Weekly Divine Mercy Holy Hour, now including the Stations of the Cross starting on February 19 until April 2.
Join us by watching our Legion of Mary Wilmington Curia YouTube Channel (link below)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn7uDEUrHNg4xPmdf8lBW2Q
Then click on the “LIVE image for the week”
every Friday afternoon at 3 pm Eastern time
Is it really a “Man’s World”?
James Brown made a song “It’s a Man’s World” and he basically explains that men are functional while women are relational in their contribution to the world. James goes down the list of the inventions of men that have made life better for society and states that women are absolutely necessary because men feel powerless without their loving support. This song has elements of truth but it is two dimensional and so it is not completely accurate because the question of who made men and women and even the world is omitted. It is not a man’s world but rather God’s world. Therefore, the idea that men and women must compete with each other to influence the world by their labors by making a contribution that stands out throughout the ages is a lie.
It is true that men and women have different abilities that are compatible so they both depend on each other but this dependence does not exclude God. Both the labors of men and women in the world is chasing after the wind in comparison to the labors of the Blessed Trinity in the Paschal Mystery for the salvation of souls. Hence, the reason our Blessed Lord said “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36NASB)
Therefore, any man or woman that labors in the world without Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls, labors in vain for an earthly reward. Both these earthly laborers, some of whom ruled over ancient or modern empires, became just like ashes along with the works of their hands. God our Heavenly Father calls for laborers in His vineyard which is the world. This was true in the beginning, in Genesis, but Adam denied this call. It was later accepted by the God-Man Jesus and the new Eve, Mary, the Mother of God.
The world perceives both Jesus and Mary as last in influencing the world but for those who have eyes of faith, we can see the complete opposite is true. Hence, the reason why we believe in the Coronation of Holy Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. It is Christ who lives in our Blessed Mother and she represents Holy Mother Church which is the Bride of Christ. Our Lady had a greater participation in the Paschal Mystery and so receives a greater glory as her reward. God continues to call every man and woman to labor for the kingdom of God like St. Paul and the Holy Apostles so that we too may be crowned in heaven. It is good and praise worthy to seek a crown from the hands of God because it is only accomplished through the grace of God which then, in turn, reveals the glorious power of God on earth as it is heaven. Everything our Blessed Mother received was a pure grace, so this glorifies God because He is the One who begins, perfects and brings to completion the works of redemption for the salvation of souls because of His infinite love for the whole world.
Just as St. John the Evangelist wrote that God is Love so those who labor for God must bear fruits of charity and it is this charity that makes the world a better place to live in. The coronation of the saints is just another way the good Lord reveals His love for humanity.
Fr. Mekonnen
Maria Legionis Magazine Update from Philadelphia Senatus:
We have seen a precipitous drop in the number of subscriptions over the course of the pandemic. So we are kindly asking that every Legionary help in keeping our magazine viable. Maria Legionis Magazine sells no advertisements and is solely dependent on subscription money to stay solvent. Frank Duff had the following to say about the magazine: “…Maria Legionis a most valuable supplement to the Handbook. Actually it is imperative that Legionaries, if they really want to be good members, should read the Legion Journal. If one does not read it, there is a very great tendency to stagnate. Unless members have before them the works and new ideas of other places, they will find that they will tend to lag behind.”
We ask that Praesidia bring up the idea of subscribing to the Magazine at their next meeting and individuals renew their subscription, if by chance it has lapsed, or start a new subscription.
Moreover we are recommending that Councils make a motion at their next meeting to purchase a number of subscriptions in bulk. These would be complementary magazines for Legionaries who may not be acquainted with the magazine, or they may be put in Church magazine racks with permission of the Pastor or may be used as a hand out on assignments.
Our Concilium Correspondent said the following in his June Letter:
“Along with existing subscribers, bulk-buying by the Senatus and attached councils of our magazine for this purpose would be so beneficial for all, for spiritual reading and for moral support at this time.
May I suggest, during this pandemic, the expense for all literature, including the Maria Legionis, should be covered by the Senatus, and attached councils, so that all might be complementary for now, so there will not be any physical contact required by way of payment in such public areas.”
The Maria Legionis magazine subscription form is available on line at https://philadelphiasenatus.org/maria-legionis-magazine/maria-legionis-subscription-form/
Order one copy! Order many copies!
Some important directives from Concilium regarding restarting the Legion after Covid-19:
The following directive excerpts were issued by Concilium strictly for Ireland Republic but have some application worldwide.
Regarding Praesidium meetings:
If the praesidium meeting takes place in a parish centre or the like, the praesidium must take the following steps: consult with the parish priest/manager and follow the advice given in regard to the use of the premises. Cleaning may be necessary in advance of and after the meetings, 2 metre (6ft.) social distancing to be observed with chairs set apart; good hygiene and sanitising to be maintained. It may be desirable for the wearing of masks especially for the more vulnerable with health-related issues.
For the recommencement, each member is to be advised of the re-start date.
If a legionary does not feel comfortable returning yet to the Legion, they should continue to be excused.
If the priest asks parish groups to wait till later to restart, that request needs to be adhered to.
Regarding Apostolic Works:
Each praesidium has its own work and will have to assess what can and cannot be carried out in the context of the present restrictions. If in any doubt, do not carry out that apostolic work. Hospitals, nursing homes and other instructions are not open to visitors so legionaries should not go there until it is safe to do so and the permission is obtained to do so later on.
In the parish legionaries should consult with the parish priest. He may have works for the legionaries to do which can be carried out in a safe manner for the time being, remembering that the Legion should do any and every work that the priest asks as per the Handbook. Later other parishioner can be organised to take over these duties as necessary.
