Jesus casts fire on the earth, and it burns — it is the love and fire of the Holy Spirit. This ignition has brought upon division, separating light and darkness; evil and good. Jesus casts it on the earth with resounding force. Family is the first place where this fire burns. In today’s Gospel [Luke 12:49-53], it says, “I have come not to bring peace to the earth, but division.” In Hong Kong nowadays, many families are comprised of both Catholic and non-Catholic members. This is in fact an invitation from Jesus to us to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord and to evangelize within the family. The sacrament of marriage is about unity and communion. We can bring our spouses and children (through Sunday school) to our faith, step by step, and lead them into the Kingdom of Heaven.
The fire of Jesus is the flame of purification, that ultimately leads to eternal unity. It ignites within the darkness of sin, blazing forth with resounding force, compelling us to ponder whether we are standing on the side of truth. Jesus said, “I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!” This baptism refers to the baptism of Jesus Christ’s Passion. The love of Jesus Christ for us is an eager, ardent desire for as many to receive as possible.
In the Legion of Mary Handbook, Chapter 33, Section 13 (b) – Mortification or self-denial, we are taught on how to respond to this “resoundingly casting fire” and the division it brings. Amidst division, on which side should we stand? We must not stand in opposition to Jesus and the truth. The human ego will lead us away from the truth. The Handbook emphasizes that we must live the Legionary spirit, a key element in which are mortification and self-denial. The meaning of self-denial is to drive out our self-ego and pride so as to welcome Lord Jesus into our lives and to share our lives with Him fully. Self-denial also fosters self-discipline. This self-discipline allows us to love God and to love others for the sake of His love. It also helps us in cultivating virtue and sanctifying in holiness.
The Handbook is, in essence, a guide for us on how to live. It reminds us to embrace the spirit to combat the evil, enabling us to stand more firmly on the side of truth. In the same section, the Handbook states that “The first requirement is the willing fulfilment of what the Church lays down with regard to days and seasons of penance and how they are to be observed”. If the Legionary system is faithfully observed, it provides an effective training in mortification.
Do we love this Handbook? Can it truly help us to live our lives? As Legionaries, whether we are listening to the Gospel, reading the scripture, or participating in spiritual exercises, we must transform the teachings we hear into tools that aid our sanctification with the Legionary spirit. Every allocutio from the Spiritual Director is aligned with the Legionary spirit. The Legion does not need to proclaim the spirituality of other religious orders; the Legion teaches the spirituality of the Legion of Mary. The path to holiness for a Legionary is in this very Handbook. This book is the book that leads us to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Spiritual Director
Fr. Timothy Wan
17 August 2025