Conference Presentations 2024 English
Dear Brothers and Sisters
This year’s theme, “Grounded in Holiness” provides us to reflect, once again, on the object of the Legion of Mary, the holiness and the sanctification of its members. The Handbook states that the holiness of its members is “developed by prayer and active co-operation, under ecclesiastical guidance, in Mary’s and the Church’s work of crushing the head of the serpent and advancing the reign of Christ.” For the Legion of Mary, holiness is a life of prayer, sacraments and apostolic works toward salvation, not only of ourselves but our neighbor.
In the opening prayers of the Legion of Mary, we invoke the Triune God as we begin all our prayers “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We pray to the Holy Spirit for wisdom, “Come O Holy Spirit fill the hearts…” We invoke the Mother of God by the recitation and profound meditation on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. We conclude the opening prayers with supplication for mercy to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and humbly beg for the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Louis Marie de Montfort. In the Concluding Prayers, we call upon the Archangels and the whole court of angels, and again pray for the intercession of saints - Saint John the Baptist and Saints Peter and Paul.
Our Legion prayers reflect our love of God, Mary and the angels and the powerful intercession of our Patron Saints. Saint Joseph, a carpenter by trade. Saint Peter, a fisherman. Saint Paul, a tent-maker. Saint John the Baptist, a desert wanderer. Saint John the Evangelist, son of a fisherman and Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, who adopted a life of a beggar. These patrons of the Legion are ordinary and simple men who through God’s grace were transformed to sanctity and whose lives are the template for sainthood.
What, therefore, is holiness? It is not spirituality, because spirituality is merely a means to a goal in achieving holiness. Holiness refers to acquiring God's core trait and fundamental quality. This is God's fundamental nature, for God is holiness. It is God's Divine attribute given to those who love Him through words and actions. It is a lifelong commitment to embody Gospel virtues such as charity, kindness, forgiveness, peace, understanding, and acts of compassion. Pursuing holiness through these acts, connects us to the Divine. To be 'grounded in holiness' is to eschew all sorts of sin and immoral behaviors in order for God to live in our souls. It is the love of neighbor, guiding them in the path of holiness with compassion and understanding.
Holiness is the joy that we find in the ordinary things in life. It is taking time to pray, ride the bike and laugh with our children. It is found in the joy and sorrow of our daily struggles. It is looking at a stranger and seeing the face of Christ. It is welcoming the rejection of others, carrying our daily crosses quietly as the saints did. It is finding the peace of Christ in a chaotic world of darkness and confusion. Holiness, is thus, becoming Christ-like in all our thoughts and actions. And finally, it is God’s call to all mankind: “I, the LORD, am your God. You shall make and keep yourselves holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44).
You will find in this page, the presentations about the lives of our Patron Saints!