Allocutio at Concilium - May 2014 - Fr. Bede McGregor, OP

Saint John XXIII and the Legion
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On Mercy Sunday Pope Francis canonized Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. This was a joyous event for the universal Church and the Legion in particular. In this allocutio I want to focus on St. John XXIII and his significance for the Legion.

We immediately think of St. John as the pope who convened the Second Vatican Council. This Council is a magnificent gift of God to the whole Church at a crucial time in the history of salvation and of the world. It was a time when the very soul of a great many countries of the world was deeply wounded by so much cultural, political and religious upheaval. The world witnessed the influence of Communism, Nazism and various forms of Fascism. There was the devastation of two world wars and the bloody wars for national independence in so many countries of Africa and Asia and indeed even in Ireland, the place of the birth of the Legion. There was also the attempt to poison the very mind of the human person through different philosophical forms of atheistic humanism and the effects of the so-called Enlightenment were still with us and indeed also the consequences of the French Revolution. I have only touched upon some of the events and ideas that went into the profound demoralisation of the world in the most literal meaning of the word. The world of the 19th and 20th century had lost its moral compass and was suffering the inevitable effects in a dramatic way. The basic and unavoidable question was: how is the Church to proclaim the Gospel to this modern world?

The response of Saint John XXIII was to call the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis in his homily said: ‘In convening the Council, Saint John XXIII showed an exquisite docility to the Holy Spirit. He let himself be led and he was for the Church a pastor, a servant-leader, guided by the Holy Spirit. This was his great service to the Church; for this reason I like to think of him as the pope of docility to the Holy Spirit.’ Of course, docility to the Holy Spirit is the primary undertaking of the Legion Promise and the ambience of her total work of evangelisation of souls. There can be no doubt that the Council was primarily the work of the Holy Spirit and not just a purely human project. But the question arises: where does the Legion fit into this epoch making scenario? Well, first of all let us remember that Frank Duff our founder was invited by Pope Paul to attend as a lay auditor the final session of the Council. This in itself is a very significant affirmation of the Legion and its role in the mission of the Church. It is good for us to recall the often quoted words of Cardinal Suenens: ‘When Cardinal Heenan, Archbishop of Westminster, who held the floor at precisely the moment that Frank took his place, saw him enter, he publicly announced the fact to the assembly. The 2,500 bishops rose to give him a warm and moving ovation. It was an unforgettable moment: the thanks of the universal Church to the pioneer of the lay apostolate.’ It was also a remarkable endorsement of the charism of the Legion. But even much deeper than this acclamation by the universal episcopate of Frank Duff and the Legion is the striking harmony between the texts of the Council and many passages in the Handbook and the writings of Frank Duff. I mention these facts because sometimes legionaries ask me what can they say when some priests argue that the Second Vatican Council made the Legion out of date and obsolete. It seems to me to be tragic and enormously ill-informed opinion.

However, the Second Vatican Council did not only provide the Legion with remarkable endorsement but also gave it an enormous challenge. The Legion has a very significant role in the implementation of the Council teaching and vision. We cannot just stand by and see the rank and file members of our parishes in both rural and urban areas deprived of the riches of the Council and the great fruits of the Council such as the Universal Catechism and the rich post-conciliar papal magisterium. Very specifically the Legion is called to exemplify the role of the laity in the mission of the Church. It is gifted in actualizing the universal call to holiness and the universal call to the apostolate. It empowers ordinary men and women to play a major part in the new evangelisation. Frank Duff was raised up by God to be one of the major pioneers in defining the dignity and role of the laity in the Church. It is very inspiring to re-read the memorable talk he gave in Maynooth, at which I was privileged to be present, entitled: Our Potential Membership is the Uncommitted Catholic Population. These and other talks simply echo the call of the Council to the Legion.

We have very briefly touched on the influence of St. John XXIII on the Legion by recalling the Council, but he had other more direct and personal contacts with the Legion in which he tells us what he thought of the Legion and its charism. For instance, in a conversation with Eleanor Butler, the Countess of Wicklow, when Pope John was Papal Nuncio to France, he said: ‘The Hierarchy of France is divided on the subject of the Legion of Mary. I am not divided. I am wholeheartedly in favour of it. Its method is right. It seeks out the individual in the spirit of faith and love and that goes to the heart of the question. An ecclesiastical authority that refuses to use the Legion is betraying the interest of the souls under them.’ As Pope he said to a group of French Legionaries: ‘The Legion of Mary presents the true face of the Catholic Church.’ These words seem to encapsulate the section of the Handbook that reads: ‘The Legion must propagate everything Catholic.’ The Handbook also quotes that other succinct sentence of Pope John when he simply asserts: ‘The system of the Legion of Mary is a most excellent one.’ There are other significant contacts between Pope John and the Legion, especially the private audience he gave to Bro. Duff and two other Concilium Officers.

But I hope I have said enough to indicate the joy the Legion should experience at the Canonisation of Pope John. He has given tremendous encouragement to the Legion and given us an immense challenge. St John XXIII intercede for us that we may fulfil our vocation in the mission of the Church.
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