment that we will have the chance to find Jesus Christ himself in those we serve.
This is why the handbook stated “No effort has been spared to bring home to legionaries that this motive is to be the basis of their service, and likewise that the discipline and internal harmony of the Legion rest chiefly upon the same principle. In their officers and in each other they must recognize and reverence Christ himself.”
These principles, upon which the Legion system is built, are a consequence of the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ. Now, what is the Mystical Body of Christ? The Mystical Body of Christ is a mystical union of all of us into a spiritual body with Jesus Christ as our head. St. Paul said that each part has its own special purpose and work. Some parts are noble and some are less so; but all are dependent one upon the other, and the same life animates them all. All are put to loss by the failure of one, as all profit by the excellence of one.
Understanding this, today the pandemic seems to be slowing down in some countries but still destroying lives around the world. To be the mystical body of Christ, let us remember those who lost their lives and those who are still suffering from the coronavirus attack. Let us also take the opportunity to refocus ourselves and judge what is most important in our daily life. Pope Francis said in his “Urbi et Orbi” “(Pandemic) is not the time of God’s judgement, but of our judgement: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others. We can look to so many exemplary companions for the journey, who, even though fearful, have reacted by giving their lives. This is the force of the Spirit poured out and fashioned in courageous and generous self-denial. It is the life in the Spirit that can redeem, value and demonstrate how our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people – often forgotten people – who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines nor on the grand catwalks of the latest show, but who without any doubt are in these very days writing the decisive events of our time: doctors, nurses, supermarket employees, cleaners, caregivers, providers of transport, law and order forces, volunteers, priests, religious men and women and so very many others who have understood that no one reaches salvation by themselves.”
My dear brothers and sisters, I would also add you and I into the list of the ordinary people Pope Francis mentioned above because of the mystical body of Christ. Let us recite the rosary, pray harder, do the necessary penance, and convert without hesitation for the sake of stopping the pandemic and God’s chastisement.
Let us also ask for our beloved Heavenly Mother for she is the mother of both Head and members to intercede for us so that God will bless us and give us courage to be truly in union with the mystical body of Christ. Amen.