"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
11:5 THE WEEKLY MEETING OF THE PRAESIDIUM (pg. 71 – pg. 72) Good afternoon my dear sisters and brothers. Thanks be to God that we are finally able to meet here in person.
After a yearlong pandemic, here in the US, we are finally seeing some light in the tunnel but we are not yet sure if we have come to the end of the tunnel. With the reduced number of confirmed cases because of vaccination, we still cannot be too relaxed because of the mutations of the virus that are happening around the globe. Some countries, such as in India and other Asian countries are even getting worse. Nevertheless, we at least still have the chance to repent and convert for the sake of the recovery of this world.
Before we dive into today’s allocutio, I would like to urge you once more to continue to be careful of your safety and health, and please pray fervently for God to stop this pandemic.
Now, let us look into today’s content. Today’s subject is the weekly meeting of the praesidium. What a coincidence that this is the section we are to read after a long pandemic isolation.
What is a “meeting”?
Some may say, Deacon, you don’t have to tell us, everybody knows that a meeting is an act or process of coming together for a business, social, or religious purpose. I would say yes, I agree. But in general, a meeting has a definite purpose. It points to a problem or issue and tries to solve or establish communication for a mutual understanding. But today, we are talking about the praesidium meeting, which is more than that. As the handbook stated in the very beginning, “in an atmosphere made supernatural by its wealth of prayer, by its devotional usages, and by its sweet spirit of fraternity,” the weekly praesidium meeting makes a difference. There sometimes may be issues to solve. However, the focus of the meeting is evangelization and pastoral care. That is why the praesidium meeting has a very unique characteristic, which is, PRAYERFUL, “full of prayers”.
Now, with this many prayers who else is listening to us?
My sisters and brothers, Jesus had said: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Also because we are the Legion of Mary, every time we hold the meeting, mother Mary will join us for sure. Tomorrow is Pentecost, this was promised by Jesus before his ascension into heaven, he said: “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." This Advocate is the Holy Spirit, and Mother Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit and bore a son, and his name was Jesus, now this same Holy Spirit is in this world with us until Jesus comes again. So how blessed are we? We have mother Mary and Jesus and the Holy Spirit literally with us in our weekly praesidium meeting. This is why the handbook says: “where someone sits unseen in the midst of them according to promise; where the peculiar grace of the work is bestowed”.
Another thing I’d like to mention is that sometimes we might think coming to the meeting is just to fulfill an obligation, try to resolve issues, or more or less a necessary burden that we have to do. But I want us to remember that the praesidium meeting is different. The handbook says it very clearly, the praesidium meeting is “where the members are imbued with the spirit of religious discipline, which looks first to the pleasing of God and personal sanctification; thence to the organisation which is best calculated to achieve these ends, and then proceeds to do the work assigned, subordinating private likings.”
Understanding this, as soon as I became involved in the Legion of Mary, I always try to treat the participation of the praesidium meeting as a mini-retreat. Not only does this give me the opportunity to sanctify myself, but to also respect our members and their many evangelization and charity works.
Dear sisters and brothers, let us not forget the true meaning of the praesidium meeting which is to share the beauty of God’s work and help Mary bring her love and charity to the people who need them.
May God bless all of us in His two loving hearts (The sacred hearts of Jesus and Mary) Dcn. George