Today’s spiritual reading talks about the major social events that we have in the Legion, the outdoor function and the annual general reunion. It asks legionaries to have a party with the full Legion Prayers and an input about some aspect of our life in the Legion. Now, what has this got to do with our apostolate or spiritual life?
Well, such functions are a precious part of the social dimension of the Legion, binding the legion more and more together as a family, whilst allowing ourselves to bond and be formed spiritually. As legionaries, everyone is called to be an expert in building friendships and spreading joy, especially with our focus on our contacts. We acquire this expertise by a faithful fulfilling of the whole Legion system. Our entire apostolate depends to a great extent on our friendliness and courtesy and helpfulness. How can we expect to reach out to our contacts well if our own presidium is cold and distant to each other?
Expanding on this topic, today I want to reflect on the importance and meaning of one of the fruits of the Spirit: Joy. ‘God loves a cheerful giver’. Our reading gives us an example to imitate, that of St. Francis of Assisi, who through his cheerful giving and lively and joyful outlook, allowed him to be extremely successful in his apostolate. In a sense, too, legionaries should always have a joyful and cheerful disposition, for the spirit of Mary is a spirit of joy. The catena that we recite everyday, the Magnificat, is an anthem of joy, praising God for the wonders he has given to Mary.
In the litany of Loreto, we also refer to our Blessed Mother as the cause of our joy. Just as St John the Baptist leapt for joy in the womb of his mother during the visitation, so too should our Lady bring us to joy and happiness, because she gives us Jesus and gives us the privilege of sharing with her in giving Jesus to others.
You might wonder: with these dire situations around us, the wars, the disasters, the stresses of life; it’s hard to remain always joyful. But Christian joy isn’t just a fleeting emotion, it is much more than that. It arises from one’s connection to God. Holy joy is always about a relationship, joy is happiness in God. Joy even in times of persecution and suffering, knowing that God is at hand.
We can hence look to our Blessed Mother, who is the cause of our Joy, and also the Queen of Sorrows. No, these titles are not contradictory or paradoxical to each other. In fact, they go hand in hand. Each one is meaningless without the other. There cannot be the joy of the Resurrection without the Sorrows and Pains of the cross. In fact, look at the joyful mysteries that we pray; each mystery is in actual fact preceded or succeeded with suffering; the anxiety that our Lady felt at the annunciation, not being able to find the inn for the birth of our Lord, the prophecy of Simeon during the presentation, and most especially the loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. We realize that with every sorrow that our Lady felt and experienced, she continued to have a firm faith in the will of God, resounding her faith all the way to her most agonizing moment at the foot of the cross. And with what great Joy that came after these moments!
As such, let us call upon our Lady, the cause of our Joy, to bring us the joy and peace that only God can give. And may we, like our Lady, bring joy to others around us just as she did to St Elizabeth and to St John the Baptist.
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