Allocutio 11-2-15: On the Acies Ceremony

Tomorrow night's spiritual reading will cover the Acies ceremony, an annual event all Legionaries attend to consecrate (or re-consecrate) themselves to Mary. This year was my first Acies and the allocutio is on how moving the ceremony was for me personally.

Ch. 30, Part 1: Acies

Earlier this year, in March, we all gathered at St. Agnes for the Acies, and a few memories stand out to me from that ceremony.

In particular was a conversation I had afterward with an active Legionary from another parish. He was an older man, past his 50s and most likely retired. He was wearing a sort of sporty wind breaker, some gold chains and looked a lot like my uncles and male cousins from the northeast. As we stood in line after the ceremony to enter the parish hall for refreshments, we got to talking about the ceremony and he confessed, “I couldn’t help it, I cried like a baby during the ceremony. I guess I’m just a sentimental old Italian.”

It was funny, not just because he wasn’t someone I expected would cry, but because I had the same experience, and I don’t think it had to do with being Italian and sentimental (though I, too, am both those things). It had more to do with a very real feeling during the Acies of being watched over by Mary. Of being led by the hand to the Legion, a realization of how my life had changed since joining and how my soul has softened and therefore my perspective has softened. It felt like that although sometimes God feels distant, He was suddenly very present – He and Mary were there, watching over me, very aware of my life and what they wanted for me. That is what made me cry.

And then to come to the part of the ceremony where we say, “I am all yours, my Queen, my Mother, and all that I have is yours” - I meant it. What I have is not my own. Whatever I own or have, as good as my life is, I owe all to the Blessed Mother and her Son. That knowledge made me cry, too.

Frank Duff stresses the Acies ceremony as a time for unification and reunion, wherein all of Mary’s “soldiers” are brought together, not operating out in the world via individual praesidia. It is a time for consecration, renewal and remembering the promise we take as Legionaries to serve our Lord and His Mother. This is particularly poignant when we are reunited with Legionaries from all over who share in this special devotion and calling, whose faith can help renew our own. That feeling of community is one of the most special parts of being in the Legion of Mary and the feeling is strengthened by the spirit of Mary, very present in a real way at the Acies.

The next Acies is now only about three months away. In the next three months we can continue to focus on this idea of a consecration to Mary, and look forward to the opportunity to loudly declare ourselves all Hers alongside our fellow Legionaries.

Advent Preparation

Being rather new to the active faith life as an adult, this Advent, just like Lent earlier this year, is my first "real" Advent. I cannot count those of the past where I neither paid attention nor cared about what was going on in the lead-up to Christmas, so it is with true joy that I get to experience and learn about this season now.

I went to Mass at St. Charles Borromeo for the first time last night after getting in from Thanksgiving travels. I have heard about Fr. Planty, and was very happy I ended up at that Mass because he explained in perfect detail what Advent is about, and how best to observe and grow in holiness during this time. First he explained why the readings are so focused on the second coming of Jesus: because Advent is about looking forward to the first coming of Christ, in his birth, and one cannot help but be reminded of His next coming. I missed which Saintly writer it was who developed it, but Fr. Planty mentioned the idea that there is actually a third coming, which is that of Christ into our hearts, reaching out to us, asking to be let in. And thus during Advent we seek this connection and to grow in holiness. His homily was based around the idea that, on Christmas day, after all the presents are open and the food is eaten and the music has stopped, we want to be sure we feel holiness, and not fatigue from material pleasures. I know that feeling. I do not want to go there.

So then, he gave us homework. I've never had a priest give me homework. Realizing I didn't have a pen, I took mental notes. He asked us to consider our faith life in four aspects in the next four weeks: the Sacraments (particularly Confession and receiving the Eucharist); the Word (particularly the birth story as written in Luke and Matthew); prayer (especially to pray the Rosary and to not underestimate it as a tool to get closer to Jesus); and charity (small or large; monetary or service-based). And before we went to bed last night we were to have taken a few minutes to reflect on these four areas and formulate a plan for achieving greater holiness during the Advent season so that when we wake up on Christmas, we are full of peace.

