Mortification in the Legion Handbook

This is the last meeting of Concilium before Lent begins so I thought it might be helpful to reflect on the spirit and practice of mortification or self-denial according to the Handbook. It is a subject that is not very popular today and perhaps it has always been a topic we shy away from. It means denying ourselves something in order to be and to do something more worthwhile. It means giving up anything that hinders or diminishes our personal friendship with Christ. The Handbook tells us mortification is self-discipline in order to love God and others for the sake of God. It is necessary because of original sin, which darkens our minds and weakens our will and inclines us easily to sin. What does this mean in the daily life of a Legionary?

Let us take as an example the habit of genuine personal prayer. There is no greater privilege for the human person than to enter into personal and intimate conversation with God. It is the heart of personal friendship with Jesus. It is the soul of our Legion apostolate. We know all this in theory but somehow it can so easily happen that in fact we do not give quality time to prayer. Being mortified means being ruthless in giving time for the personal prayer of friendship with Jesus, or with Mary, our Mother or to the angels and saints. We believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist but how often do we actually visit him to say thanks or to ask for the graces we need for those we meet and serve. Being mortified means going out of our way to be with the Lord in the Eucharist. Or during Lent going to daily Mass and Communion may involve all kinds of little and big acts of self-denial. We know that through grace the Holy Trinity dwells within us and yet how often do we practice the presence of God during an average day. This too requires self-discipline or mortification. How many hours in the week do we spend watching television and find it hard to squeeze in a few moments for direct and loving contact with God.

We also need a spirit of mortification to faithfully engage in apostolic work and the salvation of souls. Every legionary knows that infinite patience and sweetness must be lavished on a priceless soul but are we really prepared to go to endless trouble for the salvation of a single soul. Our praesidium meetings and meetings of higher councils can involve a great deal of self-denial or mortification or just plain sacrifice. Weariness can set in and our love and support for each other can grow weak. Or it may be that mortification is needed to help us deal with temptations to laziness, moods and selfish interests. Fidelity and perseverance can demand a great deal of mortification.

The main purpose of mortification and self-denial is to enable us to live more fully and fruitfully our Christian and Legion life. But they can also serve to make atonement for our sins and the sins of others in the mystical Body of Christ. The Handbook encapsulates in a few lines a precious teaching of the spiritual heritage of the Church when it says: ‘If Christ the Head suffered on account of our sins, it is only right that we should be in solidarity with him; if Christ the innocent one paid for us the guilty, surely we the guilty have to do something ourselves. Every fresh evidence of sin inspires generous Christians to make positive acts of reparation.’ The whole Legion system gives us a valuable training in mortification and the ministry of reparation.

There are of course the sufferings that are part and parcel of every human life. There is no way of bypassing the Cross. But in the Cross there is grace and life. The crosses, toils, and disappointments of our daily lives are one of the most efficacious means for our own sanctification and the salvation of souls. The Crucifix is the great sign that we look to in order to get a better understanding of the role of suffering allotted to each one of us in the providence of God. Archbishop Fulton Sheen used to say that there is so much wasted suffering. This must not be said of the Legion. We know its value in our efforts to be holy and apostolic. The Venerable Edel Quinn used to say often to Legionaries: ‘Let us pray for grace to accept the cross gladly and willingly in the likeness of Christ.’

During the season of Lent we legionaries seek to be in tune with the Church. We think and pray and act in the basic spirit of Lent. Put simply it means in the great Pauline phrase: ‘To die to sin and live to Christ.’ The pain of dying to sin enables us to experience the joy of living more deeply in Christ. In both these tasks we need the help of Mary. She, the sinless one, is always with us in our struggle against sin and the habitual temptation to mediocrity. She becomes the cause of our joy in helping us to live more fully in her Son, Christ Jesus.