An invitation from The Legion of Mary...
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...To Visit the Sick & Lonely
And offer a listening ear, in what would otherwise be for them a silent day, and reassure that they do not suffer alone. ...To tell Lapsed and Non Catholics Of a treasure, based not on the luck of the lottery, but on the coming of Christ. |
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There is a beautiful story about the conversion of St Martin of Tours, an officer in the Roman army. It was a bitter winter's day and Martin met a beggar shivering with cold. He was moved with pity for the poor creature, and having no money to offer him; he took off his cloak and gave it to the beggar. That night in a dream he saw Jesus wearing the cloak surrounded by Angels, and he heard Him say: "See this is the cloak that Martin gave me today". This profound experience, which echoed the words of Jesus to his apostles when He said: "whatsoever you do for the least of my little ones you do onto me", led to Martin's baptism and subsequent calling to the church, spending the rest of his life seeing and serving Christ in his neighbour.
St Teresa of Avila encourages us to reflect on this calling when she says: "Christ has no physical body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours; yours are the eyes with which He looks with compassion at the world, yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good work, and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now". Frank Duff the founder of the Legion of Mary was of the same understanding when he said: "The Legion is Our Lady's spirit come to life in people and made visible in the undertaking of apostolic works".
In light of the above the Legion of Mary gives us the opportunity to develop our faith and do good works. Members attend a weekly meeting for approximately one hour, and are guided through the spirit of prayer and devotion to a closer union with Jesus and Mary, and in so doing foster the desire to be Christ's representatives in the community by visiting in pairs. The essence of membership is to lead one to holiness, not by achieving extraordinary things, but by doing ordinary things extraordinary well.
St Teresa of Avila encourages us to reflect on this calling when she says: "Christ has no physical body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours; yours are the eyes with which He looks with compassion at the world, yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good work, and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now". Frank Duff the founder of the Legion of Mary was of the same understanding when he said: "The Legion is Our Lady's spirit come to life in people and made visible in the undertaking of apostolic works".
In light of the above the Legion of Mary gives us the opportunity to develop our faith and do good works. Members attend a weekly meeting for approximately one hour, and are guided through the spirit of prayer and devotion to a closer union with Jesus and Mary, and in so doing foster the desire to be Christ's representatives in the community by visiting in pairs. The essence of membership is to lead one to holiness, not by achieving extraordinary things, but by doing ordinary things extraordinary well.
