The Legion of Mary has been challenged to not only maintain its visibility, but to exercise trust in the face of reduced membership.

Preaching the homily during a Mass for “Mary’s army”, on the feast of the Annunciation, last Monday evening at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the archbishop said when Mary discovered her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant she visited and stayed on to help her. “She gave extraordinary witness…. We too must make visible our commitment. Don’t do it to be seen, but as a counter witness to the evil that today is wearing people down.”

The archbishop said visibility communicates that “we can be loved, that there is meaning in life, that there is something worthwhile to do.”

Legionaires renew their promises on the Legion standard

Members of Our Lady House of Gold, junior legionaries from Assumption parish’s Our Lady of Counsel Praesidium, share the sign of peace with Fr Michael Makhan. Raymond Syms photos

He urged the congregation of legionaries, many of them dressed in white, to continue answering the call from God to service. He noted, however, that when we answer the call “your life will become complicated…We are called out of privacy, out of comfort. But the more you give of self, the fuller you become.”

Basing his homily on the readings, he said a main theme was trust. “Do you trust God enough to obey or not?” He acknowledged that the Legion, like many other Church organisations, was going through “tough times” in its attempts to attract new members.

“Some of you will remember when at this celebration there were people out in the parking lot. Because you no longer see it at that level, you may feel discouraged and you may ask why aren’t people taking your place?”

To this, he said, “The answer is trust… We can’t impose our timetable on God. God will use your life, your visibility, to do His will. You must trust enough to let the Spirit be the Spirit.”

Archbishop Gilbert said the world, the region and the nation needs people to show others that trust is possible. “So many live in fear, so many feel hurt, so many feel like victims. They say they can’t trust anybody. But your witness speaks to trust.”

He closed saying “I exhort you to patience. Let history unfold. Patience, confidence, fidelity, let God be God.”

The archbishop and concelebrating priests, Legion of Mary spiritual director Fr Michael Makhan and Rosary/Gonzales parish priest Fr Clyde Harvey, led all in renewed their commitment to Mary by touching the Legion standards positioned in front the sanctuary. As legionaries did the same, the choir sang Marian hymns.

After the intercessory prayers, Fr Makhan led all in a Collective Act of Consecration: O Mary, Mother of Jesus, And my mother, I give myself entirely to you, in order to imitate as perfectly as possible the filial love of Jesus for you, and to battle under your orders for the conquest of souls, Amen

The liturgy then continued as normal.

After leading all in concluding prayers before the final blessing, Fr Makhan congratulated all for participating in the Liturgy and challenged young legionaries with these words “Don’t let the Legion die.” - RS