Allocutio at Concilium - November 2013 by Fr. Bede McGregor, OP

The Souls of Our Departed Legionaries
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One of the oldest and most basic questions that human beings continue to ask is: Is there life after death? Many different answers have been given to this question down through the centuries and even still in our own day. But the resounding answer of our Catholic faith succinctly expressed in the Apostles Creed is: I believe in the Resurrection of the Body and life everlasting. It is this assertion of our Creed that gives ultimate meaning and focus to our lives. We need to think seriously and often on our death and life after death. Pope Francis puts it in a cryptic turn of phrase when he says: ‘the afterlife must never be simply an afterthought in our lives.’ The resurrection of Christ changes everything. It is the fundamental reason for our Christian hope in the face of the stark reality of our death.

Frank Duff, our Founder, thought long and often on the four last things: death, judgment, heaven or hell. His obsessive concern was about where people would spend their eternity. One could truly say without any exaggeration that he spent his whole adult life trying to get as many people as possible to spend their eternity in heaven. That is also the ultimate objective of the Legion of Mary. Basically, we legionaries have no other aim apart from the salvation of souls. We must not lose sight of that goal in the midst of the busyness and complexity and organizational details of our meetings and daily work. We need to keep a continual eye on eternity.

November is a good time to think on the four last things and to deepen our awareness of the transitories of life and our last end. Chapter 17 of the Handbook entitled “The Souls of our Departed Legionaries” gives us a serene and even joyful meditation on the death of a legionary and how the Legion should deal with it. The opening paragraph sums up the deep Legion spirit on the end of legionary life in this world: ‘The end of the campaigning has come and a legionary lies nobly dead. Now at last he is confirmed in legionary service. Through all eternity he will be a legionary, for the Legion has shaped that eternity for him. It has been the fibre and the mould of his spiritual life. Moreover, the might of the united petition, uttered daily and earnestly by active members and auxiliaries alike, that the Legion should reassemble without the loss of anyone, has helped him through the dangers and the difficulties of the long way. What a joyful thought for all legionaries – on his account and on their own! But for the moment there is sorrow at the loss of a friend and comrade and there is need of prayer so that the deliverance of the departed soldier from the realm of Purgatory may be speedily accomplished.’ It really is a tremendous thought that the whole Legion world will be praying for us every day long after we have died.

Obviously, it is important that we observe all the directives of the Handbook concerning prayer for our departed legionaries, not just because we may well be in need of them when our time comes but because of the deep bonds of love that bind us to the souls in purgatory. They are precious members of the mystical Body of Christ and Mary is the Queen and Mother of the souls in Purgatory too and so we must try to share in her maternity of these souls as well. The Church is a vast community of people who help each other into heaven. It would be a pity if we only saw ourselves as ones to be helped and not do our share of the helping. So I would encourage you all to carry out the particular directive of the Handbook that says: ‘In the month of November each year, each praesidium shall have a Mass celebrated for the souls of the legionary dead, not of that praesidium alone but of all the world. In this, as on all other occasions where prayer is offered for departed legionaries, all grades of membership are comprised.’ I think this chapter of the Handbook gives us a great insight into the love and commitment of Frank Duff not only to legionaries in this life but eternally. Legionaries are always close to his heart.

Just a final word to Legionaries who despite a life time in the service of Mary, however imperfect they may think this service to be, are still apprehensive about their final judgment. There is a little passage in the handbook that could well give them justified hope. It is found in the Chapter encouraging Legionaries to practice de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary. It goes as follows: ‘Some persons appear to reduce their spiritual life very simply to a matter of selfish gain or loss. These are disconcerted by the suggestion that they should abandon their treasures even to the Mother of our souls. Such as the following is heard: “If I give everything to Mary, will I not at the hour of my departure from this life stand empty-handed before my Judge, and therefore perhaps have to go for a vast time into Purgatory?” To this a commentator quaintly answers: “No, not at all, since Mary is present at the Judgment!” The thought contained in this remark is profound.’ It is good for us Legionaries to always remember that Mary will be present at our dying, death and Judgment.

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