Public Rosary – it may be possible to have a weekly public rosary for example. If held within the parish grounds the priest must give his permission. If there is a grotto in a town, townland, village or housing estate the legionaries might meet to recite the Rosary together at a specific time. However, they should be mindful of the example they give and always maintain the 2 metre (6ft.) social distancing.
Auxiliary members might be contacted either by phone or other means and it might be possible to drop Maria Legionis in the letter box without ringing the doorbell.
See Philly Senatus Directions for Covid restart at
(The nineteenth in a series of meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus.)
Why is it sometimes in order to move forward in life we have to go back to our beginnings?
During my pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I visited the Church of Dormition which was built because of a Jerusalem tradition that claimed that our Lady died and was assumed into heaven in Jerusalem instead of Ephesus.
This tradition is based on apocryphal works of the second to the fourth century so their authenticity is uncertain and they are not accepted as part of the Christian canon of Scripture. However, according to biblical scholar Lino Cignelli, “All of them are traceable back to a single primitive document, a Judaeo-Christian prototype, clearly written within the mother church of Jerusalem some time during the second century, and, in all probability, composed for liturgical use right at the Tomb of Our Lady.” My tour guide gave what I thought was a very good explanation of the city’s claim to be the place of our Blessed Mother’ death and assumption into heaven.
Fr. Phillipi highlighted the point that Jerusalem is the most important place for a pilgrimage not only for Jewish people but also for Christians who converted from Judaism because this was their practice as Jews. Even St. Paul made it a point to travel back to the Church in Jerusalem for at least one of the special feasts of the Church because this was his custom as a Jew. Therefore, our Lady probably did live with St. John the Evangelist in Ephesus but they both returned for a special feast and then for dormition and assumption into heaven.
The main point is that in our journey of faith we can’t be stationary or cut off from our first encounter with Jesus but rather have an ongoing encounter with him and allow ourselves to be led by Him. The external process of moving from place to place doing work for our Lord does not necessarily reveal the interior reality of encountering and following Christ. This worker bee mentality seems similar to what our Blessed Lord was referring to when He refused to command Mary to help Martha. It was obvious that what Martha was doing was both necessary and praiseworthy because she was serving our Blessed Lord’s external needs but the conclusion that Mary was being idle is not true as well. Mary was physically still, but nevertheless she was moving toward Christ and following Him through her act of adoration. The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
Luke 10:41-42 (NABRE) Martha was called to come back to Christ and choose the better part which is returning to His real presence before going about to follow Him by serving Him in our neighbor.
I believe this tradition is true in that our Blessed Mother was called to go back to Jerusalem to die there just as Her Son died there and then experience her assumption into heaven. Even our Lady and the Holy Apostles were called by name to go back to their roots in order to encounter Christ again and experience both a death and resurrection. Perhaps for Lent we can try to go back to Jerusalem by going back to whatever spiritual practices helped us to encounter Christ in the past with a new found zeal. Or maybe we can reconnect with people who were instrumental in our conversion to help us find new ways to follow Christ. Our Lady was the first and perfect disciple so let us follow her in order to follow Christ more faithfully in our journey of faith to that heavenly Jerusalem.
Fr. Mekonnen
(The eigthteenth in a series of meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus.)
How the Mystery of Pentecost could be Defined as an Epic?
The dictionary defines an “epic” as a long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds of a hero and it also has been loosely used to describe novels. Before the development of writing, epic poems were memorized and played an important part in maintaining a record of the great deeds and history of a culture.
Later, they were written down and the tradition for this kind of poem continued. Epics often feature the following: a hero who embodies the values of a culture or ethnic group; something vital that depends on the success of the hero’s actions; a broad setting, sometimes encompassing the entire world and intervention by supernatural beings. The prime examples of the oral epic are Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.
The book of Genesis is a theological narrative that recounted how God created Adam and Eve for Himself along with the entire universe. Although it isn’t a poem in the strict sense of the word, nevertheless it does illustrate themes that create an atmosphere of mystery and hidden truths that draws the hearer or reader to comprehend the divine values in the context of a tangible human life. It is at Pentecost that the Catholic Church is revealed as the new earthly and Heavenly reality that God calls humanity to become citizens of through the Sacraments of Initiation.
In this epic adventure, God created creatures with a free will which was a huge risk because it gave both humanity and angels an opportunity to freely accept or reject God’s infinite love and life. God reveals Himself both in Genesis and the Acts of the Apostles as valuing both eternal life and love. They are in a certain sense book ends in that God, the Blessed Trinity, recreates humanity but not without humanity again freely choosing to accept the gift of this eternal life and love which is a participation in sanctifying grace. The originator, perfecter and ultimate end of holiness is God alone which is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore, on Pentecost, St. Peter and the apostles preached about the epic Paschal Mystery that all are called to accept through the Sacrament of Baptism. The Paschal Mystery is the suffering, death and Resurrection of Christ Jesus and this is an epic narrative in which the listeners are called to have a participation in holiness so that they may become the living tangible oral tradition of this Salvation History.
The life of St. Peter and the apostles became different chapters of the same epic narrative as the Holy Spirit began to reveal how they can allow the mystery of Pentecost to inspire them to be faithful witnesses of the Gospel good news of the Paschal Mystery. It is through both the teachings and Sacraments of holy Mother Church that more heroes and heroines are participating in this epic narrative of Salvation History. It is the hope of Jesus our Savior, who embodies everything that our Heavenly Father desires for humanity, to not lose this opportunity we have to live a life in the Spirit that we may reveal this epic narrative in our own journey of faith.
Fr. Addisalem Mekonnen