I had already been thinking about this prior to yesterday evening. The organization of the Church is one of the things about it which appeals to me the most, and thus my love of novenas, liturgical seasons, and all the things the Church has which one can prepare for ahead of time and get a great deal out of. Really, the meaningfulness of these seasons is really down to the individual: all the resources in the world are at easily available - books, podcasts, daily devotional emails, study groups and so on. One must simply prepare and pay attention. Or, in the words of Woody Allen, 80% of success is showing up. I have found that my most successful spiritual endeavors have begun with me simply showing up prepared, and the Holy Spirit does the rest.

So a couple weeks ago I bought a very small Advent daily devotional by Bishop Fulton Sheen. I am already subscribed to Fr. Robert Barron's daily Advent emails and Matthew Kelly's "Best Advent Ever" program. I decided to add an extra Rosary each week to my prayer routine and do daily Mass at least once a week. For charity, I will think about a small gesture to carry out on a regular basis. And, lastly, I will truly meditate on the birth stories found in Luke and Matthew. This would be a good time for lectio divina or even composition of place prayer - what was it like to be the Magi making the journey? How have I journeyed in the spiritual life to get closer to Jesus? What about the sound of the angels singing, the appearance of the star in the sky, the lowliness of the shepherds blessed with the knowledge that the savior had come? What did that look like, and feel like?

I am hesitant to overindulge in all of this action, so as not to do lots of things poorly rather than a couple things well. However my overall Advent plan (and I do love a good plan) shakes out, I will look for where the Holy Spirit is guiding me in the journey and stay close to that. It could be lots of rosaries or daily Mass; it could be serving the poor; it could be writing a very long and detailed essay that no one ever reads on what the great star looked like the night Jesus was born. Either way, I am so happy to get the chance to hit reset and begun a new liturgical year; wake up, be re-born and look forward to the light reappearing very soon now.

John Henry Newman in an allocutio

This evening I gave an allocutio inspired by Ch. 28, Section 5 of the Legion handbook, which is a very dry chapter on a particular higher governing body of the Legion. Basically, the home base in Dublin. What was inspiring about it, after several subsections on correspondents, voting rules, etc., was a little quote from Blessed John Henry Newman at the very end. It wasn't the quote itself I appreciated, but the reminder of another of his (perhaps most famous) quotes, which I know I have written about somewhere on this blog. Anyway, below is the text of my talk, which was a lot of fun to give. 

I would like to focus our allocutio tonight on the quote included at the very end of the reading, from Venerable John Henry Newman. Occasionally in our handbook, and especially these past few weeks as we get to know the various higher governmental systems of the Legion, we have seen a few quotes from Newman. I knew little of Newman until recently, when I began to see him pop up in our readings, so I wanted to learn more about him. I discovered this really nice quote of his:

“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.

He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work.

I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments.

Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.”
I find this to be such a breath of fresh air; yet another example of a friend saint who can help us see the bigger picture. There were a few lines that stood out to me:

·        He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.

·        I can never be thrown away.

·        He knows what He is about.

This reassurance of our uniqueness and value is so critical. I find this idea of our uniqueness, but usefulness, reflected in the spirit of the Legion, and in the thought that everyone who comes to the Legion has something to offer. We have lots of works we perform, but individual personalities and talents which lend themselves to the tasks in different ways. And most importantly, God knows what He is about – He knows what he asks of us and why, and I think we can say the same thing for the Blessed Mother – she knows what she is about, and this is especially true when we perform our work and she is with us.

I enjoyed the readings from Monday, and see this idea reflected there. The readings told the story of Zacchaeus, who was a short in stature but determined to get closer to Our Lord. He could have given himself the excuse that he was small, unseeable, or unworthy, but he ignored what he didn’t have (height) and used what he did have (guts!). He climbed up the tree, made himself known, and Jesus ended up coming over for dinner. To add to that, Zacchaeus ultimately gave away half his possessions, which I doubt was his intent to begin with. In other words, he used what God gave him and ended up with even greater spiritual growth than he could have planned for. I believe the same is possible for all of us when we are able to trust in God, that He knows what He is about and what is best for us. And, too, when we live out the special mission God has for us. Further, we can emulate Zachaeus in his fearlessness in his approach to Jesus. He put everything on the line, because Jesus is worth it.

I have no advice for how to discover that mission other than prayer. You may already have an idea of your mission, anyway. Don’t be afraid of it. The important thing to remember is that even if it takes your whole life, as Newman said, you can never be thrown away. God is infinitely patient with us and waits for us, as we wait for him.