The Legion of Mary, Leni, and Minor Friars

ALTHOUGH OUR CIRCUMSTANCES differ much from what the Legion Handbook said, our abilities are thankfully the same and made better by the recently-conducted synodal consultations. Which were, to me, more than a wake-up call. To put it personally, in line with Kuya Noel’s enticement, it was my time to return to the parish. Long story short, he and Ate Thelma were twin towers (pun intended) I did not have the heart nor the energy to resist.

The Legion of Mary Handbook proves prophetic and infallible as it enjoined us to reawaken missionary zeal towards all who have abandoned their faith, with a mild ouch from me.

The call is imperative now that the perpetrators of disinformation and revisionism are in power. If we saw during the campaign period the humongous groundswell of Kakampink support, we were also witness to the enthusiastic turnout of Legionaries at the Piyesta ni Maria in the Legion House and the first Men’s Conference after it. Mary is saying something profound for us to ponder on. First the praesidium, then slowly and surely, we grow into bigger communities to plant, nay, replant the seeds of faith. Now, more than ever, we should reinvigorate our zeal to visit neighbors again, for restarters, then the rest of our brethren, and reiterate that our mission never stopped, only got sidetracked.

I add Kuya Ed’s insight that the Legion’s service or involvement in the church is unobtrusive, even almost invisible and, therefore, not calling attention to itself. How humble. How noble. Like Mary.

The Essence of Sacrifice in Service

I cannot sufficiently appreciate the grace of being consecrated to Jesus through Mary. This grace became my blessing through the Association of Mary, Queen of All Hearts (AMQAH), a community founded by the Montfort missionary priests in the Montfort Center of Spirituality (MCS) in Madriñan, Timog. Belatedly, I discovered that AMQAH has been long established in the Legion of Mary Handbook Appendix 4, which crystallized only recently because of Sis Carrot’s assigning us (members of the Tower of Ivory praesidium) the spiritual reading on Legionary Service. I could not thank Mary adequately for inculcating in me loyalty, courage, discipline, endurance, and success, specifically in resisting the enemy, proven pervasive and widespread during the recently conducted elections. Credit goes to the integrity of our leader, Leni, who remained intact and unsullied, albeit apparently beaten by the machineries of fraud, vote-buying, revisionist tactics, and blatant disregard for a clean and honest political process. I could not help shed tears of admiration and respect for her as she commandeered her humongous throng of supporters at the “final” appreciation assembly in the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) grounds. I was only one among the virtual watchers who grieved over the imminent death of democracy. We Kakampinks silently vowed a gesture of decency while our leader pondered the darkness; we were certain she will shine the light soon.

I thank Mary her for her spouse, St. Joseph, patron of a happy death and terror of demons, whose advocacy I espoused brought forth powerful answers to petitions he interceded for me unfailingly. Save perhaps for making Leni surmount the odds stacked against her. Because he is a man of virtuous silence like his wife and Son, I took the loss as heaven’s quiet dismissal of defeat for God’s people, not unlike the fate of the Israelites in Egypt.

Because of the Holy Family’s armor around me, I’m no longer afraid to venture onto unfamiliar territory. I braved to volunteer at PPCRV’s manual recount of election returns even if it took a crash course from the lady guard on downloading UST’s safety app to register and allow me entry to the command center. (I was the oldest senior citizen in the first batch!) And a recent deliverance from ignorance.

My recovery from a mild stroke sustains, thanks to ayudas from friends and communities who care. Pals from near and as far as Australia, Belgium, Canada, and Dubai did not think twice in sending support when I shamelessly asked.

I’m here, undaunted by age and health, to soldier on, no matter what it takes, totus tuus.

Fr. Chris Tibong’s Ambush Questions

One of the four recently installed Franciscan Friars in San Jose, ang Tagapagtanggol Parish, Fr. Chris celebrated the 9 am Mass last Sunday. It was my first time to meet him and serve at his Mass, having met and served the other three priests at different previous intervals. Therefore, while his coming down from the ambo did not surprise me, his questions took me aback. Evidently, Kuya Nestor was also not prepared for his interrogation. He made a good point that, because we could not answer his questions about the Gospel, we are neither disciples (learners from Christ) nor apostles (sent to spread the Good News). He was right, of course, and no matter our ability to answer his next easier questions, our failure to rise to the earlier random occasion betrayed our unpreparedness, making us unfit as disciples or apostles.

I appreciated him for making us examples of churched faithful who did not seem schooled in the Gospel. He counseled the congregation, therefore, to be constantly in touch with the Word and, as a measure of making sure, warned them that in future Masses he will celebrate, we better come prepared for his questions. I thought that was a dare to deepen our sprituality and face up to his challenge of coming to Church with Christ in our hearts.

I also liked his take on traveling light, whether embarking on an assignment or, especially, a mission. And he taught this discipline to his seminarians by conducting a last-minute check on their luggage. Pity those who happen to have non-essentials (like phones, books, and even medicines) in their packing. They had to be let go with only their clothes staying in their suitcases. His rationale is simple: if they had everything they need in the mission, there would be no reason to interact with the people around them, or ask them for help when they get sick, in a way isolating themselves from the people they are supposed to fraternize with and evangelize. I could not help recalling St. Louis Marie de Montfort, the wonderful worm of Mary, whose sense of poverty and spirituality ran parallel to the simplicity of the Order of Friar Minors.

Amen.