Today’s Spiritual Reading is selected from the Decretum De Apostolatu Laicorum, Apostolicam Actuositatem (Lay Missionary Decree) concerning the missionary work of the laity. “Apostolate” is not equivalent to “Evangelization”. The latter is only part of apostolic work. Jesus is the centre and source of Legionary apostolate. Lay missionaries should “step out” (the Pope also mentioned this) which Bishop Stephen Chow felt the same. The object of the Legion is to the glory of God, through the holiness of its members to sanctify oneself and others. The first step is to glorify God and we must do it in our weekly apostolic tasks. Can the glory of God be reflected from the report of our assignments at our weekly meetings? Did we glorify God in each of our apostolic tasks? This should be the spirit of the Legion of Mary. We should not only aim at completing our assignments, but also, be aware of how to express or let other people experience God’s love. The Legion of Mary is not only a working group but a spiritual organization, and, to think further, how can we develop in the long term? Some praesidia shared a good example just now, such as, accompanying parishioners or helping relatives of the deceased in times of difficulties, etc., these are but a few instances.
During the ascension of Jesus, people asked where he would be going and Jesus replied that it should not be a question for men but should be according to God’s will. God embraced us with love, and Pope Francis asked us to go out to the world, to learn what is happening in the world, especially the harm done by war and secularization. The utmost danger the world is facing now is war. Do not think that war is far from us, in fact, it is closely related to us. We must open our doors and step out to see the world. Do not be complacent with the present situation; only being good is not enough. We had to envisage where the Holy Spirit will lead us. To have a new look, the organization should go out and face the world positively. To love the Legion is good, but more importantly, we must reach out and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit; blessed by Mary, we can certainly walk ahead farther together!
Spiritual Director
Fr. Francis Tam
21 May 2023