Works, Prayer, Fellowship

Readers, my latest article for Catholic Stand is up now, called “How the Legion of Mary Taught me to be Catholic.”

I joined the Legion as a new Catholic in 2014 and have spent time both as an active member (even as President!) and an auxiliary, which is as a praying member, who does not participate in the weekly meeting or works. Both are fruitful, both are worthwhile, both are necessary.

What I realized are the enduring spiritual and life lessons I learned from being a part of this group, and having the privilege to witness the wonderful hope and tenacity of my fellow members, serving the body of Christ in Mary’s spirit. The way the Legion works is how the Catholic life, holistically, should work: in fellowship with others, serving God through works of mercy, sustained by prayer. Further, one of the fundamental beliefs of Legion of Mary founder Frank Duff is that we are called to be saints. The Legion is an ordinary thing, with ordinary members. It is a sign of how the ordinary life is itself a path to holiness, and how we are all called there.

So, I hope you will read.

One other thing, though. There is another lesson that I did not write about, but which in this I reflect, nonetheless. And that is that no one is called to be a martyr (not in the emotional sense). Legion of Mary work exposes you to a lot of people in need - people whose entire bodies are paralyzed, existing day by day in a nursing home; men and women in prison, trapped in unbelievable grief at the consequences of their actions; and so on. One may feel a tendency to want to solve all these problems - to minister to everybody, to bring every person encountered back to church, to feel that these people’s fates rely on your own ability to pray. Of course, that is not the case, and to believe so - to serve because of this temptation - is not healthy. There is need all over the world, as there always will be. And it is okay - it is imperative - to place hope in God that He will take care of His children, and to to be mindful of the pride that might say, “This is my result! How needed I am.” The greater thing would be to give freely of one’s time and gifts, and not because one feels obligated. It’s a very Ignatian thing to arrive at. [One might say: an act of self-awareness!]

For now, I am an auxiliary member - praying the catena every day, and being filled with love for the Legion and its members. It has been life-giving, and will continue to be. I am grateful for the grounding this active work has given me in a life lived with the aim of always seeking God.